US-101’s amazing morning show: a tribute to Bearman

Update: US-101 morning personality Bearman (Benjamin Martin) passed away Thursday night October 16, 2014  from injuries he received from a fall,  after a lengthy battle with liver disease.  The article below was originally posted October 9, and has been edited after his passing.

I admire people who win, especially those who win with class.  In sports, I like the team that wins, shakes hands, and says, “Now let’s get back to work so we can keep on winning.”  No bragging, no grandstanding, just a commitment to be good enough to win the next game.

That’s why I like these guys so much.  Ken Hicks and Bearman were about to begin their 20th year as the morning team on Chattanooga’s US-101, when Bearman became ill in the summer of 2014.  In 1995, they quickly rose to the top of the ratings, and stayed there. Folks, that isn’t easy, but they sure made it sound that way.

Ken credits their success to their similar backgrounds and beliefs.  He’s a Georgia boy, and his partner grew up in Alabama.  Bearman (Ben Martin) loved nothing more than meeting listeners, and hearing their stories, while Ken spends most weekends in churches, singing bass for his gospel quartet Testimony.  He says they’ve lost track of how many listeners they’ve met in person, but it’s way up into the thousands.  “It’s the best part of the job,” Ken says.

Twenty years ago, neither knew their names would soon be joined together in Chattanooga radio history, but Ken says they both felt blessed by their partnership.  “Back in 1995, station manager Sammy George, who is a radio genius, was making some changes,” Ken said. “I had been doing my Sunday morning show (The Gospel Road) on US-101 for 11 years, and Bear had worked at the station for 8 years.  One night Sammy told us to start doing mornings the next day, and that’s how it’s been ever since.”  Sammy George also remembers. “I’m certainly not a genius but I was keenly aware of the chemistry between two great guys, and how it could translate on the radio and to the audience.”

Ken said, “We were truly able to finish each other’s sentences.  You develop that relationship when you spend the first few hours of the day with the same person for 20 years.”

There were no infighting, no ego clashes.  “It wasn’t about us,” Ken said.  “We figured that out early on.  Our listeners are much more comical than we are.  We put ’em on the air, and they carry the show.  We just sat back and laughed.  How cool is that?”

Listeners also loved their “Rollin’ Radio Show,” which is what they called their remote broadcasts.  “We had so much fun out meeting people.  I mean, people would bring lawn chairs when we were out doing remotes.  Think about that.  People pulled up a chair to watch two guys talk on the radio!”

After almost 20 years of waking up the Tennessee Valley, Ken and Bear were inseparable in the minds of many.  “I’ll be at the store with my wife,” Ken says, “and people would come up and ask me where Bearman is.  I just told ’em he’s waiting out in the truck.  I guess they thought we’re together 24/7!”

In 2009, the team welcomed a third member, Daniel Wyatt, who came from a station in Birmingham.  Daniel brings humor and energy to the show, and also handles the station’s web content and social media.  “He fit in from day one,” Ken said. “He gets it.  He has a good radio background, and he has added a lot to our show.”

Daniel has carried more of the load recently, during Bearman’s illness.  For several months, Bear dealt with liver problems and was unable to work.  He passed away October 16th at the age of 61, surrounded by friends and family.  Ken said, “He was a big part of everybody’s morning, and we all miss him, just like the listeners do. We want to make him proud.”

Bearman was born in Kinston, Alabama in 1953, and started his radio career in 1978 in Opp, Alabama.  He loved being with his family, always bragged on his children, and was a fan of karate, “The Andy Griffith Show” and of course, country music.  He was a resident of Flintstone, Georgia.

US-101’s success was built on community involvement, and Ken says Bear was always been in the middle of it.  “People don’t know this, but I want you to know.  Bear paid people’s power bills, he put them in apartments, he bought them groceries.  Folks called in with serious problems.  Bear asked them what they needed, and after we went off the air, I would see him calling them back, figuring out a way to help them.  He did that kind of thing all the time.”

(Personal note: Ken is too modest to admit this, but he also performs many random acts of kindness.  The US-101 staff is legendary for their support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, raising millions of dollars for the facility, and befriending many families along the way.)

So to sum it up, what’s the recipe? How did these “good old boys” manage to stay on top of the highly competitive morning radio battle for so long?  “It’s simple,” Ken said.  “We just do old-school radio.  It’s fun, not fake or phony.  We’re blessed with some good Christian raising, and we do a clean morning show that everybody can listen to. That’s been our goal since the beginning.”

It won’t be easy carrying on without Bearman.  But Ken and Daniel say his spirit will live on, and his influence will continue to be a big part of Chattanooga mornings.

The celebration of life service for Bearman was just what he would have wanted.  Funny, touching stories from his partners Ken and Daniel, and a great message from his friend and pastor, Tony Kelly of Cross Connection Church in Chickamauga.  Ken concluded his remarks by saying, “From now on, when people ask me where Bearman is, I’ll tell them.  He’s in my heart.  He’s in your heart.  I know he has a home in Heaven, and I’ll see him again someday.”