September 6, 2006 Martini in the Morning was born as an outgrowth of what we built for my former employer, Clear Channel Radio (now iHeart Media). We were so stoked by the enthusiasm fans have for this music, and with artists like Michael Buble', Diana Krall, Steve Tyrell and Rod Stewart joining the "Vintage" artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin, the prospects were exciting. We started Martini in the Morning as an online demo, showing what this could sound like on a radio station here in L.A. or on stations across the USA. We learned very quickly that we needed to focus on the Internet and our "Lounge Lizards in Exile" continued to grow in number. These were folks that used to listen to us on the radio in L.A., and other listeners that found us when a radio station in their community playing their favorite music went away.Our "Lounge Lizards" vowed to retain their "In Exile" status until this music returned to the airwaves.

That was ten years ago. As our online audience grew, it became clear that the future for our music, for media in general, is online. Through thick and thin, we have accepted that fate and entirely by word of mouth, have been growing ever since. We have grown into far more than a radio station. The Martini in the Morning community reaches across the USA and around the world. Through these newsletters, social media and the Martini in the Morning Chat Lounge, we have grown closer and closer. When the Olympics were held in Rio, it was more than an event on TV, it was a chance to celebrate with our listeners in Brazil. When terror struck Nice, France, it struck close to home as we had listeners living in Nice and others visiting. When Louisiana was flooding, Martini in the Morning listeners were still listening and checking in, and we mourned with our listeners in Italy when a powerful earthquake took hundreds of lives. The Martini in the Morning world is small and getting smaller. 

We hear so often from folks about how Martini in the Morning plays an important role in their life, and holds a special place in their heart. As we begin a months long celebration of ten years serving you and the people involved in advancing this great genre, we're looking for your "Martini Memories," those special moments, the things that make you come for the music but make you keep coming back for something more.Click here to leave your Martini Memory. You can write it, include pictures showing where and how you "Martini." You can even share video here. We'll post a story on our website daily, starting September 6th. One story will be published in the October edition of our email newsletter "Notes from a Cocktail Napkin." You could win a special anniversary prize, but most importantly, the world will know why you say Martini in the Morning is MY STATION!