News Anchor Martin Giles Returns to WFLA Radio

Veteran radio newscaster Martin Giles said he's glad to be back reporting the news at WFLA radio.

Jim Reed photo for tbo.com

"It's not easy because I've lost a lot of my memory. … I'm taking it slow, one day at a time," said Giles, who returned to WFLA (970 AM) on Monday after being off the air since Jan. 21, according to a posting by Walt Belcher at tbo.com.

On that morning the 74-year-old newscaster suddenly had difficulty pronouncing words during news reports.

"I still don't know exactly what happened," he said. "I was in the hospital for 10 days and I was mostly unaware of what was going on around me."

The station received hundreds of emails and telephone calls from listeners who thought Giles may have had a stroke.

In February, a Los Angeles news reporter, Serene Branson, was doing a live report during a post-Grammy Awards broadcast when her speech suddenly became slurred and indecipherable.

She said later that doctors concluded she was suffering from a severe migraine headache that mimicked a stroke.

Giles says he has been through a lot of tests and mental exercises. "I got the brain working again," he said. "I was cleared to go back to work.

"But I'm not the person I used to be and that hurts," he said, adding that as he gets back into the routine he hopes his memory will improve.

"This is something I can handle," he said. "It's a miracle and I thank God and all the people who support me."

Giles has been a part of WFLA for more than 30 years. The Plant City native once worked for ABC News in New York. He also was an on-air reporter at WTSP, Channel 10, when it was an ABC affiliate. He joined WFLA in 1985, and he has become known for clever headlines that introduce his stories.

On Monday morning, he was welcomed back by longtime morning show hosts Jack Harris and Tedd Webb.

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