Francis A. Martin, III

July 6, 1943 – June 29, 2019

Francis A. Martin, III, president of the former Chronicle Broadcasting Company and a greatgrandson of M.H. de Young, died at home on June 29, 2019.

He was born on July 6, 1943 and raised as a child in Hillsborough, California. Known to friends and family as “Rani,” he was a graduate of Stanford University and served with the United States Marines in Vietnam. For more than 30 years, Mr. Martin worked in broadcast news, managing operations at family-owned KRON-TV where he pioneered local programming and championed station independence. Under his guidance, KRON became one of the most powerful and well-regarded local stations in the country.

Through his leadership, KRON was one of the first independent stations in the country to air broadcast advertisements for condoms in 1987 at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

Mr. Martin loved San Francisco to its bones, living for decades atop Telegraph Hill. He was at ease and confident in all settings in his business and social life, whether it was a black-tie museum reception or tough talk at the negotiating table with union leaders. Known and loved by a great many, Mr. Martin had a reputation for always being sharply dressed, at one time even being named one of the ten best-dressed businessmen in America. Mr. Martin absolutely loved a good laugh or a fun party.

Competitive but thoughtful, Mr. Martin brought unique charm to any interaction while seizing the advantage at each opportunity. “I don’t like confrontation,” he told The Stanford Daily for a profile in 1980, “unless it’s on my own terms.”

Mr. Martin served on the boards of The Associated Press, Metrocall Inc., and the Hibernia Bank, among numerous others. He was a member of numerous professional organizations and social clubs, including The Knickerbocker in New York, White’s in London, and the Pacific-Union Club and The Bohemian Club in San Francisco.

Survivors include wife Elizabeth Martin of San Francisco; sons Francis A. Martin, IV and William Roth Martin of San Francisco; sisters Candyce Martin, Constance Goodyear Baron, Priscilla Tamkin and Helen Spalding; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial in celebration is planned for this coming fall. Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made to either Sound Off (donate. sound-off.com) or the The de Young Museum.