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Mark Larsen

Mark began playing with (DX-ing) radios at the young age of four or five with an old tube-model tabletop that he had in his room back in Indianapolis. With signals from major stations beaming in from all over, he grew up listening to WLS, WAKY, CKLW, WCFL, Pittsburg’s 13Q, and was even able to get WABC on occasion. His radio addiction became even worse when The Beatles hit. By that time he was well into grade school and playing with soldering irons and repairing transistor radio circuit boards. Fortunately, his high school had a real 300-watt FM station that covered the north side of the city, and that’s how he got started.

In 1972 Mark got his first commercial radio gig doing weekends and helping the music director at WIFE AM/FM in Indianapolis. After graduating from high school, he attended college at Butler and went full time with the station on the swing shift. He moved to Ball State in Muncie in 1974 and worked afternoons at WERK. Then it was back to Indianapolis to do evenings at WNDE in 1976. He also worked at WROK in Rockford (Illinois) and Little Rock’s KAAY where he was named “Medium Market Air Personality of the Year” in the Confidential Report’s Radio & Records Awards in 1978. The next year he joined WEZB B97 FM in New Orleans as production director and mid-day host. 

From 1980 to 1986 Mark was PD and afternoon drive host for Tampa Bay’s 95YNF. He followed with the production director’s position at WFLA AM & FM in 1986. When the FM switched to oldies Z-93 WFLZ, he copped the PD’s post and afternoon drive. But after the FM was re-branded Power 93: The Power Pig, he returned to the AM as a mid-morning talk show host in the 9-noon slot.

He started his own St. Petersburg advertising business in 1986. A leap into real estate investing in the mid 90’s led him to retire from the radio business in 2000 after 28 years. But before packing it in, he picked up some recognition from various local publications in the area and was named “Best Talk Show Host in Tampa Bay” four times between 1989 and 1999.

Fortunately, Mark returned to the airwaves in 2002 and pulled mornings for 7½ years on Genesis’ NewsTalk 1040 (later NewsTalk 820) WWBA.  After failing to agree on a new contract with the company in late 2009, his lengthy run with the station ended and he returned to 970WFLA as a swing host for the local “AM Tampa Bay” and nationally syndicated afternoon “Schnitt Show.”

Station History