Considered by many to be the “Boss Jock’s Boss Jock”, Marvelous Mark McKay got his start in radio like many DJs: by building a studio in his childhood home, broadcasting to his family. Mark says he decided to become a disc jockey at the tender age of two.
Mark was raised in the East, but it was in San Francisco that he made a powerful impact on Bay Area listeners. In 1974, Mark arrived at KFRC at the age of 21. Mark was young, but he was full of fresh ideas for reaching listeners. At KFRC, he developed a network of over 100 high school reporters and was writing a monthly column in over 50 Bay Area high school newspapers, and as a result, KFRC’s ratings shot up. Over the next decade, Mark could be heard evenings and afternoon drive in the Bay Area.
One of the many highlights during Mark’s time at KFRC was called a program called “Friends Across the Pacific”, in 1976. Mark was invited by the Australian government to do his KFRC show for a week in Sydney, live via satellite for the first time ever. The Aussies gave him and Charlie Van Dyke two Koalas to bring back with them. Olivia Newton John met them at San Francisco International Airport, and the Koalas, named Coke and Pepsi, were transported to their new homes at the San Diego Zoo. In the next decade Mark worked his magic on the evening and PM Drive shifts. Over time, Mark’s duties grew from deejay to writing and voicing station imaging to programmer.
In 1984, Mark moved across town along with Bay Area Radio Hall of Famer Sue Hall, to spearhead the new lineup and format flip at the ALL NEW ALL HIT K-M-E-L, doing both the AM Drive and midday shifts. Programming was his passion, so later on, Mark moved across the country to hold down Program Director positions in Minneapolis, Kansas City, Washington DC, and Orlando. He currently resides in Florida.
Marvelous Mark has traveled America following his radio dream, but he says he truly left his heart in San Francisco, where he says he has spent the best years of his life.