“The two most important days in life, the day you are born and the day you find out why”- Mark Twain
AUDIO:
Wednesday July 2, 2025 – Mark Christopher’s “walk away day.” These two on-air events were just a couple hours apart on KNWN Northwest News Radio and KVI (Lotus Co- Seattle)
and Mark in year #2 (of 20) @ KBSG Good Times and Great Oldies (shirt and tie really?)
They insisted Mark put away the music for good and move into News/Talk Radio. Along with being Morning News Anchor Saturday and Sundays for Northwest Newsradio, he is also Tech Advisor/Sound and News Anchor for sister station Talk Radio 570 KVI for The John Carlson Morning Show. Mark also anchors a podcast and on-air Program called “Northwest This Week,” providing listeners a way to catch up on stories of the past week and why they matter.
He was awarded the Edward R Murrow Award for Breaking News in his first two years of the radio change and helped achieve a first for the station with The AP Radio Sportscast Of The Year Award for two consecutive years as Producer of “Husky College Football Game Day with Gaard Swanson.”
Marks passion for radio is proven everyday as he drives 29 miles one way from the Hood Canal area to catch a one-hour Ferry boat ride to Seattle. He credits his long-term broadcasting career to the many friendships he developed working closely with numerous recording artists (Local and National) of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, TV and Movie actors, The Seattle-Seafair family, also all his Radio and Television friends local and nationwide. Most important to Mark are still the thousands of listeners who realize live and local radio is best!
***Mark’s radio journey includes KCLX Colfax, KMAS Shelton (met wife to be Karen), KREM Spokane (KJRB offer next day), KRKO Everett, KIXI AM-FM Seattle, KLTX -K-Lite Seattle, KJR 950 (Greatest Hits), KLSY 92.5 Bellevue (Delilah begins) KBSG 97.3 Seattle 1989-2006! (Middays whole time and record!) , KVI 570 -Oldies then KVI Talk Radio (version ll) KMCQ 104.5 Seattle, WARM FM ” Seattle official “Christmas Station “-Bellevue, KOMO News Radio &-570 KVI Talk Radio Dual Duty Northwest News Radio till July 2, 2025. A total of 45 Years on Local radio completed.
July 17, 2025 at QZVX
John Ross says:
Well, not to ‘steal’ any Thunder from Mark Christopher, or the infamous, and somewhat bloviating John Carlson, but it was me, John Ross (Morning Drive DJ), Chet Rogers (News), and Ron Erak (PD), with Viacom, who layed-up the foundation for the success that KBSG 97.3 FM “THE BEST OLDIES” became. I’ll NEVER miss getting up at 3AM and ruining the rest of my life to play the Oldies at 5AM with a forced smile, for substantially, PROMISED but never delivered “BLUE SKIES” – even though we delivered the ratings Viacom was seeking. So, one day in April, 1989, I walked into the GM’s office and said, “Hey, how about some of that promised ‘Blue Sky’ in MY WALLET for accomplishing what management wanted – the RATINGS!?” The immediate answer was, “well, there’s the door… and see ya!” So, I collected my pittance of severance pay and last pay check, based on about a $34K a year deal, and departed – NEVER TO LOOK BACK on a 27-year radio career that started with Buzz Barr on KMO 1360-AM during the 1962 Columbus Day Storm, “broadcasting” from my Trout Lake Amateur Weather Station.
Later on at Tacoma Voc-Tech with Chuck Ellsworth in 1966/1967 – whom I took flying one day (oh what a disaster THAT was…LOL!), I would soon be in the company of fellow radio broadcast personalities Dan Walker and Chet Rogers (Ron Favre) at KTOY-FM, from where we three would go on to bigger and better things. In fact, as I recall, I followed Ichabod Cane (Randy Evans) at KPUG as PD and PM Driver, as he transferred to KJRB, Spokane.
After departing KBSG 97.3, I finished out my FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate with Multi-Engine rating in Long Beach, California, and soon after was seated with Mesa Airlines/United Express, flying passengers all over the colorful Southwest as a First Officer (Co-Pilot), based eventually in Phoenix, AZ at Sky Harbor Airport. Of course, I just didn’t start my flying then. I had worked at KAYE 1450-AM in Puyallup with Henry Perrozzo, Bud Blair and Jim Nicholls and did the 7-Midnight Top 40 shift… and felt I wasn’t getting paid what I was worth… so the station allowed me some ‘radio trade-time’ and I soon sold Air Puyallup at Thun Field with a radio advertising package – in exchange for getting my Private Pilot certificate in 1968. So THAT’s when I started flying. But I gotta tell you, trading the radio studio at KBSG 97.3 and the ‘Best Oldies’ for a bird’s eye view in the REAL BLUE SKY, was the best deal I ever made in life, and an experience that is not enjoyed by many, but there I was. I’ve never looked back to radio, except that that’s where my roots were, and to fill that void, e.g., the ‘want’ that ‘need’ for the music, I’ve settled on Allan Sniffen and Jon Wolfert at RewoundRadio.Com. And if you haven’t experienced that yet, here ya go: https://rewoundradio.com/ It leaves Seattle radio in the dust – and once you listen – you’ll find it VERY difficult to turn it off!
I guess, because of my colorful background, including landing a helicopter with KUUU’s front desk receptionist Rosemary Smith into the KJR parking lot on Harbor Island while Pat O’Day was in a staff meeting with all the jocks during the time I was doing 7 to Midnight at KUUU 1590-AM in 1971 – including Chet Rogers and Jerry Kaye – whom I would later work with at KHIT 107 (106.9) and KNBQ/KBSG 97.3 FM, I should do a more complete bio and engage in some of the ‘nuances’ of radio broadcasting. As time permits, I’ll get to it. Right now I’m playing airplane with my late model Cessna P337 Skymaster, which is taking most of my time… yep, you can call me “The Spirit of 76″… and STILL enjoying those ‘friendly’ BLUE SKIES!
Until then… Cheers … and hey, Mark, tone it down just a bit! Lol!
Mark Christopher
July 13, 2025 at QZVX
Mike Barer says:
Just a real nice warm guy.
A bit about Mark Christopher...
July 12, 2025 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Attended Queen Anne High on the tails of Kirby Wilbur (KVI) and Kathi Goertzen (KOMO). At age 9 he spent a summer with his sister in Libby Montana. Mary worked at KLCB as a copy writer-receptionist. During a visit he witnessed the crises of a no-show afternoon jock. The owners son was at football practice and the only backup. A bucket of KFC and six-pack of Coke would seal the deal. Watching the guy playing the hits and enjoying eats planted a seed for Mark. His break came while doing weekends at KIXI FM. Robert O Smith departed the morning shift for a gig in Canada. Robert O’ insisted owner Wally Nelskog to simply grab his recent hire and watch what happens. Soon after Robert had Mark join him for lunch with Radio Beat Reporter Victor Stredicke who right away asked why this kid? Robert O’ replied, ” Mark has seen the mole on the tummy of Merrilee Rush”. During the next 5 years Mark’s positive and fun attitude would bring duties of Production Director and Program Director . A station sell to Ackerley Billboard would find Mark as the only staff member to make the move as well. Adjustment would place him on KJR among the fun of Gary Lockwood, Marty Reimer and Ross Shafer. The Sports/Sonics move on KJR pushed him out the door to KLSY FM for only two weekends. Mark recalls there was a call on the request line on Seafair Sunday as “Chip” (Budweiser period here) was just grabbing another win on Lake Washington. The caller asked “Are you Mark? Hours later Mark was meeting PD Jim LaMarca of what was soon to be KBSG 97.3 in Seattle. Mark would soon hit some of his most successful achievements as Midday host for the next 20 years at KBSG. The Ventures Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame campaign, Two consecutive wins as First Place- Commercial Boat-Decorated in the Opening Day Boat Parade, The “Across The Universe” John Lennon Tribute ( w/ Yoko Ono -Elliot Mintz) coordinating a nationwide simulcast airplay of the song marking ten years of such a loss in music, and creating the most ever one of a kind “Seattle Sea Gals Cheerleaders” appearances w/Mark on stage over a two year period (Concerts, Festivals, Parades, Fairs and Grand Openings.) Oh, and during his time on the mysterious KMCQ Covington Station many believed he owned it as the caller letters K-Mark Christopher-Q was a given? He did not. WARM FM would be next for two years (Mark Christopher Claus) On Jan 2, 2015 The Amazing Kreskin was to join Mark on-air at WARM to announce a “Comeback as Master Of “Magic and Illusion”. Kreskin would be a no-show. A week later a publicist confirmed Kreskin cancelled as he got inner thoughts of Mark no longer as morning host. Kreskin was right. Mark was excused from his duty at WARM just 30 minutes after the scheduled interview. Yes that’s Mark you often see on KCTS 9 cooking and pledging various music shows.