My Top 5 Mark Ericson Moments

As you can expect, it’s been an eventful and yes emotional day here at WOKQ/WPKQ. If you missed this morning’s announcement, Mark Ericson is leaving the Morning Waking Crew to take a job with our parent company Townsquare Media as Regional Technical Manager.  

Mark is incredibly talented in this area and his skills will be a great asset to our sister stations.  Mark was the guy in charge of building the Bob Fuller Media Center, home to Studio Big. Mark won’t be going far. He will still be based out of our facility, but will travel the region to help make their studios as cool as ours are.  At times like this you reminisce, and it got me to thinking about my top 5 Mark Ericson moments.

(5) 2:45 AM. That’s when Mark generally got here to work on the “big morning broadcast”. It takes a very disciplined individual to work those crazy hours year after year. We’ve been lucky to have someone who could do so and produce a show that has been recognized time and again by industry peers.

(4) The ice cream truck.  Once or twice a summer, Mark would flag down an ice cream truck, call the staff over the intercom, and pick up the tab for icy cold treats for everyone.

(3) Cheese steak subs. Mark’s lunch of choice when we have important meetings with consultants, engineers or visiting dignitaries.

(2) Taylor Swift at the Gaslight in Portsmouth. Back when Taylor was just starting out, she did a show for us there as a thank you to the radio station. Years prior, Mark met with her when she was only 12 and his recommendation to her family was that they pack the car, move to Nashville and begin promoting their budding star.

(1) 9/11.  We all remember where we were that day. I was about to follow the Morning Waking Crew on the air when the world suddenly changed. Over the days that followed, Mark was the “go-to” guy for not only the station, but the community around us as we gathered in the parking lot at the Mall at Fox Run to grieve and begin to move forward again.

So to the guy who’s been my boss, my colleague and advisor, I wish you only the best as we all move on. Thank you for your support, your leadership and for your dedication to WOKQ over these many years.

Watch Mark pass the torch to Roy Sullivan here.