Ep. 42 Mark Wallengren

EPISODE SUMMARY: Mark Wallengren is a 35 year radio personality and former host of the Mark and Kim show on KOST, the first equally billed male and female morning show in the country. Mark and Kim have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wallengren shares how he got his start in radio and tons of exciting stories from his decades on air as Mark and Chachi sit down at for a chat! 

On this episode of Chachi Loves Everybody, Chachi talks to Mark Wallengren about:

Growing up in a Mormon pioneer family full of artists and innovatorsGetting his start in Preston, Idaho and working his way to larger marketsShutting the Union Pacific Train with his reenacctment of War of the WorldsDoing voiceover work and creating a proffessional press kit that got him noticed by Jhani KayeLanding a job at KOST and eventually replacing MG Kelly in the morningsMeeting Kim Amidon and quickly dominating ratings with the Mark and Kim show His connections with Disney and the thrill of the annual KOST Disneyland PartyGetting a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameThe tragic loss of his brother Ernie to ALS

And more!

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Mark Wallengren is a 35 year radio personality. He got his start in radio at KACH Preston, Idaho then worked his way to LA and was hired along with Kim Amidon at legendary Los Angeles radio station KOST 103.5FM in Feb of 1985. They won most of radios top personality awards and on the 20th anniversary of the Mark & Kim Show received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of Disney's El Capitan Theater in 2006. To donate to the E. F. Wallengren Fund for ALS Research in honor of Mark’s brother, Ernie, who passed away from ALS, click HERE.

ABOUT THE PODCAST: Chachi Loves Everybody is brought to you by Benztown and hosted by the President of Benztown, Dave “Chachi” Denes. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the myths and legends of the radio industry.

PEOPLE MENTIONED: Kim Amidon, Gary Owens, Uncle Earl Trout, Don Burns, Larry McKay, Orson Welles, Kip Guth, Jim Ladd, Frasier Smith, Jhani Kaye, Machine Gun Kelly, Mark Allen, Mike Sakellarides, Lowman and Barkley, Robert W Morgan, Charlie Tuna, Rick Dees, David Paymer, Grant Tinker, Earl Hamner, Rugburn Liz Fulton, Scott Shanon, Big Boy, Mark and Brian, Kevin and Bean, Real Don Steele, Roy Disney, Darren Silva, Roy Laughlin, John Peake, Michael Levine, Dick Cook, Mike Eisner, Greg Ashlock, Ellen K, Andrew Jeffries, Rodrigo Hernandez

ABOUT BENZTOWN: Benztown is a leading international audio imaging, production library, voiceover, programming, podcasting, and jingle production company with over 3,000 affiliations on six different continents. Benztown provides audio brands and radio stations of all formats with end-to-end imaging and production, making high-quality sound and world-class audio branding a reality for radio stations of all market sizes and budgets. Benztown was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 by Inc. magazine for five consecutive years as one of America’s Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies. With studios in Los Angeles, New York, London and Stuttgart, Benztown offers the highest quality audio imaging work parts for 23 libraries across 14 music and spoken word formats including AC, Hot AC, CHR, Country, Hip Hop and R&B, Rhythmic, Classic Hits, Rock, News/Talk, Sports, and JACK. Benztown provides custom VO and imaging across all formats, including commercial VO and copywriting in partnership with Yamanair Creative. Benztown Radio Networks produces, markets, and distributes high-quality programming and services to radio stations around the world, including: The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown, The Daily Dees Show, The Todd-N-Tyler Radio Empire, Hot Mix, Sunday Night Slow Jams with R Dub!, Flashback, Top 10 Now, AudioLogger, Audio Architecture, Radio Merch Shop, The Rooster Show Prep, AmeriCountry, and Benztown Swag Bank. Benztown + McVay Media Podcast Networks produces and markets premium podcasts including: The Making of: A National Geographic Podcast, Run It Again, Hot Chicken and Cage-Free Conversation with Byron Kennedy, and Edelman Financial Engines’ Everyday Wealth.

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