Sports Radio News
Former 104.5 The Zone Morning Host Mark Howard Dies at 65
Howard joined The Zone, 104.5-FM in the Music City in 2004 when he co-hosted the Wake Up Zone with Kevin Ingram and Frank Wycheck.
Published
3 weeks agoon
By
BSM Staff
Devastating news hit the city of Nashville on Sunday when it was learned that Mark Howard, veteran sports broadcaster in both television and radio, died at the age of 65.
The news was revealed by his friend David Boclair. It was confirmed to the Tennessean by his wife Debra.
Sometimes it is no fun to break news. It is with great sadness that I must report that Nashville television/radio sports personality Mark Howard passed away this afternoon at home. … Mark was a friend and supporter, and his voice (booming and knowledgable) will be missed. pic.twitter.com/skQFtOYMjk
— David Boclair (@BoclairSports) July 24, 2022
Howard, whose whose real name was Howard Mark Levenson was a popular sports anchor for over 20-plus years at NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.
“My heart’s broken,” said retired NewsChannel 5 sports director Hope Hines. “I’ve lost one of my best and dearest friends. He was more like a son to me and he felt the same way, I was a father-like figure in many ways to him. I’m heartbroken for Jack his son, and Debra. He was a great, great talent.”
Howard joined The Zone, 104.5-FM in the Music City in 2004 when he co-hosted the Wake Up Zone with Kevin Ingram and Frank Wycheck. That show would dominate morning drive in the city for years. He left the show in 2020 after 21 years at The Zone.
“It’s been a great run. The (Wake Up Zone) show ran for 16 years with me and Kevin,” Howard said at the time. “They were some of the best years of my life. I’ve got nothing really but good things to say about my experiences there.”
Ingram said Howard was influential in bringing him to The Zone.
“I loved working with Mark, but the thing about Mark was that he was a great friend,” Ingram said. “There weren’t many people who were more supportive of me or my career than Mark. He was always very encouraging and gave good advice. There aren’t too many people you’ll find who were more knowledgeable about sports than Mark. It was almost scary how much he knew, especially about baseball.”
The Zone released a statement sending their condolences.
We are extremely saddened to share the news that former long time Wake Up Zone host Mark Howard has passed away.
— 104-5 The Zone (@1045TheZone) July 24, 2022
Mark was a very talented sports broadcaster, a good friend to many of us and will always be a big part of our history. Sending our thoughts and prayers to his family. https://t.co/O4x7wWQUCt
The station plans a day full of tributes and memories of Howard.
All day tomorrow we will honor, share stories and pay tribute to the late Mark Howard.
— 104-5 The Zone (@1045TheZone) July 24, 2022
If you would like to share some of your favorite Mark Howard moments with us, our hosts and special guests, give us a call tomorrow at 615-737-1045. pic.twitter.com/i9XDXsPTmw
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Sports Radio News
Zolak and Bertrand Broadcast During Patriots/Panthers Fights
“I’ve never seen anything like this at a camp… this is great today,” beamed Zolak.
Published
6 hours agoon
August 17, 2022By
BSM Staff
Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand were broadcasting live from the New England Patriots’ joint practice with the Carolina Panthers. During their show, things got heated between the two teams, multiple times, and the show was there to call it all.
Bertrand was bringing the show back from commercial break and noted that there had just been a fight moments before Zolak and Bertrand were live.
“This drill got escalated by the Panthers here,” said co-host and former Patriots quarterback. “This is number three (fights)in a freaking kickoff drill. A kickoff drill!”
"This is unreal. I've never seen anything like this!"@ZoandBertrand react live to several more fights between the Patriots and Panthers during the second day of joint practices at #PatsCamp đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/7irXgZ08pA
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) August 17, 2022
Shortly after, Bertrand was describing the efforts to separate the two teams when even more chaos erupted.
“They’ve separated all the players,” began Bertrand, sensing some calm was being restored. “They’ve sent them on their way to the next period so you’ve got — and now here comes another fight. Another major fight! It’s happening right in front of the stands.”
“These guys are a-holes man,” spoke Zolak. “Get these clowns out of here. All they want to do is fight. This is unreal. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“What a scene,” said Bertrand.
“I’ve never seen anything like this at a camp… this is great today,” beamed Zolak. “Thank God we’re down here!”
Sports Radio News
1140 The Bet Cancels ‘The Playmakers’
The show, hosted by Lindsey Brown and Adrian Hernandez, aired from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Published
14 hours agoon
August 17, 2022By
BSM Staff
In another cut from Audacy, 1140 The Bet has cancelled The Playmakers on their Las Vegas station.
The show, hosted by Lindsey Brown and Adrian Hernandez, aired from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Brown tweeted the news, saying “Sadly I have been informed that yesterday was our final show. I am thankful for the people it brought into my life & the experiences we created I am incredibly proud of our work & the boundaries we are eager to push in sportz radio. Today is a tough day. Tomorrow is on the way.”
Hernandez followed up by tweeting “I can’t put into words right now how I feel right now but in my radio journey from College in Tampa to Phoenix and now Las Vegas you were the best teammate I’ve ever had in radio and more importantly a great person. I appreciate and will miss you Badass Brown.”
According to the station’s website, it will replace The Playmakers with You Better You Bet from the BetQL Network.
Sports Radio News
1250-AM The Fan in Milwaukee Reportedly Cancels Local Programming
The station is streaming CBS Sports and has removed the local daily lineup from the 1250 AM The Fan website.
Published
19 hours agoon
August 17, 2022By
BSM Staff
Stunning sports radio news out of Milwaukee. 1250-AM The Fan has suddenly removed all of its local programming and switched over to CBS Sports Radio.
The news came as a shock to local listeners but even more surprising to the station’s staff. Here’s a tweet from Evan Heffelfinger noting that today was “everyone’s” last day at the station.
Some unfortunate news, today is my last day at @1250AMTheFan … well I guess it’s actually everyone’s. It’s been a dream come true to talk Wisconsin sports with you these last 5 years
— Evan Heffelfinger (@evanheff25) August 16, 2022
I still have a drive and passion for the radio medium, my DMs are open for future opportunities
The station’s stream is currently airing CBS Sports Radio. The local daily lineup has also been removed from the 1250 The Fan website although show podcasts still remain.
In regards to the station’s talent, most have been quiet since the news began to trickle out. The Milwaukee Business Journal reported that recent NFL Hall of Famer and former Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler was part of the cuts. Bart Winkler, Tim Allen, and Gary Ellerson are expected to be out as well.
“Over the past few years, Audacy has been on a transformational journey, investing in our capabilities to serve our listeners and customers and accelerate our growth through a number of strategic acquisitions, enhancements to our platform, and the addition of hundreds of team members to our workforce,” explained an Audacy spokesperson. “We remain committed to this exciting transformation which has made us a much stronger organization, but in light of current macroeconomic headwinds, like so many other companies, we have been proactively taking actions to mitigate against the impact of any downturn. These include evaluating budgets, reducing expenses, and also reducing our workforce.”
One host who is expected to remain involved is Steve ‘Sparky’ Fifer. Fifer was part of the midday show, and also helped behind the scenes. According to sources, he’s likely to contribute off-air and with additional brand projects. The rest will have an opportunity to explore opportunities should any become available at 97.3 The Game, ESPN 94.1, WTMJ or any other local outlets.
Upon learning of the news, a few former 1250 hosts, Mike Wickett and Cliff Saunders, took to social media to share their sadness.


Ryan Maguire, who served as the PD of 1250 The Fan from 2006-2009, and is currently the PD of crosstown rivals ESPN Milwaukee and WTMJ, provided his perspective.
1250 WSSP is what originally brought me to Milwaukee. I was the boss there for 3 years (2006-09) and had the good fortune to work with many talented people. Without that gig, I never would have met my husband of 14 years or made so many lifelong friends. Sad day indeed.
— Ryan Maguire (@rmaguire1701) August 16, 2022
One host who left before the station was dismantled was former afternoon man Ramie Makhlouf. The longtime Milwaukee voice exited in June to join Sactown Sports 1140.
This is a developing story and as more information becomes available we’ll pass it along. 1250-AM The Fan is owned by Audacy, which just announced plans to reduce less than 5% of its programming staff.