Mark Ondayko

Last updated

Michael "Mark" "Mike" Ondayko (born 1963) is an American radio broadcaster probably most remembered for his role at WIYY Baltimore (98Rock) where Mike/Mark Ondayko was co-host Kirk, Mark and Lopez (later Kirk, Mark and Spiegel) morning show.

Contents

While at 98 Rock, Ondayko was a four-time co-nominee (with Kirk McEwen and R. Edward Lopez) for Active Rock Morning Show Personality of the Year. [1] Following Lopez's death from cancer, Kirk and Mark remained at 'IYY for several years before moving across town to CBS Radio's FM Talk station, WHFS (105.7). [2]

Following Ondayko and McEwen's move in 2007 to WHFS in Baltimore, the show became known as KMS (The Kirk and Mark Show). After almost two years, the duo left when the station's format changed to Sports Talk. [3]

Early life, school and career

Ondayko is a native of Middletown, Pennsylvania, and has been a broadcaster since 1978. He got his start in broadcasting as a student manager at WMSS which is licensed to the Middletown Area School District. At age 14, Mike earned a 3rd Class Radio license with a broadcast endorsement from the FCC but because of deregulation the FCC no longer requires a certification of that kind.

After graduating high school in 1981, Ondayko attended York College of Pennsylvania.. As a sophomore, he became the General Manager of the college radio station, WVYC-FM, and he held that position until the last semester of his senior year at York.

During that time, Mike gained a variety of radio experience while working part-time at WRHY, WNOW, WOYK, and WQVE where he began to hone his personality as a talent on big band radio, country, oldies and contemporary hit radio (known as CHR) respectively. In 1983 the late Joe Montione and Michael Sarzynski hired Mike for weekends and swing on their new CHR WHTF (92 Rock) in York-Harrisburg-Lancaster, PA. At the end of 1994, Ondayko was co-hosting the morning show at WHTF with Sarzynski and had earned an Associate Degree in Radio/Television.

By March of 1985, Sarzynski and Montione had left WHTF and the majority owner of the station, Doug George, decided to change the format of WHTF to Album Oriented Rock with Ondayko named as the new Program Director. During the first several months as Program Director, Mike became the lead personality on the morning show (known as the Morning Wrecking Crew) while still attending York College as a full-time student. That lasted until May 1985 when he graduated with a bachelor's degree in speech communication as well as honors in English and speech.

Post College

Mike remained at WHTF (by then known as “Starview 92-7”) as Program Director through February of 1989. He also continued on morning duty until moving to afternoons in 1987. In 1989 WZXL in Atlantic City, NJ, came calling for Mike to host their midday show and by 1990, Ondayko again found himself as Program Director.

In 1991, Rick Strauss, who was the Group Program Director for Holt Communications, reached out to Mike Ondayko. The two had known each other since the mid 80’s when Mike was at WHTF and Strauss programmed WZZO in Allentown, PA. Strauss needed a program director at the Holt property in Pensacola, FL,. In the spring of ‘91, Ondayko left for the Gulf Coast and he became Program Director and later Operations Manager for WTKX (TK 101).

After almost two years in Northwest Florida as a manager, Ondayko left his positions to become a full-time morning show host.

Mike was hired to come to WRXR (96RXR) Augusta, GA in late 1992, teamed with Jeff Day (known then as John Friday), his Big Breakfast morning show became popular within less than a year. His new success as a morning show personality was again noticed by Rick Strauss. By then, Strauss had moved to programming the Hearst radio station WIYY "98 Rock" in Baltimore, Maryland . In early 1995, [4] Strauss teamed Ondayko with a morning show host named Byrd (who had recently been hired at 98 Rock after morning show stints in Las Vegas and St.Louis) and the station’s longtime newsman, Lopez.

At this juncture, Mike became "Mark" and the show was known as Byrd, Mark and Lopez. According to on air remarks on several different occasions, there was concern amongst some that worked at 98 Rock that listeners would confuse Mike with another personality named Mike on another station in the Baltimore market. Ondayko has publicly stated at numerous times that "Mark" was chosen because it was close to sounding like how Mike was pronounced with a deep southern drawl. Later in his career Ondayko would go on record that he was afraid of ignoring listeners who might call out his on air name should he have chosen something not nearly as close to his given first name.

Less than 2 years later, Byrd was replaced by 98 Rock’s afternoon host Kirk McEwen. That was the beginning of Kirk, Mark and Lopez.

Kirk, Mark and Lopez

Immediately, there was a definite chemistry between the three. Over the years the team would release 5 successful show compilation compact discs which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 98Rock in-house charity named The Rock and Recovery Fund. The three developed relationships with touring comics and Kirk and Mark both ended up as featured acts and openers for comedians that played the now defunct Baltimore Improv. The team created a whole cast of characters and topical bits. Superstars such as Larry the Cable Guy was one of their contributors and the trio hosted live shows called KirkMarkandLopezapaloosa several times in front of thousands at Merriweather Post Pavillion. During their run, Kirk, Mark and Lopez were nominated four times for Active Rock Personality of the Year from Radio and Records magazine. They were also voted Best of Baltimore several times by Baltimore City Paper and Baltimore Magazine.

In 2005, Lopez passed away from lung cancer. Josh Spiegel was found as a replacement for Lopez after months and months of searching and the show became known as the 98Rock Morning Show as well as Kirk, Mark and Spiegel. During the fall of 2006 CBS Radio, now known as Audacy, wooed Kirk and Mark away from Hearst and 98Rock to anchor mornings at one of their stations in the CBS Radio Baltimore cluster.

The now named KMS (Kirk and Mark Show)on FM Talk 105.7 WHFS Baltimore. After a three month hiatus caused by their contractual non-compete clauses with Hearst, Ondayko and McEwen made their CBS Radio debut on February 1st, 2007. That show, produced by Jeff Shamrock, would last just about two years before CBS Radio switched their FM Talk station to all-sports. With the change, Kirk and Mark were let go and the two parted company.

After 98 Rock and CBS

Following a year off due to the non-compete clause in his CBS contract, Ondayko entertained career possibilities other than radio. He had his own insurance agency (Ondayko Insurance Strategies) for several years but by 2010 Mike was again back in the radio business. This time around as an account executive for Times-Shamrock's classic rock outlet, WZBA (100.7 The Bay). A year and a half later, no-longer known as Mark Ondayko, Mike Ondayko came back on-the-air waves as WZBA's afternoon personality.

By March of 2015, Mike Ondayko found himself working for Empire Broadcasting's Triple-A formatted 103.1 WRNR Annapolis-Baltimore. Over the next several years, Ondayko was 'RNR's Traffic and Continuity Director and Promotions Director as well as hosting a weekly weekend show. In 2017 Mike stepped down from his director positions at WRNR and in 2018 he was heard weeknights from 7:00pm to Midnight on the Empire property. When "Carrie" left WRNR in 2020, Ondayko moved from hosting ‘RNR at Night to weekday midday host. His final position at WRNR started in July 2022 when Mike Ondayko began hosting the afternoon drive (3pm-7pm) segment of WRNR's programming.

On November 30th, 2022 it was announced that WRNR was being sold to religious broadcasters (Peter and John) with a format change to occur once the new ownership took over. Again enter Rick Strauss. Upon learning of the sale Strauss called Ondayko and offered him weekend and fill-in work back at WIYY 98 Rock. On December 1, 2022, “Mark” returned to the Hearst property. It had been almost 15 years to the day since he had left the Hearst Property. He is now heard every weekend and occasionally filling in on the station Ondayko called home from 1995 through 2006.

Personal

Mike Ondayko is divorced and currently lives in Anne Arundel County, Maryland with his partner Mary Jane. He has two daughters and he has said that cars and sports are his hobbies. He's also stated on-air at WRNR that he's a news and current events junkie. In April 2023, Mike/Mark Ondayko will celebrate 45 years in the radio business and in March 2025 he will celebrate 30 years on-air in Baltimore.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVEE</span> Radio station in Atlanta, Georgia

WVEE is a commercial radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-rated stations in the Atlanta radio market according to Nielsen Audio, reaching number one on many reports. Its studios and offices are located in Colony Square on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, along with its sister stations WAOK, WSTR and WZGC.

WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS. For many local residents, it was the first place to hear such bands as R.E.M., The Specials, Pixies, The Smiths, The Monochrome Set, The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Stereolab, New Order, 311, Sublime and more.

WIYY is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned by Hearst Communications and broadcasts a mainstream rock radio format. WIYY shares studios and offices with sister stations WBAL and WBAL-TV on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore. WIYY's transmitter utilizes WBAL-TV's 'candlestick' antenna on the shared Television Hill candelabra tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWDC (FM)</span> Alternative rock radio station in Washington, D.C.

WWDC is a commercial FM radio station in Maryland, near Washington, D.C. The station is owned by iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an alternative radio format. Studios and offices are in Rockville, Maryland. WWDC serves as the flagship station for the syndicated radio show Elliot in the Morning and as the local affiliate for Skratch 'N Sniff.

WBAL-TV is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole radio properties, WBAL and WIYY. The three outlets share studios and offices on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, near the transmission tower that WBAL-TV also shares with WIYY and several other Baltimore television and radio stations.

Josh Spiegel is an American radio personality based in Baltimore, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBAL (AM)</span> Radio station in Baltimore, Maryland

WBAL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned by the broadcasting division of Hearst Communications and broadcasts a news/talk radio format. The station shares its studios and offices with sister stations WBAL-TV and WIYY on Television Hill in Baltimore's Woodberry neighborhood. WBAL and WIYY are the only two radio stations owned by Hearst, which is primarily a publishing and television company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free FM</span> Short-lived talk radio brand

Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name to highlight that its stations broadcast free-to-air, instead of requiring a subscription fee like satellite radio services. Launched on October 25, 2005, Free FM was phased out over the course of 2007, with the final station using it, KLSX, dropping the brand in November 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPBB</span> Classic rock radio station in Holmes Beach–Tampa–Saint Petersburg, Florida

WPBB is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Holmes Beach, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay media market. It is owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group, and airs a classic rock radio format, branded as "98.7 The Shark".

WJBR is a radio station licensed to Seffner, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay market with an all-podcast format known as "Podcast Radio US". Owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group, the station's studios are located on Executive Center Drive in St. Petersburg.

Mickey, Amelia & Spiegel was a local radio show that broadcast out of Baltimore, Maryland, on WIYY, 98Rock. The morning show ran Monday through Friday from 5:30AM-10AM, starring Mickey Cucchiella, Amelia Ryerse and Josh Spiegel with their producer Scott Reardon. On July 8, 2013 the show was replaced with Justin, Scott, and Spiegel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUUB</span> Radio station in Jupiter, Florida

WUUB is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to serve Jupiter, Florida, United States, the station is owned by Good Karma Broadcasting, LLC. The station is also broadcast on HD radio. The station's studios are in West Palm Beach and the transmitter tower is in Riviera Beach.

WDCH-FM – branded Bloomberg 99.1 – is a commercial business news radio station licensed to Bowie, Maryland, and serving the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station is operated by Bloomberg L.P. as the market network affiliate for Bloomberg Radio. WDCH-FM often airs D.C. United soccer and Washington Wizards NBA basketball games whenever sports radio sister station WJFK-FM is carrying a different game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Edward Lopez</span> Radio personality

R. Edward "Bob" Lopez was a newsman and morning radio personality on Baltimore's 98Rock. Joining the station in 1978, Lopez participated in 13 morning radio shows during his 27 years at the station. He was known for his sense of humor and liberal political views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Robinson (radio personality)</span>

Joe Robinson is an American comedian and former radio host on "Irresponsible Radio with Theo & Joe" that was broadcast 7PM-Midnight on WIYY, 98Rock in Baltimore, Maryland, from September 2007-July 2008.

Chad Dukes is a former radio personality. He was the afternoon drive host of Chad Dukes Vs. the World on WJFK 106.7 The Fan—a sports talk format radio station in the greater Washington D.C. area. He was also a co-host of the Big O and Dukes Show and several other podcasts. As of January 1, 2021, he hosted the Chad Dukes Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark McEwen</span> American television and radio personality (born 1954)

Mark McEwen is an American television and radio personality. He is best known for being on the CBS network Morning show for 16 years. He's also known for his stint as the host of A&E's Live by Request.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJZ-FM</span> Radio station in Catonsville, Maryland

WJZ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Catonsville, Maryland, and serving the Baltimore metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC, and it broadcasts a sports radio format. Local shows are heard on weekdays, with programming from the CBS Sports Radio Network airing nights and weekends. Studios and offices are located in Towson.

Todd Andrew Schnitt, known professionally as Todd Schnitt and MJ Kelli, is an American radio DJ and was previously a conservative talk radio host. Beginning in October 2020, he began hosting the "MJ Morning Show" on "Q105," 104.7 WRBQ-FM in Tampa. Until July 2023, he hosted The Schnitt Show, an afternoon drive time talk program whose flagship station was WHFS 1010 AM in Tampa, and was nationally syndicated by Compass Media Networks. He co-hosted a morning drive time talk show on WOR 710 AM in New York with Len Berman from January 2015 until October 19, 2017.

The flagship radio stations of the professional American football team, the Baltimore Ravens, are Hearst-owned WIYY and WBAL 1090 AM, with Gerry Sandusky as the play-by-play announcer and Rod Woodson as the color commentator. Sandusky has been the primary voice since the ballclub changed flagship stations after the 2005 campaign. Long-time WMAR-TV sports director and anchor Scott Garceau and Tom Matte had previously formed the nucleus of the broadcast team for the franchise's first ten seasons.

References

  1. ↑ Radio and Records Magazine Archived 2008-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ondayko [ self-published source ]
  3. ↑ Something to talk about: 105.7 FM switches to sports
  4. ↑ "Mike Ondayko's Bio". WZBA-FM. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.