In the 12+ years I've been broadcasting my weekly radio show on AM 1280 The Patriot, I've been privileged to meet a lot of fun, kind and intelligent people. Whether it's fellow broadcasters (Saturday host
Mitch Berg being at the top of the list), station employees or sponsors, it's been a blessing to have people in my life who I can call "friends" due to this endeavor. But no matter how much radio has evolved over time, there is one key component to broadcasting success which remains constant: the audience. I couldn't tell you from a numbers standpoint how many live listeners we have on a weekly basis or how many podcast downloads occur, but I do know we have one of the more fiercely loyal listener bases in Twin Cities radio. And I can tell you that my favorite shows are where there is active listener engagement. Sure, the advent of social media has increased the interaction with the audience, but not much tops a listener calling in to the live show to chat.
I don't recall when Mark from St. Louis Park first called my program, but he quickly became a regular. And when I'd cue him that he was on air, he would always respond with "Brad, another great show!" Whether or not that was merely a reflexive statement in the motif of "nice to meet you" when being introduced to someone for the first time didn't matter to me. It just made my heart happy every single time.
The frequency of Mark's calls increased during President Donald Trump's tenure and in the aftermath of Trump's 2020 defeat. Mark was still incensed over Trump not being reelected, as he just couldn't understand how his fellow Americans didn't see what he saw: how transformative a leader Trump was. In fact, Mark, who turned 65 earlier this year, had said many times that Trump was the greatest President of his lifetime.
I've made no secret that I washed my hands to Trump in early 2021 after
his bluster played no small part in the Republicans losing their majority in the U.S. Senate. And while I don't believe he "fomented an insurrection" on 1/6/2021, his cavalier attitude in reacting to the U.S. Capitol riots showed how little regard he had for our Constitutional Republic. However, Mark often called in with his steadfast support of Trump, particularly when I was critical of the former POTUS. And while I received more than a fair share of nasty social media messages from Trump supporters who took my criticism personally, Mark remained affable. Yes, while the ol' "agree to disagree" mantra seems to be a foreign concept in today's discourse, Mark & I took it to heart.
As the race for the 2024 GOP nomination began in earnest over the summer, I stayed firmly embedded in my "anybody but Trump" stance. I even ramped up my criticism of Trump in response to his appearing even more unhinged than normal. As the summer turned into fall, I thought of Mark often, particularly since he hadn't called in to my show much throughout 2023. I then started to wonder if Mark had become so weary of my anti-Trump attitude that he decided to not call anymore. While I don't go out of my way to be provocative, I'm not going to shy away from opinions I believe in --- even if it may come at the expense of losing listeners. Still, I missed hearing from Mark.
On October 15, I had on as a guest Yinam Cohen, who is the Consul General of Israel to the Midwest. Mr. Cohen came on to discuss the terror attacks which took place in Israel eight days earlier. Mark, who was proud of his Jewish faith, called in to convey a quick opinion about what was taking place in Israel. Given I had a guest on the line, I couldn't engage with Mark like I usually did, but I was grateful to hear his voice. Had I known that would be the last time Mark would call, I would have gone so far as to tell him to stay on hold for a few minutes so I could talk to him personally during a break.
It was this past Saturday on his NARN broadcast that Mitch had received word that Mark passed away the previous Tuesday. Upon hearing this, I logged on to the Star Tribune website to find
Mark's obituary. I admit I shed a tear when I read the first sentence:
Rice, Mark - Affectionately known as caller "Mark from St Louis Park" on AM 1280, passed away at the age of 65 on November 21, 2023.
I took an entire segment on my show Sunday to share my remembrances of Mark. I conveyed that I hope I didn't alienate him with my constant bashing of Trump and that he was easily in my top 3 of favorite callers. With about two minutes remaining in the segment, Mark's brother-in law Tim called, so I put him on the air immediately. After expressing my condolences to him, Tim took a minute to assure me that Mark not calling in had nothing to do with his feeling alienated. Sadly, Mark had been battling pancreatic cancer and thus just didn't feel up to engaging in a lot of his normal activities. Tim also shared that he and Mark often talked about my show and thoroughly enjoyed it --- with the exception of the Trump bashing. 😆 Given I had trouble keeping my composure throughout that segment, that bit of levity was absolutely welcome.
Thanks for the memories, Mark. While I am sad I will no longer hear your voice, I rejoice that your physical suffering has come to and end.
My sincere condolences to Mark's family in this tremendous loss.
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