Mark Rivers used that name at WRKO because it was thought that his real name (which he has used forevermore, Mark Driscoll, would be difficult to understand on the air. He used another name at only one other station. Mark was WRKO's third overnighter, succeeding Jon Powers.

Mark says, "I was a mere baby DJ. I did overnights at the ripe age of 19. Shadoe was there along with heck of a line up... I had just gotten out of the Navy, went to KUDL (Kansas City) was supposed to go to WHB (Kansas City) and/or KXOK-St. Louis "as the Rabbit." Well, when WRKO popped up, I went there instead... (have most of my family and roots all over Massachusetts). I also passed on an offer to go to WMEX...*Hey--'ah-ko" was just too cool to split."

"The 'reverse time-change ID' was one of my all time favorite stunts! (Drake was listening that night from LA and hotlined me!) Ooops." "It was fun though..ha ha. Mel (Phillips) was/is a super guy (as almost everyone at WRKO, and ABC were..)...then on to WRC (Wash., DC) and WNBC- New York and more and more."

"I still do the voice of STAR in BOS---before that, Open House Party (for 11 years or so..) and WXKS and at one time (Before VO image on KISS)...did VO for then-WZOU for Steve Rivers, ..--who worked with me at KIIS-FM in LA (Where I picked up the nickname of "Mr. Voice" by Rick Dees). Okay..then back to Philadelphia and put on WIOQ (Q102)."The voice-over business has been good (Radio/TV/Film trailers) to me and I still do a few "fix it" programming consultancy projects around the country every year. Just love radio--always have. What an amaaaaaaaaaazing business--and so much FUN!"

"After departing WRKO, I went to Philly(WIBG), some months later I then went back to RKO General-this time to WOR-FM (NYC). Mel Phillips was transferred to 'OR-FM as PD when Sebastian Stone transferred to KFRC (San Francisco), and Sebastian tried to move me from New York...to KFRC. I stuck with Mel... Scotty Brink from (WRKO as PD) used to come down to listen to me, we got to be friends... *Worked together again at WNBC...and I still do the voice of some stations of a broadcast chain he operates as VP/Programming."

"I did finally take an (ABC) job (after passing on the WABC weekend offer from Rick Sklar...) in Los Angeles at the first ABC-FM, "Rock 'n Stereo (Mornings) instead. My roommate in NYC (Johnny Donavon, WOR-FM) took the WABC slot; now he's Rush Limbaugh's "announcer" and producer. Bob Henabery hired me to go to KLOS-FM (Los Angeles) from 'OR-FM."

"Please note that at that time (the tail end of the 60's) I was one a few lucky enough to be so young and be popping up at lots of stations and shifts for a few years...during quite a special time in 'the radio biz.' By the time I realized just how lucky I 'accidentally' kept the good fortune to be associated with some of the coolest places and people! It was certainly different then. There were no real Trade papers or fax machines or Websites, etc., et al. I guess Claude Hall from Billboard was our "ambassador" with his Vox Jox column. But, I really wasn't aware of making a fuss of promoting myself I just knew it was all very cool--enjoyed it and continue to have a good time despite the obvious changes in the past 30, 35 years or so. Back then, my interpretation of what I was doing and where, was documented mostly on letters I'd write home on (gasp) letterhead from the coolest places."

"At WRKO, Mel hired me for overnights--which at that time was Mid-6am, 6days a week... I wouldn't get the prime time hours (the very cool three hour Drake-imposed on air shifts, (such as 9-12 Mid at WOR-FM, New York). For the sake of some sort of time line...I was there (WRKO) from around February to about six months later until something else popped up,- as I was determined that being the Program Director was what I wanted to do. By 1972-73-74 I began to realize those dreams and again was lucky. I had worked at such dynasties (although I remember WRKO being huge and sparkling and so clean and 'big-time.' I was just a kid--who knew? "
"My WRKO board op, was Charlie Waysack (sp--)? who used to fall asleep all the time during those "long" 2:55-3:10 songs--a zillion jingles and the 20/20 news breaks loaded with another zillion sound bytes for the news man during those high paced news casts smothered in the loop on the "teletype" in the background...usually...ha ha... That was the first year at Government Center..(I missed the old brownstone that 'RKO used to be in..) That would have been fun. (To my surprise--WOR-FM--was a small, kinda grungy of a place--(super up-to-date programming and technical expertise..) But it was not a place that was special to look at ... was MUCH less than a showplace, as one would expect. WOR-AM took all the "big time space--THEY were the AM--and FM was still a mystery to many owners!"

"I went off on a mixture of programming, DJ slots and finally after setting up 13Q in Pittsburgh (Heftel bought it from NBC "O&Q" collection).. We went on to create an amazing upgrade to the mixture of Drake, Bennett, McClendon, etc., execution, huge contests and well, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. I had a knack for doing promos and "hot-spots"...so I developed a style of packaging and voice-over when there really wasn't any such thing. (You were either good, or not.) "

"I just got lucky--and with such amazing people I was always working around--it just kept growing and growing. So I was sort of a "one stop PD, station voice, DJ and format 'expert' by the time I was 23..and wow! The next 30 years were (and still are)--absolutely the most fun a 'kid' could ever hope for. And now as a 'grown up kid,' ha ha..it still is--but so different from the innocence compared to today. What we were all doing waaaaaaaaaaaaay back then..was the cutting edge...that started a type of radio that people
are still trying to figure out the 'formula."
 
"There are countless stories of then -- compared to the stories of the current days. Well, it's hard to say, but it really was much more fun--then! I'm writing three books--all with different spins--of the "long and winding road" of those days. Actually until the de-reg bill (signed in February '96) ...things were just fine--then the proverbial S*t hit the fan. My dream is to see it get back to being the station that just is so number one--or imaging that just blows ya away...or whatever happens to bring the 'frat-style' staffs of the years mentioned earlier. Hard to say what will happen now with the glut of people and distorted stories. I feel sad that most "kid's" that are my age (of those days) are just left with empty spaces and most don't even have a clue to what it was all about... That goes for the big company heads of today...but..ya just never know!"

"I remember when I was at WNBC (I replaced Wolfman), Bob Pittman was my friend, my boss and my roommate. (To watch the dream of his..MTV born in our upper east side apartment) --to see the original "pilot" that Bob Mounty (NBC honcho) actually allowed on NBC-TV (NYC-local) for a half hour or so--was amaaazing. Sebastian Stone, since deceased)..had the idea and vision, as far back as 1970 at 'OR-FM."

"Well, there is soooooooooo much (from the 'inside') I'd love to share with you but I like to dictate it all..then go back and edit... It was an awesome time to be in the business then..especially with what was happening in America..including Vietnam..and Woodstock (#1) and Monterey Pop Festival, The Isle of Wright (in Macon Georgia...a bit of a drive, south of Atlanta) ..and so many other events."

"Wow! What very, very cool things were happening then..It's just too much tOo write here -- I'm not big on writing it down..( I think --and remember) ... faster than I can type:). So, if you want another "story," maybe through the eyes of an unusually young, 'baby PD/DJ,' it could be quite interesting... (Many of the sites I've seen are missing things, and don't really "capture the moment" as it was then, compared to what it has become today) It was a different era..but soooooo important." "Now, we have a whole new set of history lessons and it's all simply priceless 'you'd have had to be there to know' stories ... parts of the history of that era, and the ones to come, each with a set of individual stories."

My Website is: markdriscoll.com, visit one day, okay?