Mark Gunn Media Wedding Montage

Getting Married ? 

Mark Gunn Media 

"No Hype ! No Hoopla ! Just Damn Good Work !"

Seasons Change

"Season's Change"

We all experience major changes in our lives. Some of them good. Some bad. No matter what, they are changes that must happen. 

After 35 years of being blessed enough to be in a business that I've loved since the beginning, the time for change has come.

As of this week, Mainline Broadcasting and I have ended our wonderful relationship and with that, I close this chapter of my life. 

I want everyone to know that I am fine with the decision and have no ill feelings or anger toward "MLB". It is a truly wonderful company and one of the best I've ever worked for.

I give many thanks to the staff and management there because they've given me the chance to do things in my career that I thought I never would do. I've worked with and groomed some of the best and brightest talent in this industry and I take great pride in their success. 

I've been "adopted" by a family in the truest sense of the word. They've shared in my triumphs and my tragedies. They've applauded my strengths and helped with my weaknesses and most importantly, they believed in my talent and shared in my drive for success and because of all of that and so much more, I leave with no regrets.

Over the last year or so, I've had to really evaluate where I was in my life and I knew in my mind that I wouldn't be doing radio much longer. I think the decision had been made somewhat when I made it known that I wouldn't be applying for the Program Director's position now held by Phillip David March. I'm tremendously thrilled that he's back in the game because the knowledge he brings to a young staff is beyond measure. He's already made a major impact and he's not done yet.

I saw the staff getting younger with a new energy that was sorely needed. I'm blessed to have been a part of that energy, but something was missing. I can admit that part of it was ego - driven. When I was moved to Magic 101.3, I embraced the challenge of trying to take the station to the next level. Although we made strides in the ratings, it wasn't enough for me. I was used to winning as I'd done on B-96.5 and I tended to beat myself up when I didn't see the kinds of results I wanted. I also missed being in a position with a higher profile. I internalized these things more and more and I knew for sure that it would be time for me to leave at some point.

I feel that I must come to the defense of "MLB", because the few people I've told beforehand had very strong reactions to the news. To them and to you I say "there are no bad guys, so don't it twisted". Continue to support my family at Mainline as you always have. They are a very solid company and they get results for anyone they do business with.

Over the last few days, people have been running with a consistent theme. "This is but a season and seasons change". My baby sister, Tonya, put it in a Facebook post. My mother, Barbara, made sure I knew it as well.

I'm very excited about the things that are already happening and the shape of things to come. I'm concentrating more on my family and building my own business, Mark Gunn Media. I'm looking forward to growing a list of clients that have trusted my work in the past, and new ones that will soon discover just how special this company will be.

There are pending opportunities that will, as my wife Tracey says, "will put you exactly where you need to be" and in her opinion, put me in a position to do what I was born to do. More on that as the situation develops.

By no means is this a "goodbye" to Louisville. You'll have to put up with me for a while longer. For me, it's business as usual. I'll still fight the good fight with "Connected Voices". I'll still use my voice to do the most good where I can. Don't be surprised if you see me pop up with an occasional television appearance either. 

So, as this season changes for me, there have been so many people in so many places that have helped me along my 35 year journey. General Managers, Program Directors, Air Talent, Sales and Promotions people and most of all, anyone and everyone that I've been privileged enough to come through your radio speakers, THANK YOU !

...And to my first love, we've been through a whole lot together and you'll always be in my heart. 

Thank you... RADIO.

Mark Gunn
Owner - Mark Gunn Media.

September 11 th, Ten Years Later

 I was on my way to work when the first plane hit. I stopped by mt credit union to make a deposit while in Cincinnati. The security guard got an alert over his pager that a plane crashed into the WTC. 


I got in my car to make the 100 mile trip to Louisville and listened to coverage all the way down. Howard Stern was on and I could feel his anger and remember at that moment how much respect I gained for him as a broadcaster on that day. 


I made phone calls trying to figure out what to do. Once I got in, I stopped the music and went with a network feed for most of that day. When it was time to drive back to Cincinnati, I listened to more coverage and I remember not sleeping that night. 


My ex - wife and I watched the coverage on tv, barely saying anything. My son, William was 2 at the time and I remember thinking how lucky he was not to be affected by all of this. 


We did some form of coverage for almost two weeks. We didn't stop the music per se', but we did go from being the "good times hip - Hop" station to being conduits of information for those who wanted to help but didn't know how. 


One of the hardest things about being in the media at times like this is having to put on a brave face for your audience and I addressed that on the air. I remember saying something to the effect of even though we're passing on all this information, we were feeling what everyone else felt. We just couldn't take the time to give in to those emotions. 


Things came to a point to where we could get back to a sense of normalcy and I remember telling my audience that I was going home, hugging my wife and kids and then going off to a corner by myself and allowing myself, finally, to have a good cry.

Mark Gunn Talks With D.L. Hughley

I had a conversation with Actor/Comedian D.L. Hughley about President Obama's State Of The Union Address, Former RNC Chairman, Micheal Steele and the state of politics in this country today.



 

Lady T - R.I.P.

A couple of hours ago, the world learned of the passing of singer and songwriter, Teena Marie. She was often called "Vanilla Child", "Lady - T" and "One Of Us".

Every fan knows about the awards and the hits. Every fan knows about the love the Black Community has always had for her from day one and the love she constantly gave back. They also know about her relationship with the legendary Rick James.

She often spoke about her being White not being a factor when it came to expressing herself musically. She was a brash, funky, soulful rocker chick whose prowess with a guitar was often underrated...until you saw her LIVE !

Not everyone knows about the beautiful spirit that lived within her, even in the hardest times of her life. I had the honor of meeting her in the early 90's when she staged a major comeback. She'd given birth to two babies; her daughter and her record label, Sarai Records. Lady T was just as gracious and warm as the reputation that preceeded her.

She was excited and filled with the energy of promise, the kind of energy a musician feels when they've they've broken personal ground. The meeting was way too brief and the conversation could've gone on forever. There was quite a bit I could've learned at her feet, given the opportunity. As a musician and a woman, she had my utmost respect.

I hadn't seen Teena since that day in Los Angeles until July of this year at the Macy's Music Festival. She stole the show that night and performed with the same energy of promise that I felt from her all those years ago. The love we gave her was still there and she gave it back in abundance. Who knew that it would be the last time I'd ever see her ? I'm just glad that I did.

I'm honored to have been blessed with her energy, even if it was only for a little while. Those of you that loved her music will miss her and those of us that worked with her and got a chance to know her will miss her much more !!

Blessed Be Lady T !

What I'm Thankful For

We're all thankful for the family and friends that love us and keep us sane (most of the time) We're also thankful for those that serve in our Armed Forces in order to preserve that sanity (or insanity at times). I'm thankful for the chance to peel ten pounds of potatoes  with Tracey while watching a TV show about women that kill. I think about my family members in the military that may well be holding an automatic rifle right now. They're protecting my ability to peel those damned potatoes and to watch that damned show that causes me to look at Tracey kind of sideways.

I'm also thankful for this website and Skype because it gives me the ability to stay in touch with my geographically and sometimes mentally scattered (joke) family. We can keep up with everything from the mundane to the most significant events of our lives and through our postings, see sides of our personalities that we didn't see while growing up.

Finally, I'm thankful for the ability to see America FINALLY reveal her true colors. Some of them aren't very pretty and for the last two years, her ugliest side has surely been on display. Everything from Tea Party protests to racist death threats, America has been forced into conversations she's never felt comfortable about having before. I LOVE that !

I'm thankful for the wealth of information available to anyone as long as they simply go and look for it. It's that information that's allowed me to have intelligent and sometimes, fiery debates.  Note to self: We have a LOT of mindless sheep that are railing against their own best interests. We also have a lot of mindless sheep that just don't give a damn. That apathy is also against their best interests. 

America is  just as dysfunctional as any family, yet has the hope to restore some sense of sanity, provided we get rid of the nuts that want to run the asylum (read Mitch McConnell & The GOP) So while they want to whine about tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans, all the while continuing to sell the lie that trickle down economics creates jobs, I continue to be thankful to have the ability to be one of many voices hell bent on exposing those lies in whatever way I can.

While you enjoy this holiday with your family and before you bless your meal, please think about the millions of fellow Americans that won't have that opportunity through no fault of their own and think about those fellow Americans that volunteer their time in order to ensure that at least, some do.

GOD BLESS AMERICA !! Happy Thanksgiving.

John Boel, Drunk Driving And The Problems YOU'VE Caused !

* THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT REFLECT THOSE OF WGZB-FM, MAINLINE BROADCASTING, OR IT'S ADVERTISERS **

As a member of the Louisville Media, one of the things I love about this community is the support we show each other and that was shown as evidenced by WHAS' Terry Meiners words about John recently. There are a lot of us that hope that John will get the help he so desperately needs if he hopes to have any quality of life.

WLKY had no choice for the actions they took. John represented them no matter if he was working or not just as all of us in Louisville Media represent our respective employers even if we're not working. That's a burden we gladly bear because of the love we have for what we do. In John's case, it's a lose/lose. He lost his job and WLKY lost a damn good reporter and anchorman.

I also speak as the victim of a drunk driver. I should've died back on Halloween Night of 1986, but I'm still here, healthy and whole. The driver that hit me couldn't say the same. The only thing I lost that night was my car because I was able to walk away unharmed. He wasn't. Needless to say that I have ZERO tolerance for drunk driving. 

Instead of piling on like so many have in the Courier Journal and on other websites, I would suggest being constructive with your anger and some cases, ugliness. Afterall, you are part of the problem. You either have a non chalant attitude about drinking and driving or you've done it yourself and dare to pass judgement because you've never been caught.

Kentucky's DUI laws are among the weakest in the country and unless you put your foot in the butts of state legislators and DEMAND stiffer penalties and MANDATORY sentencing, you'll get more repeat offenders like John. So you can continue to hide behind your keyboard or do something meaningful with it.

Talk to anyone who's lost a loved one at the hands of the drunk driver. Talk to anyone who's lost a loved one due to alcoholism. The pain is pretty much the same. I will keep John and his family in my thoughts because the last thing that needs to happen is for another family to be torn apart needlessly. I'll also use my keyboard to work toward getting tougher penalties for DUI.

What are YOU going to do ?

Mark Gunn

Radio Personality

WGZB - FM, B-96.5

Fred Phelps, So - Call Christians & The Gay Community: MASSIVE FAIL !

I think about Fred Phelps and his pack of "in-breds" as radio talk show host, Mark Levin calls them, and I get pissed. The very  thought of these so - called "Christians" raping the dignity from the families of the fallen heroes who've died so that their sorry asses could spread their hatred makes my blood boil.

I hear a lot of talk about the First Amendment and free speech. That's all well and good, but just because you have the right to say what you want doesn't mean you really ought to say it. Why do you think that the word "nigger" has such drama surrounding it ? If you're White, you can say it as long as you're prepared to deal with the consequences that go with its utterance.

What of the consequences for the Phelps klan ? They cowardly hide behind the First Amendment much like a racist hides behind Christianity or the American Flag. The same American flag countless soldiers have died for. The same American flag that's given to those the soldier has left behind and the same American flag that Fred Phelps shits on every time he and his pack of animals stage another hate-fest at a military funeral.

What pisses me off even more is the seemingly deafening silence from the Religious Community and from the Gay Community. Where are the voices of outrage that yelled so loudly when it came to the proposed New York City Muslim Community Center and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ? Where are the voices that in no uncertain terms, denounce what Fred Phelps and his so - called "church" are doing in the name of their God ? Where are the "We're Queer ! We're Here" voices that were so loud in the streets of San Francisco ? Answer ? I haven't heard them. I haven't seen any covert action by way of a direct confrontation with Phelps and his homophobic perversions of Christianity ?

I'm neither Gay nor a Christian, so the only dog I have in this fight is the fact that someone who died protecting my right to write this can't be buried with the honor and dignity that is most certainly called for. If I'm wrong, please let me know because I'm in the media and even I haven't seen the kind of outrage that needs to be displayed.

I thank groups like the Patriot Guard, a motorcycle club made up of mostly veterans, that take an active role in countering the Westboro Insane Asylum. I can't even call it a church. Now if only "Queer Nation", "Act Up", "GLAAD" and those that run some of this country's largest mega-churches would get involved at the same level. I don't give a rat's ass about your view of homosexuality, but I do care about the right that a soldier has more than earned to be buried in peace and with dignity.

Mark Gunn

Radio Personality

American Citizen

Human Being

Who'd A Thunk It ? A Politician That Actually Does The People's Business !

Republican Representative Ahn "Joseph" Gao did the unthinkable when instead of voting in the interests of the GOP, he voted in the interests of the people who actually elected him when he chose to support the healthcare measure going through Congress.

Micheal Steele, that glorified "hall monitor" and other party members, in the most blatant display of hypocrisy, actually threatened any Republican who didn't vote along party lines. Steele's words ? "We will come after you." And do what Mike ? Give Ahn a swirly in the boys bathroom ? Maybe an atomic wedgie ? Someone really needs to tell "Mr. Steppinfetchit" to sit his punk ass down. Is there no end to the embarrassment he continues to cause the party ?

Gao's "maverick" move further illustrates the problems that the GOP continues to have and his explanation for doing so was simple and to the point. "I have to vote for what's best for my people" to paraphrase. He represents one of the poorest districts in Louisiana with at least 25% of it's populace with no insurance. Put that with the fact that they're still recovering from Katrina and the situation is even more dire.

This is simply a case of an elected official who actually gets it. Chances are that Steele and his masters will try to drive him out of the party, and that's fine. The district is majority Democrat and I'm sure he'd be a welcomed addition.

It also has to be noted that another Republican, Dick Young I believe, had Gao's back as he actually stood guard with his 6'4" frame while Gao, at 5'5" went to cast his vote. Seeing something like this should serve as a reminder to all Americans, no matter your political affiliation, that at the end of the day, party lines are bullshit and doing the right thing is the only thing that matters.

Well done gentlemen.

The Ass Hats Have Gone Too Far !!

As of this posting, I have severed all ties to the Republican Party. During the course of the last year and a half, the GOP has shown itself to a group of petty, whiny, racist, bigoted, out of touch, petulant children with the sole aim of revenge for having its ass handed to them over the last 6 years.


The shamelessly dishonorable way in which they continue to conduct themselves is a disgrace to the very ideal of a democracy. These bastards have sunk to all new low with Michele Bachman's "Emergency Town Hall Meeting" earlier today. Not only do they continue to spread lies and disinformation about the proposed healthcare plan, they continue to use racist imagery to get the point across.

                            

There was a prominently displayed sign that read "National Socialist Health Care, Dachau, Germany 1945" ! That was all this FORMER Republican could stand. To exploit something as brutal and vicious as the Holocaust in such a disgusting manner is an all new low.


Never mind the fact that Senator John Dumbass, I mean Boehner with his "this is my copy of the Constitution", proceeded to read the Preamble to the Declaration Of Independence. Never mind the fact that when asked, he couldn't tell you what the Republican Healthcare "plan" would cost and never mind that he and the rest of the GOP are in such disarray that they're stabbing each other in the back when it comes to support of Republican candidates !


I have had ENOUGH of these morons and am disgusted with what the party has become. The party of racist, ignorant ill informed neanderthals who wouldn't know the difference between an elephant's trunk or it's ass. The biggest source of disgust with me is otherwise level - headed moderates who've stood by and let all of this happen. No one wanted to be the gate keeper in order to curb a lot of the racist and bigoted behavior displayed over the past year.


As far as I'm concerned, RACISTS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE PARTY and those that do nothing about it ARE JUST AS BAD !! I thought that my being an African - American, fairly moderate in my political leanings, could convince other like - minded African - Americans to join the party, but there's NO WAY IN HELL I'd try to convince anyone to join the GOKKK !!