Mark Willard is heading home. The Bay Area native has been hired by KNBR to join their weeknight lineup starting Monday February 18th. The sports radio veteran will be heard weeknights from 7p-10p PT on the early edition of “KNBR Tonight”.
To make room for Willard, Drew Hoffar will move back a few hours to host the later version of “KNBR Tonight” from 10p-Midnight. Hoffar has hosted on KNBR for over three years, first as the primary host of “The Audible” morning show on KNBR 1050, then as the lead host of “KNBR Tonight” on KNBR 680.
Jeremiah Crowe, Program Director, KNBR, said: “I’m extremely excited to welcome Mark back to the Bay Area and into our KNBR family. “KNBR Tonight” is about connecting with fans as the games are being played, and Mark will excel in that arena across all KNBR platforms. Listeners now also get to hear Drew shine as a solo host in his own time slot. “KNBR Tonight” will continue to serve as THE nightly destination for local sports talk, and I can’t wait to hear these two dynamic personalities back-to-back on The Sports Leader!”
Willard is a Foster City native who comes to KNBR following a midday hosting stint at XTRA 1360AM in San Diego. He had been teaming with Rich Ohrnberger on the ‘Mark & Rich Show’.
Prior to moving to San Diego, Willard hosted shows in Los Angeles for FOX Sports Radio, ESPN LA 710, and ESPN’s SportsNation. He also worked earlier in his career for Sporting News Radio alongside sports radio legend Tony Bruno.
Willard said: “It is an absolute dream come true to come home and join KNBR. My primary career goal has been to have the opportunity to connect with Bay Area sports fans, so listeners can rest assured, I will never take the relationship for granted. I want to thank Jeremiah Crowe, Doug Harvill and Cumulus’ corporate leadership team for their vision. And I want to thank my wife and kids for supporting me through this adventure!”
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
