Devastating news hit the city of Nashville on Sunday when it was learned that Mark Howard, veteran sports broadcaster in both television and radio, died at the age of 65.
The news was revealed by his friend David Boclair. It was confirmed to the Tennessean by his wife Debra.
Howard, whose whose real name was Howard Mark Levenson was a popular sports anchor for over 20-plus years at NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.
“My heart’s broken,” said retired NewsChannel 5 sports director Hope Hines. “I’ve lost one of my best and dearest friends. He was more like a son to me and he felt the same way, I was a father-like figure in many ways to him. I’m heartbroken for Jack his son, and Debra. He was a great, great talent.”
Howard joined The Zone, 104.5-FM in the Music City in 2004 when he co-hosted the Wake Up Zone with Kevin Ingram and Frank Wycheck. That show would dominate morning drive in the city for years. He left the show in 2020 after 21 years at The Zone.
“It’s been a great run. The (Wake Up Zone) show ran for 16 years with me and Kevin,” Howard said at the time. “They were some of the best years of my life. I’ve got nothing really but good things to say about my experiences there.”
Ingram said Howard was influential in bringing him to The Zone.
“I loved working with Mark, but the thing about Mark was that he was a great friend,” Ingram said. “There weren’t many people who were more supportive of me or my career than Mark. He was always very encouraging and gave good advice. There aren’t too many people you’ll find who were more knowledgeable about sports than Mark. It was almost scary how much he knew, especially about baseball.”
The Zone released a statement sending their condolences.
The station plans a day full of tributes and memories of Howard.
