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Radio lures back Larsen full time
By ERIC DEGGANS, Times TV Critic
© St. Petersburg Times When longtime bay area radio personality Mark Larsen was asked a few years ago what might coax him out of retirement, his reply was simple: a morning drive-time talk show. On June 10, he'll get his wish. He'll debut a show simulcast on WWBA-AM 1040 and WLVU-AM 1470 that will air from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays, competing directly with his former employer, WFLA-AM 970. And though bare-knuckles competition is common in talk radio, Larsen is quick to downplay any notion of intense rivalry with WFLA or its morning drive-time show, A.M. Tampa Bay. "I don't want anybody to think this is some kind of vendetta. . . . I don't want this to get nasty," said Larsen, 47, who did occasional fill-in work at WFLA after retiring from his show on that station Dec. 31, 1999. "I'm going into this with the idea of doing fun radio again." Larsen's show is the second recent high-profile addition for WWBA and WLVU owner Genesis Communications; Fox News Channel personality Bill O'Reilly's The Radio Factor was added to WWBA's lineup May 8. The new morning show will replace Jack Wheeler's Wheeler in the Morning on WWBA. The move also further completes the transformation of WWBA, a former religious station now featuring syndicated conservative talkers such as Michael Savage and Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity. Larsen's local profile may help the station compete with WFLA, where Glenn Beck has begun hosting his syndicated show from Philadelphia and Todd Schnitt (the real name of WFLZ-FM 93.3 personality MJ Kelli) is syndicated to other cities. News of Larsen's new show didn't concern WFLA operations manager Sue Treccase, who resisted the notion that WWBA might be cloning her station's approach. "I'm not terribly worried," she said. "Other than Mark Larsen, we have all the best talent locked up." Calling himself a Libertarian who opposes gun control and advocates legalizing marijuana, Larsen has worked in the Tampa Bay area's radio scene since 1980. He retired from his WFLA show to focus on advertising and real estate interests. He said his new program likely won't feature the "Hump Day News" segments ridiculing homosexuals he once featured on WFLA. "I would like to put together a morning show you can listen to with your kids on the way to school," said Larsen, who plans a mix of commentary and phone calls from listeners with the usual blend of news, weather and traffic reports. "I want to be a nice guy. I really am a nice guy."
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