Mark Powell on 96.4 The Wave

Mark Powell is the mid-morning presenter on 96.4 The Wave - South West Wales' Hit Music.

Mark was born in the mining village of Aberfan, South Wales on 21st August 1971. From an early age radio played a big part in his life "My earliest memory of radio listening was my mum blasting out Terry Wogan in the kitchen over breakfast, I never listened to the music, I'd wait for him and Jimmy young to do their hand over, it was the funniest part of the day."

Later he would be influenced by the likes of Steve Wright (BBC), Kenny Everett (BBC & Luxembourg), Phil Kennedy (Red Dragon Radio) and Al Dupres (CBC Cardiff).

After leaving school Mark joined his local hospital radio station as a volunteer presenter "I remember my first show was at 7 o'clock on a Wednesday evening, I was extremely nervous. I'd been collecting requests from the patients, so I knew there would be one or two people listening, then I went into the studio shaking with fear with the station manager and about 10 other people looking over my shoulder, how I got through it I'll never know."

But he did and after a year or so he took over the running of the station. "I've never met such an odd ball bunch in my life, the people the station seemed to attract were incredible, an alcoholic, who'd come in to do a classical music show pissed and would drop his trousers to anyone and everyone, A guy who stank of shit and a Star Trek fan. I remember doing an outside broadcast at a local fate, the guy from the council who was in charge couldn't believe it, he thought I had brought the cast of the Muppet Show with me."

After several years and many air fresheners later Mark was encouraged to send a tape of his hospital radio show to the local radio station's Red Dragon and Galaxy 101.
"You would not believe how surprised I was when both stations agreed to give me work, However I decided to go with Galaxy as they offered me my own show - 2am to 6am, not the ideal shift, but it was a start."

It was while he was at Galaxy Mark met and worked with probably his biggest influence in radio to date. "Paul Conroy is in my mind the best radio presenter I've ever heard on commercial radio, slick, very funny and above all original. It was Paul who put my show on the right track."

Two years after joining Galaxy Mark got the opportunity of a life time, to present the late show on the station he grew up with, Red Dragon FM. "I turned Dragon's offer down originally as they only wanted me as a tape driver, but now they wanted me as a presenter it was an offer good to miss."

Only after a few weeks on the late show Mark was moved to drive time, where he stayed for almost a year. It was then he found out the station was being sold. "Emap was selling it and I was asked to stay in the group, so I moved to Teesside to work at TFM."

Mark once did his show naked in protest of the heat in the studio, this story made the Daily Sport, with a picture of him bollocks naked, his fiancés mother hasn't spoken to him since.

"I once did a gig where we did a beat the intro contest, I had a large piece of card with the phrase the listener had to read out. Trouble was the twat who picked the contestant from the crowd for me didn't ask them if they could read - the contestant was in fact a dyslexic maniac and talked up to the intro of the song swearing his head off, live on air".

Mark was once suspended by his boss for falling asleep during his late night show, the incident was made worse by the fact he had left the mic on and could be heard snoring like a buffoon.

The Radio Authority often gets complaints about his comments or "gags" and seems to upset most people at one time or another. "If something makes me laugh, I get it on the show, sometimes people forget we are trying to entertain as well as play the songs. However I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to the people of America for ripping the slash out of the last two presidents - but you were stupid enough to vote them in!!!"