Steve Mason was a local radio celebrity long before he hit the big time in Hollywood.
He got his start in Toledo radio 27 years ago as a 15-year-old sophomore at Maumee High School.
Mason, currently a Los Angeles-based talk show host for 710 ESPN Radio, did a five-minute daily show titled Toledo Sportsworld for WGOR-AM, 1520, from the bedroom of his parent s house.
He also sold ads to support the popular segment, which included interviews with local athletes. It aired for approximately 2 years.
In 1986, while attending Bowling Green State University on a full academic scholarship, Mason was promoted from overnight disc jockey at WRQN-FM, 93.5, to the coveted job of morning drive host after just six months.
His show Steve Mason s Morning Zoo quickly became the top-rated program in the Toledo market. And he was a big hit, interviewing such stars as Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld and Cher, and President Jimmy Carter.
Mason, whose real name is Steve Macionsky, left the radio business briefly after graduating from BGSU in 1987 to work as a production assistant in film and television.
He returned to Toledo the following year, and his show on WRQN quickly reclaimed its No. 1 ranking.
ABS Communications, Inc., which owned the station, hired Mason as its vice president at age 23. He was in charge of marketing and promotions for not only WRQN, but two other stations as well.
Mason, born in Altoona, Pa., developed a reputation as a wild and crazy man while on the air in Toledo.
In 1989, he was buried alive in a coffin for 48 hours without food or water to help emphasize the importance of education and raise more than $200,000 for Toledo schools.
Mason once was frozen in a block of ice for two days. He strapped himself in a car and then was shot out of a cannon.
He slept on a billboard, 52 feet in the air. And he was dunked in chocolate and Nacho cheese to help raise money to fight multiple sclerosis.
That morning show is definitely something I ll never forget, said the 42-year-old Mason, a one-time Mud Hens bat boy and scorekeeper. I had a lot of fun doing it. Probably too much, to be honest.
In 1992, a growth discovered on Mason s vocal chords initially threatened his radio career. However, after surgery proved successful, he was offered a job at XTRA 690 Sports in San Diego by John Lynch, the owner of Noble Broadcasting Group. Noble owned several stations, including WRQN s cross-town rival, WVKS-FM, 92.5. Mason quickly rose to prominence in his new position.
From 1996-1998, he served as the co-host of The Late Late Radio Show, along with Tom Snyder.
Tom Snyder was my mentor, in a lot of ways, Mason said. I love Tom, I loved that job. It was probably one of the best jobs I ve ever had in my career. Other than a two-year stint in New York, where he went head-to-head with the controversial Don Imus in 1999-2000, Mason has called the L.A. area home since leaving Toledo.
Mason presently co-hosts the afternoon drive slot with John Ireland. Their partnership began in 1994 and was renewed three years ago. Even though I have been in L.A. for a while, if you asked the average fan who listens to the show where I grew up, they d know it was Toledo, Ohio, Mason said. And they d know I went to Bowling Green. It s just a part of my natural conversation. I never lose sight of how far I ve come, or where I ve come from. I ve been pretty lucky.
But I can t imagine I ll ever live anywhere else but L.A. from here on out. I absolutely love it here.
Mason, who has a house on Venice Beach, has been Westwood One Radio Network s lead anchor for the last five Olympic Games. He also has done some Olympic work for NBC-TV and ESPN, and serves as a host for pre-game and post-game shows for USC football.
He is an equity holder in fantasymoguls.com and works as the Web site s lead analyst. And Mason is the president/CEO of Flagship Theatre Corp., which owns a handful of cinemas in Southern California.
I definitely love the movie business, said Mason, whose brother, Brian, lives in Delta. In L.A., the movie business is almost like a sport. I love being a jack-of-all trades. It s always sort of been my thing, to know a lot about a lot of different things.
But no question, sports has been my bread-and-butter for a long time.
Mason s decorated sports broadcasting career was launched in Maumee in 1980.
Back then, he had to connect a coupler to the phone, allowing him to transmit his show to the station.
Today, he is one of the brightest media stars on the West Coast.
First Published May 6, 2007, 10:14 a.m.
