Loved ones are mourning longtime Philly radio legend Sid Mark. WPHT 1210 AM announced on Tuesday that Mark died Monday night. He was 88 years old.
Family members have not yet revealed a cause of death.
Mark grew up in Camden, New Jersey, and first got into radio while serving in the U.S. Army in the 1950’s. Mark later worked for the Philadelphia radio station WHAT which later became WWDB. Mark’s big break came in 1956 when he was asked to fill in for a DJ who didn’t show up. With two Frank Sinatra albums on hand, Mark played the songs of the legendary singer that would ultimately define his career.
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Mark soon hosted the syndicated show “Saturday With Sinatra” on KFRC-AM San Francisco’s Magic 61. Mark also had weekend programs on WWDB in Philly and WPAT-FM in New York. During his shows, Mark was known to play 150 Sinatra tracks per week.
Mark later hosted “Friday With Frank,” “Sunday With Sinatra” and “The Music Machine” on WWDB.
Known for his smooth radio voice, Mark’s dream of meeting Sinatra came true in 1966. Mark and his wife were flown to Las Vegas where they had dinner with the iconic singer.
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In addition to “Sunday with Sinatra,” which aired Sunday mornings on 1210 WPHT, Mark’s nationally syndicated show “The Sounds of Sinatra” aired through the Westwood One radio network.
Mark was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2001.
