Mark presents Routes Around The World every Tuesday from 6.00 – 8.00pm.
Mark started broadcasting his show in 2016 following seven years of broadcasting on (the now defunct) Spirit FM, which covered most of West Sussex.–His show started initially as just one hour and expanded to three and was nominated for a Sony Radio Award.
Prior to this Mark started his interest in music by promoting a show at his Yorkshire grammar school by Head, Hands & Feet before studying for a BSc in Sheffield. It was here he became Social Secretary and booked all sorts of bands from Paul McCartney – who literally knocked on his door and asked to play – through to Joe Cocker, Ronnie Lane, Be Bop Deluxe, and Jasper Carrot. Dissatisfied with his academic course he ‘dropped out’ and embarked on a career in the music business which involved becoming an agent and tour managing a wide range of musicians ranging from The Troggs, and The 101’ers (led by Joe Strummer) to Supertramp, Billy Connolly, Allan Holdsworth, Gordon Giltrap, Hubert Sumlin, Popa Chubby, and many, many more. He spent time programming and marketing a wide range of venues including Swansea Grand Theatre, Greenwich Festival (where he recorded one of the last Shantymen ‘Stan Hugill’ onboard the Cutty Sark before it burned down), The Hexagon (Reading), and the challenging Bognor Regis Centre where he promoted Max Bygraves in an adjoining hall to the theatre and Max joined the chorus of the local operatic society!
In 1986 he set up his own agency Marko Polo Promotions which went on to represent many of the UK’s top folk musicians, and a wide range of international artists from the USA, Canada, Sardinia, Bulgaria, Japan, Australia, and South Korea – many of whom he brought to the UK for the first time. At the same time he established a recording label Nico Polo and founded the Rhythm Sticks Festival (London), and ‘HI-There! Festival on Hayling Island. A change of direction occurred in 2010 when, living in Emsworth, he founded WemsFest – a portmanteau of Westbourne and Emsworth – because “nothing was happening in the two communities.” Fifteen years later and some 1000+ performances and concerts later this voluntary organisation has delivered an annual programme of very significant events and raised over £30,000 for various charity and community projects. See wemsfest.com.