Oklahoma City · Radio & MediaMark Shannon · 1951 – May 8, 2010Obituaries & Tributes
Oklahoma City Radio Personality Dies Saturday Morning
Mark Shannon, Voice of KTOK and Oklahoma City’s Conservative Radio Giant, Dies at 58
A radio career that spanned 36 years, seven states, and one city that claimed him as its own — ended quietly at home in the early hours of Saturday morning, May 8, 2010.
Mark Shannon · 1951 – May 8, 2010 · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
✦
He came to Oklahoma City in 1983 and never really left — not in the ways that mattered. For nearly three decades, Mark Shannon’s voice was part of the morning commute, the afternoon drive, and the political conversation of an entire city. On Saturday, May 8, 2010, that voice went quiet. He was 58 years old. Home› Obituaries› Oklahoma› Oklahoma City› Mark Shannon Obituary 2010
Shortly after midnight on Saturday, May 8, 2010, Mark Shannon — conservative talk radio host, Navy veteran, avid golfer, and one of Oklahoma City’s most recognizable voices — passed away at his home. He was 58 years old. The cause was leukemia, a disease he had been fighting since his diagnosis in 2000. He had been released from Baptist Integris Hospital just hours before, on Friday afternoon, and chose to spend his final hours at home.
For those searching for news about the Oklahoma City radio personality who died Saturday morning, the name is Mark Shannon — and the loss is a significant one. Not just for Oklahoma City’s radio community, but for the thousands of listeners who had invited his voice into their cars, their kitchens, and their daily lives across more than three decades on the air.
58Age at Passing
36Years on Air
1983Arrived in OKC
KTOKFinal Station
Biographical Background
From Lincoln to the Airwaves — The Making of Mark Shannon
He was born Mark Stone in Lincoln, Nebraska — a Midwestern kid who grew up with big dreams and a bigger voice. Before he ever stood in front of a microphone professionally, he served his country in the United States Navy, where he worked as an air traffic controller. It was a role that demanded precision, calm under pressure, and the ability to communicate clearly when the stakes were highest. It would serve him well for everything that came after.
His radio career began in 1974 in Montrose, Colorado — working under the name Mark Stone, spinning records and learning the craft. From Colorado, he moved to Sioux City, Iowa, then to Amarillo, Texas, collecting experience and sharpening a style that would eventually earn him one of the most loyal audiences in Oklahoma City radio history.
In 1983, Mark Shannon came to Oklahoma City. He would never really leave.
Career Timeline
36 Years Behind the Microphone — Mark Shannon’s Radio Journey
1974
Radio career begins in Montrose, Colorado under the name Mark Stone. Learned the fundamentals of broadcasting at a small market station.
Mid-70s
Worked as a disc jockey in Sioux City, Iowa and Amarillo, Texas, developing his on-air personality across multiple markets.
1983
Arrives in Oklahoma City and joins KJYO, beginning a seven-year run that would establish him as a recognizable voice in the market.
1990
Moves to KRXO, where his show runs for eight years. His format — blending sharp political commentary with entertainment — earns comparisons to “Rush Limbaugh meets Howard Stern.”
2000
Diagnosed with leukemia. Continues working and fighting, refusing to let the illness define or silence him.
Dec. 2007
Joins Newsradio 1000 KTOK as a conservative talk radio host, his final and perhaps most influential platform.
May 8, 2010
Passes away at home in Oklahoma City shortly after midnight Saturday morning, surrounded by loved ones. He was 58.
“I’ve had a life blessed beyond what I deserve, and I have few regrets. If my time here is up, then I am confident that God will prepare me, much as everything leading up to this point in my life has prepared me for the next step in life.”
— Mark Shannon, from his personal blog, written in his final weeks
Career & Legacy
Oklahoma City’s Conservative Voice — What Mark Shannon Built
Mark Shannon was not the loudest voice in Oklahoma City radio. He was something more valuable than that — he was a consistent one. Across three different stations and nearly three decades in the market, he built an audience not through spectacle but through conviction, personality, and a genuine investment in the conversations he was having with his listeners every single day.
His years at KRXO were the ones that defined his reputation. The show that people describe as somewhere between Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern was, at its core, something simpler: it was Shannon being himself — politically direct, occasionally provocative, but always engaged. He had opinions and he shared them. Oklahoma City listeners respected that, even when they disagreed.
When he joined Newsradio 1000 KTOK in December 2007, he found what felt like a natural home. The all-news-talk format suited his strengths. He became an active voice in the Tea Party Movement, lending his platform to a political conversation that was just beginning to reshape American conservatism. He cared deeply about where the country was heading, and he said so — clearly, daily, without apology.
His show at KRXO was described as “Rush Limbaugh meets Howard Stern” — a combination that only works if the person behind the mic is genuinely both things at once: a serious voice with a sense of humor. Shannon was.
KJYO — Oklahoma City
1983 – approximately 1990
Seven-year run that established Shannon as a recognized Oklahoma City radio voice.
KRXO — Oklahoma City
approximately 1990 – 1998
Eight years. Show described as “Rush Limbaugh meets Howard Stern.” His most talked-about era.
Newsradio 1000 KTOK
December 2007 – 2010
His final platform. Conservative talk radio. Active in the Tea Party Movement.
Earlier Markets
1974 – 1983
Montrose, CO · Sioux City, IA · Amarillo, TX — a decade building toward OKC.
Faith, Illness & Final Days
Ten Years of Fighting — How Mark Shannon Faced His Illness
When Mark Shannon was diagnosed with leukemia in 2000, he did not go quietly. He kept working. He kept talking. He kept showing up. For ten years, he fought the disease while maintaining a presence on Oklahoma City radio that gave no indication of how much the battle was costing him. That was a choice — deliberate, characteristic, and entirely in keeping with who he was.
In his final weeks, Shannon turned to his personal blog to speak directly to the people who had been listening to him for years. His words were not bitter. They were not fearful. They were those of a man who had thought deeply about his life and found it, on balance, good — better than he felt he deserved, in his own telling.
He was released from Baptist Integris Hospital on Friday afternoon, May 7, 2010, and went home. He died shortly after midnight. His wife Kris was beside him. She issued a statement through KTOK that reflected the faith her husband had carried throughout his life: “Mark believed in Jesus Christ, and he is now at home with his Father in Heaven.”
Beyond broadcasting, Shannon was known as an avid golfer and a devoted dog lover — two enthusiasms that said something real about the man. Golf rewards patience, self-discipline, and honesty about your own limitations. Dogs reward consistency and kindness. Shannon had all of those qualities.
Remembered By Oklahoma City
What Mark Shannon Leaves Behind
Radio is an intimate medium. Unlike television, it asks nothing of the listener’s eyes — just their ears and their attention. The people who gave Mark Shannon both, day after day for nearly thirty years in Oklahoma City, did not just consume a product. They built a relationship with a voice. They trusted it, argued with it, laughed with it, and drove to work alongside it through tornado warnings and election nights and ordinary Tuesdays that felt a little less ordinary because he was there.
That is what Oklahoma City lost on Saturday morning, May 8, 2010. Not just a radio host — a daily presence. A consistent voice in an inconsistent world. The kind of person who, as he wrote himself, had few regrets and many blessings, and who faced the end of his life with the same clarity and directness he brought to everything else.
He is survived by his wife, Kris Shannon.
For ten years, leukemia tried to silence him. For ten years, it failed. Oklahoma City radio had Mark Shannon’s voice for every one of those years, and for twenty more before them. That is thirty-six years of mornings and afternoons and conversations that mattered to the people having them. Not bad for a kid from Lincoln, Nebraska who picked up a microphone in 1974 and never put it down. Rest well, Mark Shannon. Mark Shannon · 1951 – May 8, 2010 · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Newsradio 1000 KTOK
Oklahoma City Radio Personality Dies Saturday MorningMark Shannon ObituaryMark Shannon KTOK Death 2010Mark Shannon Oklahoma City RadioMark Shannon LeukemiaKTOK Oklahoma City Host DiesMark Shannon KJYO KRXOConservative Oklahoma Radio Host DiesOklahoma City Radio Obituary 2010
Mark Shannon Obituary · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · May 8, 2010 · Original reporting: News9.com
Newsradio 1000 KTOK · Oklahoma City · 1951 – 2010
