Meet Our Announcers

Mark Allen (weekdays from 6 to 9am—pictured with new bride Kelly) was born on Christmas Eve 1959, and has been a resident of Huntington Beach for most of his life. His radio career spans over 14 years, of which 12 are with the Astor Broadcast Group. Mark has also done stand-up comedy, with appearances on Comedy Central and Showtime, in addition to performances at the Improv's and other local comedy clubs. In his spare time Mark enjoys surfing, working on his Scion xB, and "spending time with the love of my life, Kelly."

"Working here at The SPA, I've discovered an appreciation for the American Song Book that I didn't know I had," says Mark. "Dean Martin is one of my favorites because of his 'cool' attitude. I'm also a big fan of Michael Bublé and Diana Krall."

"I hope you enjoy spending time with me in the morning as much as I enjoy spending time with you," adds Mark. "My motto for life is 'pay it forward.' You never know who you might be helping, and the feeling of giving is the best in the world."   E-mail Mark at mark@thesparadio.com

Rick Rome (weekdays from 10am to 3pm—pictured with wife Marilyn) was born and raised in Eureka, California. ("Eureka! I've found it!" he exclaims to Marilyn upon arrival at every homecoming trip, to which she simply rolls her eyes heavenward.) After earning his doctoral degree in nuclear physics at Ohio Wesleyan University, Rick immediately took on bit parts in the Hollywood movie industry. His journeys eventually led him to doing weather reports in the early days of television ("Back in the day they didn't call us 'meteorologists,'" he insists), and then to radio announcing.

Rick has been a fixture at the Astor Broadcast Group for over 40 years. When he needs to relax, he indulges his favorite pastime of raising bats in a makeshift laboratory in his garage, where he also cross-breeds them with rodents of other species. Rick is also a long-distance runner and triathlete. To date he has competed in 37 Iron-Man Triathlons in Hawaii, and has won 18 of them. He and wife Marilyn, herself a former member of the British Parliament, have eight children, 26 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.  E-mail Rick at rick@thesparadio.com

Paul James (weekdays from 3pm to 7pm) is almost a Southern California native, having moved here at the age of four. After majoring in Broadcasting at Los Angeles City College, he started working in radio. Paul's first on-air gig took place in Stockton, California in the late '70s. His career then took him to the Bay Area, followed by stints in Palm Desert, Orange County, The Inland Empire, and finally here at The SPA.

"I'm having a blast working here at the SPA!", says Paul. "Where else can you get fresh cucumber slices for your eyes, a mud bath and a new white terrycloth robe every day? Join me middays for great music and some musical tidbits about the artists we play."   E-mail Paul at paul@thesparadio.com