True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ MARK RILEY
Mark Riley interviewed by Lenny Fontana for True House Stories® # 053
Part 1
Mark Riley is an American journalist, come watch and listen on how he shares with us his humble beginnings finding a whole new life in the New York City night club scene from the very early days as a young man. He explains in this episode his day-to-day responsibilities as a radio journalist at WLIB.
Mark is introduced to David Mancuso’s The Loft from fellow close friends and from there his whole musical life changed. The way he heard music and experienced it would never be the same. He became lifelong friends with many that frequented the same clubs he did.
At The Loft he meets another young DJ that changes the scene forever Larry Levan. Listening and watching Mark explain everything is like a who’s who, and history lesson all wrapped up in one.
Part 2
Mark Riley in this episode explains the formation of David Mancuso’s New York Record Pool and his duties working with David and The Loft. From there he becomes good friends with Judy Weinstein and together they help form For the Record Pool in February 1978.
During his tenure in New York as a journalist he shares different stories, and one the most important highlights of his career was interviewing Nelson Mandela right after he was released from prison in South Africa. He also explains the code of dealing with and frequenting clubs such as The Loft and Paradise Garage. Even today he is currently running a podcast interviewing different celebrities and bringing awareness forward.
Mark Riley YouTube Video Part 1
Mark Riley YouTube Video Part 2
Biography Mark Riley
Mark Riley is an award-winning broadcast journalist with 40+ years of experience hosting and directing radio programs and pioneering media strategies that attract a loyal, diverse audience. In addition to his work as a broadcaster, Mark has achieved great accomplishments in political consulting, media training, and writing for print, web, radio and TV. His podcast can be heard at https://markrileymedia.libsyn.com
Riley was employed by WLIB 1190AM in New York City, where he worked for 33 years as a broadcast journalist, program director and air personality. His first on-air opportunity was as host of the public affairs program Urban Notebook, which skyrocketed in popularity throughout the New York tri-state area. By 1986, Riley had moved to the prime time morning slot and broadcast live from the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem.
Riley worked his way up through a spectrum of roles including writer, editor, managing editor, executive editor, and program director. During his 1992-1996 tenure as program director of New York’s WLIB (1190 AM), Riley identified the diversity of his New York City audience and set out to establish more balance between the African American and Caribbean dimensions of the station’s programming.
Riley also pioneered the station’s efforts to enhance listener awareness in the political arena, anchoring full coverage of all Democratic and Republican conventions since 1990, as well as coverage of both Democratic Inaugurals in Haiti.
Riley is also known as the host of Morning Sedition and The Air Americans, on the liberal talk radio network Air America Radio (2004-2007). He went on to lead the Morning Drive program for New York City’s WWRL 1600 AM, and for the past decade he has become a popular contributor to the BBC Radio.