Mark Simone

Mark Simone (born c. 1955) is an American radio and television personality, best known as the host of ''The Mark Simone Show'', a weekday talk program on WOR (710 AM) in New York City. With a career spanning over four decades, Simone has hosted shows on major stations including WABC, WNEW, and WMCA, and has made frequent appearances on networks such as Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS.

Mark Simone
Born	c. 1955 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Emerson College
Occupations	radio personality, talk show host, political commentator
Notable credits	The Simone Phone co-host (1977-79) The Mark Simone Show co-host (2013–present)
Website	www.marksimone.com

Early life and education

Mark Simone was born in the 1950s in Boston, Massachusetts.^[1] He attended Emerson College,^[2] where he studied broadcasting. The day after his graduation, he was hired to host a nightly show on WPIX-FM in New York City, marking the beginning of his professional career.^[3]

Career

Early radio career

At WPIX-FM, a prominent FM music station in New York, Simone hosted a show that blended music, talk, comedy, listener calls, and interviews with emerging artists such as The Police, Blondie, Madonna, and Elvis Costello.^[4] The program received positive reviews from critics for its innovative format. In his early 20s, Simone became the youngest talk show host on a major New York station when he joined WMCA, hosting a daily 6–8 p.m. program.^[5] WMCA was a historic talk radio outlet featuring talk show legends, e.g., Barry Gray, Bob Grant, and Larry King.

In the 1980s, Simone spent two and a half years co-hosting a daily three-hour comedy show with Steve Allen on the NBC Radio Network,^[6] featuring guests like Jay Leno, Mel Brooks, and Bill Maher. From the mid-1980s, Simone hosted a four-hour afternoon show on WNEW-AM,^[7] a station known for pioneering personality radio. The program featured classy music from artists like Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, A-list guests, live audiences, and in-studio performances by figures such as Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, and Tony Bennett. Attracting celebrity listeners such as Frank Sinatra, Jackie Onassis, and Cary Grant, it was profiled in The New York Times in 1992^[8] for its appeal to high-profile audiences.^[3]

WABC and later radio work

On January 2, 2013, after 14 years at WABC, Simone rejoined WOR (710 AM) in New York City, hosting ''The Mark Simone Show'' weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon.^[9] Nationally syndicated on iHeartRadio, it attracts over 23.5 million radio and TV listeners monthly, with 9.3 million podcast listeners annually.^[10] Based on Nielsen Media Research data from major U.S. markets, his show ranked #1 in the "Top 20 Major Market News/Talk Radio Midday Shows for 2024", as published by Barrett News Media, finishing 22 points ahead of the #2 show (WTOP Morning News in Washington, D.C.).^[11]

Simone had the "longest running and highest rated host on the New York dial", according to Barrett,^[12] and was nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame in 2023,^[13] one of 24 nominees selected from over 2,800 submissions. The show's podcast ranks #246 in the Apple Podcasts.^[14] Simone was ranked #39 in the TALKERS Magazine "Heavy Hundred" list — identifying the 100 most influential radio talk show hosts in America — for both 2023^[15] and 2025.^[16] He rated #36 on the same list for 2024.^[17]

When Simone "inked a new three-year deal" in September 2023, WOR Program Director Tom Cuddy said, “it’s been a blast watching Mark grow into becoming the highest-rated radio talk host in his time slot.”^[18] Thea Mitchem, iHeartMedia New York EVP of Programming added, “It’s no surprise that Mark holds the longevity record for NYC radio talk show hosts. Mr. New York, Mark Simone, is in a class of his own.”^[19]

Simone hosted a popular Saturday night Sinatra show for two years and ''Saturday Night Oldies''.^[20] He contributed to Sirius XM Radio and as a regular on MSNBC from 2004 to 2009. Simone has substituted numerous times for Sean Hannity^[21] and Mark Levin^[22] over the years.

Television and other work

For almost two decades Simone has co-hosted the weekly feature ''What a Week'' on NY1 with New York Daily News columnist Linda Stasi,^[23] a humorous review of the week's news with 4+ million weekly viewers. Simone has hosted over 250 PBS entertainment specials on topics including music, travel, television, culture, Sinatra, rock and roll, TV history, comedy, and Broadway.

Simone has made numerous television appearances in 25 years, including as a regular contributor on Fox Business Network, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, and as an occasional guest host. He has appeared on shows such as ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'', ''Kudlow'', ''Lou Dobbs Tonight'', ''American Morning'', and programs hosted by Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow, and Chris Matthews.

Simone has taught master classes on music at universities, including one on Frank Sinatra at Hofstra University as part of a symposium.^[24] Recognized as one of New York City's leading musicologists, he is also a popular master of ceremonies, having appeared at venues like Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Broadway theaters, the Kennedy Center, and the White House.

Simone serves on the board of directors for the Police Athletic League of New York City,^[25] a charity supporting youth programs.

Personal life

Details about Simone's personal life, including relationships and family, are kept private and not publicly disclosed. He currently resides in Greenwich, Connecticut.^[26]