The "Is he in or is he out" talk has swirled for weeks regarding Mark Larson’s potential run for an open Duncan Hunter seat next year, especially after he left KOGO radio in early June. Many conjectured the move was solely for a congressional run, but he was pretty clear he needed to make the change, regardless of any shot at public office.
In his blog yesterday, Mark reveals a new and exciting partnership with John Lynch, CEO of Broadcast Company of the Americas, to "build" a new radio station: San Diego 1700 AM (which Lynch already owns, so no drawn out FCC approval needed). Larson will serve as program director and do the weekly 5-9 am show at the redesigned station, among his many other ongoing roles.
Considering the title of his blog post, "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME…ON THE WAY TO CAPITOL HILL: I got an offer I couldn’t refuse," it should be clear he’s not running, but then there’s this….
"John and I also agree in understanding the ‘call of community service’. He knows there may be a point in the future where I decide to run for office and he’s accepted that."
Does a "point in the future" mean in the next several months? I have an email out to Mark asking him just that, but the answer may be obvious. John Lynch is a a savvy businessman, as is Mark Larson … my guess is that neither of them would be going down the road of revamping an existing radio station centered around Larson skill’s and radio personality without some kind of longer-term commitments.
So, for the sake of being a realist, Larson is not in play for the Hunter seat. That leaves the known "declareds" as Duncan D. Hunter and Santee Councilman Brian Jones. More will follow, no doubt.
That said, my best wishes to Mark as he moves into his new role. Few in San Diego thought for a second that he would be off the air for long. It’s good for San Diego that we’ll still have his wit and insight on a daily basis.
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Link to the Larson Blog