Born and raised in Akron, Mark Urycki fell in love with radio at an early age and hosted a variety of music programs as a college student. He turned his attention to news and took his first job as a reporter in Canton at WNYN-AM in 1982. During his decades at WKSU, Urycki has covered everything from presidents and Nobel Prize winners to the area's beloved sports teams and many arts and cultural organizations. He was named Best Reporter by Ohio chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in 2000. Urycki's hour-long documentary on the shootings on the Kent State University campus on May 4, 1970 earned him national honors from SPJ, the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) and the Third Coast International Audio Festival, one of only seven awards presented by the prestigious global radio documentary competition in 2002, and Program of the Year from Ohio Educational Telecommunications (OET – now eTech). Other awards earned by Urycki’s work in the WKSU newsroom include a National Headliner award, a Sigma Delta Chi honor from national SPJ and an AWC Clarion award with Vincent Duffy for their documentary series on adoption; OET Producer of the Year in 2003; and a national Gabriel award for “A New Blimp in Launched.” Urycki lives with his son in Tallmadge.