Zack Owen announced on the "Central Texas Life with Ann Harder" podcast that he is returning to mornings on the Rogue Media Network via YouTube TV starting January 6, 2025 from 8 to 10am.
"And so looking ahead now to podcasting and YouTube TV, I'm just super excited about it," Owen told Harder. "Let me tell you what really sold me is when they said, you don't have to get up and be here at five in the morning."
Owen will broadcast live each morning from the Texas Music Cafe in downtown Waco, where he can feature live music acts. He joins Pete Sousa as the second live daily show Rogue Media Network offers. Sousa broadcasts from the famous ALICO Building.
The former and longtime WACO 100 morning show host has gone through a lot of changes since 2023, when his partner Jim Cody died after his cancer battle. The morning radio team had been together since 1993.
In March 2024, Owen was let go from WACO 100.
"My contract was going to end in February of 25," Owen explained. "And so this is March 15th when they let me go. And I said, 'Just keep me through the contract. I'll be happy to walk out. But I want to say goodbye to the listeners, and I want to say thank you to the advertisers that have been with us forever.' And no. So they fire you and pay you for six months, which makes no sense to me."
Arter leaving radio, Owen has worked as a Realtor.
And since Ann Harder is a Central Texas broadcasting icon herself, Owen brought up his time hosting "25 Hot Country Cafe" on KXXV where Ann co-anchored with Ray Peters.
The 2020 Texas Radio Hall of Famer also talked about his early love of broadcasting from listening as a child to the legendary Mark E. Baby on KFJZ 1270 Fort Worth. Houston radio fans of 101 KLOL will recognize that name as Mark Stevens of the legendary Stevens and Pruett morning show. You can watch my documentary about the station called "Runaway Radio" on Tubi and other streaming services.
