Mark Munger
General ManagerMark Munger first began listening to public radio as a child in the back of his Mom's VW Vanagon, falling in love with the stories on Morning Edition and Prairie Home Companion and the laughter of Click and Clack on Car Talk. Through KWIT, he was introduced to the great orchestras and jazz artists, the sounds of folk and blues, and the eclectic expressions of humanity. This American Life and Radiolab arrived in his formative college years and made him want nothing more than to be a part of the public radio world.
But even away from the airwaves, the power of storytelling was inescapbale. His grandfather was the great broadcaster Herb Plambeck. With Herb, a microphone and recorder were always at hand. Every holiday was documented, and every trip required an interview. As Mark got older, he also got to experience the process of writing and editing beside Herb who banged out stories on his Smith-Corona Coronet Electric, scissors and rubber glue ready at hand. Going to the Iowa State Fair with Herb was like going to Yankee Stadium with Mickey Mantle. His love of Iowa and its farmers, and his commitment to telling the stories of the people, were returned to him a thousandfold.
Mark first worked in radio in Chicago, hustling from station to station doing whatever he was allowed. He produced shows at WGN-FM, a blog for WBEZ (for the amazing Amy Krouse Rosenthal), and audio for WMVP-FM, amongst other places and duties. When former KWIT-KOJI manager Gretchen Gondek called to ask if he'd be interested in returning to Sioux City and the station he grew up with, he jumped. Since then, he has been lucky enough to become the station's General Manager, to work with many fabulous colleagues, and to be a part of the community he loves.
As a part of Siouxland Public Media, Mark has helped to create many programs and projects that bring him a sense of joy and gratitude: Ode, a live storytelling project (with Ally Karsyn); The Exchange, SPM's first newsmagazine (with Mary Hartnett and, later, Sheila Brummer); Music for Pollock; Facing a Changed World (with Ron Johns); News for All, a news service in five languages during the pandemic (with many, many others); and, SPM PM, an eclectic music program (with Steve Smith, Caitie Schooley, and Cynthia Donovan). His leadership has emphasized local news and storytelling. He has also guided the station to modernize its equipment and facilities. Through it all, he has felt as though he's gotten to live his dream and often thinks back to those times with Herb. He's pretty sure he would be proud... but he always was an easy grandfather to please.
Phone: 712.317.3419
Email: mmunger@kwit.org
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Weather Bosses is a collaboration with Bryant Elementary -
This week the USDA announced that it would no longer conduct its annual survey of food insecurity. My guest is Jacob Wanderscheid, Executive Director of the Foodbank of Siouxland. We began our conversation on the issue of the survey and how the drying up of its data may affect the Foodbank’s work. -
Weather Boss is a collaboration with Bryant Elementary School. -
Todd Behrens, director of the Sioux City Art Center, joins Mark Munger to talk about Art Splash 2025. -
Dianely and Hashim are our Weather Bosses from Bryant Elementary -
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Loess Hills Wild Ones and Jefferson Beer Supply are bringing awareness to native plants with events and a new beer: Wild Ones Welcome. Nicki Werner and Dawn Snyder spoke with Mark Munger about brewing the beer and the events. -
Mara Hall joins Mark Munger to talk about the new podcast on Siouxland Public Media called Voice Imprints that captures the messages we keep. -
I’m Mark Munger and this is a Manager’s Special. A special election for Iowa Senate Seat District 1 is underway. Early voting has been ongoing since August 6. Election Day is August 26. As a way to get to know the candidates, I asked for three of their favorite songs, hoping we could jump off and into the music to learn about the people as well as their politics. My invitation to Republican candidate Christopher Prosch has not yet been answered but remains open. The Democratic candidate, Catelin Drey, did join me earlier this week. Our conversation began with talk about her observations of voter’s moods during her campaign. -
Bret Hayworth interviews Mark Munger about the 2025 Rescissions Act passed by Congress and how the loss of CPB funding may affect Siouxland Public Media.
