SAN ANTONIO – For more than two decades, Good Morning San Antonio anchor Mark Austin has been a part of our mornings and our KSAT family.
Mark’s quick wit, sense of humor, intelligence and demeanor in all news situations have made him a KSAT fan favorite over the years.
After 25 years of getting our day jump-started, Mark will retire from KSAT, leaving behind an incredible legacy, not only in our newsroom, but also in the San Antonio community.
“This was an amazing season of my life,” Mark said. “I feel fortunate that I was able to put down roots, spread my wings as a broadcaster, go through a variety of different positions, from anchoring to doing weather, to doing mornings to doing a little bit everything.”
Throughout his time at KSAT, Mark has covered various events, from breaking news and weather to Fiesta and Spurs championship celebrations.
“I’ve always been a professional about what we do, but it has never really felt like work. I’ve always said that if you have to get up that early in the morning — one, you need to have fun. And two, you really need to like the people that you work with, and I’ve been fortunate with both,” Mark said.
However, one of Mark’s fondest moments at KSAT was covering the presidential inauguration after the 2016 election.
“One of the funny moments I can think of that’s not related to the morning show — it was going to Washington, D.C., to cover an inauguration,” Mark said. “My dad was in the Air Force and was at the Pentagon for a long time, and I went to high school in that area. It was cool to go as a journalist and be there for the political theater that is an inauguration, but also play tour guide.”
Amid all the memories and good times, Mark said he will use this new opportunity to rest, travel a bit, and, of course, catch up on some sleep!
“It’s the first thing people ask: ‘What are you going to do now?’ It took 20 years to mess up my body clock. It’s going to take some time to undo that. As far as what’s next, I’m also telling people — for a guy that’s used to having a plan for everything, there is no plan,” Mark said.
Throughout the years, KSAT viewers have also had the opportunity to learn about Mark’s love for fishing, barbecue, aviation, Formula 1 racing and the great outdoors. He plans to combine two of those “loves” into a future project.
“I do love barbecue. I do love fishing. So, I’ve already been thinking, again, for a guy who always has a plan, this is the only plan I have. I’ve been thinking about ‘How can I parlay my love of Texas barbecue and fishing into something else?’” Mark said.
“I’ve set kind of a placeholder for myself on Facebook and it’s basically going to be where I can do future content when I’m rested up, ready to come back, ready to get back in the game and create content to interact with. The page already exists and it’s called, well, the most famous firewood around this part of Texas is Post Oak. It’s the best wood for barbecuing and smoking anything. It doesn’t overpower like Mesquite does sometimes. I was like, ‘Post oak. That’s catchy.’ So, the site for my barbecue and fishing future is called ‘Post Oak Pits and Poles.’”
Along the way, Mark said he’s been fortunate to work with some great people who have influenced his career. Two that come to mind are former KSAT News Director Jim Boyle and Mark’s GMSA brother for life, Mike Osterhage.
“I came here without a job on a lark, and Jim Boyle, we talk about him all the time at KSAT. Without him, I don’t know where I’d be. And his support and his tough love, that helped me make me into who I am today,” Mark said. “I also couldn’t have done mornings all these years without Mike Osterhage. We worked together for years before we realized that we were members of the same national fraternity. We are brothers, and I couldn’t have done it this long and have this much fun with so many changes without the stability of Mike Osterhage.”
As Mark moves into the next phase of his life post-KSAT, he said one thing that will never change is his connection with our viewers, who welcomed him into their living rooms every morning.
“I am in awe of our audience and how connected they feel to our team. It’s humbling. It’s been a special part of doing this job, especially now that word got out that several of us are going to step away. The outpouring of love and support has been outstanding. It’s something you get emotional when you think about,” Mark said.
Mornings in San Antonio will never be the same as Mark leaves behind a great legacy and an indelible mark in our newsroom and San Antonio.
“The hard part about this job, especially on mornings, is you got to be happy every day. It doesn’t always tell the truth about what’s going on in our personal lives,” Mark said. “People have seen me at my best, and they’ve seen me at my worst, and they just didn’t know it. The job was always to uphold the legacy, uphold the standard that we were taught and carry that on, and do the best we can. And if we can finish and say, ‘We did that,’ what else is there?”
“There’s one last thing that I want to leave with you and our viewers and that is that believe me when I say KSAT is in good hands. Thank you. The whole team has been great. I’m looking forward to what’s next,” Mark said.