CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Mark Packer, a longtime Charlotte sports radio and TV staple, announced he’s retiring from ESPN.
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Packer, who’s been a vital part of ESPN-owned ACC Network since its inception in 2019, posted the news on X:
Breaking News. My agent alerted ESPN this morning that I have decided to retire. Given the difficult challenges of past 3 years on both a personal and professional level, the timing is right. I can’t wait to travel, write, teach & live again! Thank you for all the support.
Packer did not say when the retirement takes effect.
His south Charlotte home was transformed into a studio for his ACCN shows. According to his ESPN biography, Packer co-hosted “Packer and Durham” with Wes Durham, for nearly three years. After Durham’s move to focus on play-by-play duties, Packer moved to afternoons on for the launch of the ACC PM weekday show with co-host Taylor Tannebaum.
Packer, the son of Wake Forest basketball legend and former CBS broadcaster Billy Packer, became a radio star in the Queen City with his “Primetime with the Packman” afternoon show on WFNZ-AM. The program aired from 1997-2010 and, according to ESPN, was the most listened-to sports radio show in the Carolinas, garnering numerous “Best Of” awards.
It also featured the popular “Whiner Line” and featured comedian Tremaine Sloan, aka QCB.
In January 2011, Packer began hosting “College Basketball Today” on SiriusXM, which became the daily weekday show “College Sports Today” and eventually “Off Campus with Mark Packer” on ESPNU Radio weekday afternoons. In addition to the daily show, Packer hosted the SiriusXM Tailgate Show during the college football season.
**********Remember him well, from his days on the old WFNZ 610 AM radio show…It was carried in the Triad, on The Triad Sports Network for several years…That was on 600/1320/1230/1200 AM stations, with Packer, QCB, and many great guests…**********