Dave Mason and Morgan Ragan were once students attending Sacramento State with dreams of pursuing a career in sports journalism — now they’re putting those aspirations to work.
Mason and Ragan currently host their own sports podcast called “The Deuce and Mo Podcast” on iTunes. The podcast passed the 100-episode milestone on Sept. 13.
Although their backgrounds are different, Mason and Ragan both share the same passion for sports, which led to the pair meeting at a Sacramento Kings game in 2012.
Mason’s dedication and persistence ultimately landed him an internship at Sports 1140 AM KHTK at the young age of 16. After graduating from Del Campo High School, Mason’s fascination with sports continued to grow, as he went from screening phone calls to landing a full-time gig with KHTK.
From there, it was an easy decision for Mason to remain in Sacramento, working as the sports editor for Sac State’s The State Hornet, and beginning a career in the local sports industry.
“I’ve always loved this area and it made sense for me to stay in the region because of my full-time gig at KHTK,” Mason said. “I also enjoyed the campus and thought they had a solid journalism program.”
Mason eventually grew his network of contacts to notable local radio personalities, such as Whitey Gleason, Joe Pittman, Grant Napear, Jim Kozimor and Sac State football announcer Jason Ross.
While Mason grew up wanting to cover sports, Ragan grew up in Granite Bay and was a talented basketball player, making the varsity team at her high school at the age of 13. But her love for media grew after stepping in front of a camera during her high school media classes.
“People would always tell me that I am going to be the next Erin Andrews, which at the time I never wanted because I thought I wanted to just talk about celebrities and work for E! News instead,” Ragan said.
However, Ragan decided to take her talents to the predominantly male-dominated sports industry.
“I have never doubted my ability to host a podcast,” Ragan said. “It’s more that sometimes I doubt the business, sometimes I don’t think this business is made for me because everyone is so cutthroat and on edge and for the most part, there are too many people that just aren’t on your side.”
Mason and Ragan both agree podcasts will soon take over the industry and radio will be a thing of the past.
“I see our podcast as an established sports podcast that people from all over will be tuning into Monday through Friday to get their sports news and entertainment for an hour each day of their workday,” Ragan said.
Ross, who worked alongside Mason and Ragan before the pair were let go from KHTK in April, describes them as two of his favorite people he has ever had the chance to work with.
“We were all on the same page and just clicked from day one,” Ross said. “We haven’t been on together in a year and a half and so many times people tell me that they miss us together.
Ross went on to give high praise to the young sports journalists and believes he’s learned a lot from them as he pursues a career in the sports world as well.
“Their possibilities are endless,” Ross said. “I can’t wait to see the places they will go.”
