KBEY’S Ben Shields signs off, and makes the move to MFMS
Ben Shields sits in the radio booth of KBEY 103.9 FM for the last time before moving on to his new role as a teacher and coach at Marble Falls Middle School. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
After a 25-year career in radio and over a decade with KBEY 103.9 FM, Ben Shields is stepping down as the voice of the Mustangs to become a Mustang himself.
Shields is leaving the press box and getting on the field, taking a job as a teacher and football coach at Marble Falls Middle School starting in the 2026-27 school year.
His last week with Victory Media, the locally-owned parent company of KBEY, was punctuated by an interview with morning host Mac McClennahan.
“I’ve loved every minute of my last 25 years in radio, and the last 13 of them with Victory Media, it’s been a wonderful time,” Shields told McClennahan. “I’d like to say goodbye to the listeners. Radio, especially in small communities, is still standing because you can have that relationship with your community and go out and see them.”
Shields spent years calling Marble Falls High School football games and interviewing Mustang coaches with KBEY, earning the title “The Voice of the Mustangs.”
“On the high school level, to me, (football is) still pure,” he said in a 2024 Picayune Magazine interview. “These kids aren’t playing for money. They are playing because they love the game. After this, they probably won’t ever play again. They play because they want to play with their buddies, their classmates, out there in front of their town.”
Marble Falls High School Athletic Director and head football coach Keri Timmerman told DailyTrib that it was a welcome surprise to see Shields’ name appear on the district’s coaching roster.
“Man, I’m excited. He’s a great guy, he’s always been a big supporter,” Coach Timmerman said. “I’ll miss my Monday interviews, but he’s got a heart for kids and he’s going to do a great job.”
Beyond his work with the Mustangs, Shields was a steady presence at major Highland Lakes events like the Marble Falls Rodeo, Lakefest, and the Burnet Demolition Derby.
It wasn’t just the big things though, Shields also broadcasted live from the Marble Falls Area EMS Fish Fry and hosted the annual Picayune food and toy drives.
“It’s a bittersweet moment,” he told McClennahan on his last days with KBEY. “I knew I’d have to say goodbye over the last couple of weeks. For the past few years, once you start getting into your late 40s, you ask yourself what you’re going to do, and it just always comes back to education and coaching for me.”
Goodbye from the Victory family
While Shields was a local celebrity in the Highland Lakes, he was also a friend and colleague of the folks at Victory Media, which includes community publications like The Picayune Magazine, 101 Fun Things to do in the Highland Lakes, Locals Love Us, and DailyTrib.
“Ben, it’s hard to overstate the impact he has had on the community,” said David Bean, Victory Media creative director. “I mean, he is Mr. KBEY. He’s a local celebrity, but I never really saw him that way. There is almost nobody in my life that I’ve never heard anybody say anything bad about. Ben is one of those people. He is everyone’s friend.”
Victory Media Publisher Mandi Goldsmith has known Shields since they were children.
“Ben, deep down, I think you have to really know him to know that he has a wicked sense of humor, but he is always thoughtful and considerate of others,” she said. “Working with him, he is so easy going, so easy to get along with, but willing to do the next hard thing. I’m happy for Ben’s opportunity to go work with MFISD. The students are going to be better because of it.”
Shields’ KBEY compadre also shared his thoughts.
“He’s a big ol’ nice guy,” McClennahan joked. “When I think of Ben, I think of somebody who is dedicated to the community, I mean really. I think the transition he is making from this to becoming an educator is a wonderful thing.”
The Picayune Magazine Editor Suzanne Freeman described what it was like working with Shields.
“The words you will always hear about Ben are gentleman, nice, and kind,” she said. “He is the epitome of those things, but after working with him for 14 years, I can add creative, competent, funny, and inspirational. The kids who are about to be in his classroom and on his team are soon going to feel the same way.”
Shields’ self-described “partner-in-crime” in the office, Donna Dean, said he would be missed.
“We always traded tips on what shows we were watching,” she said. “I bonded with Ben when I first came here, he was so easy to talk to, and I’m telling you, I’m going to miss him.”
Shields even had an impact on those with just a few months at Victory. DailyTrib reporter Caden Senn, who started work in December 2025, worked with Shields just once on a broadcast of the DailyBeat, but they also bonded quickly over their mutual fanaticism for sports.
“It was awesome (working with him), I feel like I got to know the radio side of things,” Senn said. “I didn’t get to work with him much, but you could tell that he was a thorough professional and obviously cared about what he was doing. He was able to guide me through my one and only DailyBeat.”
