Leaving a job can go several ways.

It can be you wanting out or just seeking something better and so, one day, you suddenly announce you’re leaving, give your two-weeks notice, there’s an after-work gathering at a cheap happy hour, and you move on.

Then there those who reach a point, hit the wall and up and quit. Walk out, no goodbyes, just instant former employee.

And then, there are those who feel the need to turn it into a major production.

https://youtu.be/9A4UGtM4hDQ

While that may work in the hotel industry, just quitting and walking out of a radio station gig greatly reduces your chances of getting another job in the biz. I’ve experienced quite a variety of exits over the years, some good, some not so good.

KQOT--My first professional radio job in Yakima, Washington. It was definitely a passion project and I cut some serious radio teeth during my 16 or so months there. But when our former sales manager went across town, I followed him there.

KMWX/KFFM--I got a call one day from a deep voice at the other end of the phone. It was Larry Nelson at KOMO radio, wanting to know if I’d be interested in being his producer. I went over to Seattle the next weekend, accepted the job, came back, got married, went on a one-week honeymoon, came back, moved over and started the following Monday. Going to the big leagues over in Seattle tended to put you into a revered light and so it was no hard feelings when you quit. In fact, during my wedding reception, the General Manager of the station slipped a $100 bill in my pocket and told me to “take her out for a nice meal.” (back when you could do that with $100)

KOMO–After 4-1/2 years as Lar’s producer, one August Friday morning, I was called into the GM’s office and notified that I was being laid off. They had to do some trimming on the budget, and myself, sports guy Keith Shipman and Gary the news director were all being let go. In an amazing example of bad timing, it was the same day that my wife found out we had a baby boy on the way. What management didn’t know was that Larry had tipped me off to the layoff when I was telling him the week before about the new car we were looking at buying. It allowed me to avoid that purchase, and to clear out my bunker before the Day of Doom arrived.

KLSY–This is where I set my personal radio endurance record. I was close to 19 years at “Classy”, from copywriter and production assistant to morning show guy and all the stops in-between. Being at a place that long makes for awkward reunions because the people in the first five years I was there never met the people from the last five years. This was the ugly one–being backstage at the Village Theater in Issaquah as our live Christmas show ended and being informed the station was not going to renew our contract. We were told by the GM there was no rush in cleaning out our offices and that they’d throw a party for us next month. I’m still waiting for the party.

Destination Marketing–Not a radio station, but where I spent just shy of 10 years. I hit a wall there, but as much as I would have loved to have dramatically quit, I’m a high-road guy. (And frankly, I didn’t want to pay for the marching band) I had been scouting places to land and after one Labor Day Weekend when I went away and all of my copy had been rewritten by the owner to dumb it down for the masses, I went into my supervisor and said I’m out of here in 30 days.

Now, there was a send-off! The party, a giant card with pictures and notes from people. In my final weeks there, I decided it would be fun to figure out just how many different people I had worked with in my almost-decade there. Keep in mind this is a company that averaged around 33 employees or so. The final tally: I had worked with exactly 100 different co-workers.

KRKO–Since day one, the radio station has always been appreciative of my joining the team. The trick in this relationship was that they really couldn’t afford me. Not that I’m so great, but I do offer a solid product. I decided to take their offer (which was originally lower) and take on the challenge of doing a solo morning show by myself. After having been out of radio for over 10 years, I had to prove to myself that I could still do it. The low salary was the cost of being able to still play on the radio. I’m not going into numbers, but my salary at KRKO was 3% of what I was making my final year at KLSY.

Just shy of the five-year mark at KRKO, I need to get that valuable time back, if nothing else, to just not work as hard. Those familiar with my routine know that I go 5a-5p, Monday through Friday with a few hours every weekend. As I approach birthday number 68, I’ve demonstrated to myself that I CAN work that hard and do a good job. But I just don’t have it in me anymore to do that quantity of work just to prove I can.

I’ve known Andy Skotdal, one of the owners of KRKO, for years. He’s expressed several times how he’d love to have me up on his airwaves, but the situation was never right until that summer of 2018. The station had switched from sports to “Everett’s Greatest Hits.” It’s basically a “Classic Hits” (or Oldies) format but there was concern about calling it “Classic Hits” when their other station was “Classic Country.”

Classic radio.

I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to play songs I grew up with on the radio, to be a part of a radio station that celebrated 100 years on the air last year. I also gained some lifetime friends that will always make me smile when we can figure out some kind of get-together. Chuck Maylin, Terry Patrick, Stitch Mitchell, Tom Lafferty, Maury the Movie Guy, Heidi May, Amp Harrell, Buzz, Elise, Andrew, Jeff and so many more.

This exit from radio will be my last. Initially, when asked if I would consider filling in for my morning replacement, Bryon Mengle, when he went on vacation, I said yes….but then, I thought, I really need this to be the end.

And so it will be. Over the final two weeks, I’ll be chatting with retired friends, asking for tips and playing some of the bits and interviews I did during my time at KRKO.

It’s going great, it’s going smoothly; it’s just weird.

Tim Hunter