Courtesy of Hicks on Six
http://www.edmontonsun.com Published: Sunday July the 9th, 2006
Hicks on Six by Graham Hicks
TERRY EVANS CALLS IT QUITS
This media game can be dangerous.
Sometimes "personalities" just work too hard.
Up before dawn every morning, to be funny and bright no matter what, representing their media at night, never saying no to charity requests, always "on" wherever they go.
Terry Evans, morning-show host at K-Rock for eight years, the Bear and K-97 since 1986, has resigned.
He was not pushed. "We're sorry to lose him," says station manager Randy Lemay. "We'd love for him to stay. But this is about his health and family. What's more important?"
Terry, without any embellishment, says he's burned out.
"It's been 20 years non-stop," he says. "Fun, but a helluva grind. Awhile back, I took on being program director (of K-Rock) as well. It's just been too much.
"A family is the most important thing a man has," says Terry of his wife and two kids. "I've spent too much time on career. It's time to reacquaint myself with my family.
"I've been 'Terry Evans' for a long time. It's not my legal name. I'm not even sure I know who the real me is."
Terry and I have had our differences, to be sure.
But this is a man I'm proud of, who has looked himself in the mirror and said it's time to make changes ... to the extent of resigning instead of leaving K-Rock dangling on his future.
When Terry has taken his time off, rested up, re-found his energy and enthusiasm, let's hope he's back on air.
Or doing whatever is right for him and his family.
* * *
JIM JEROME TAKES EVANS'S PLACE
Meanwhile, Lemay lost no time.
Joining Steve Zimmerman and Bill Cowen on the K-Rock morning show is an obvious choice.
For two years, Jim Jerome has been sitting in his home studio in Edmonton, co-anchoring from afar the Team 1200's morning show in Ottawa. Jimmy, known in Edmonton as an MC and funny guy, went to Ottawa years ago from Edmonton for family reasons, and landed the Ottawa radio job. When he returned, they asked him to try the virtual commute.
He did. It worked. And now Jim brings his talent to a daily morning radio in the same city in which he lives.
* * *
EVEN WORKHORSES CAN COLLAPSE
Terry Evans's fate makes me worry about other workhorses in Edmonton radio. The unending quest to do more with less means more on-air hosts are taking on the extra job of program manager - responsible for all on-air operations.
CISN's Chris Scheetz, CHED's Syd Smith, Big Earl's Jackie Rae-Greening, and the Team's Bryn Griffith are morning or afternoon drive-show hosts, plus they are their stations' program directors as well.
How many duties can one creative person carry, before simply collapsing from too much work?
check out a previous thread about Terry...
http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1152332708/