Radio listeners don’t usually get a heads-up when their favorite morning personality will be leaving the station.
For that matter, radio personalities don’t, either.
Nobody gets to say "goodbye," "aloha and mahalo" or anything of the sort.
That’s because, speaking from experience, radio people can have, let’s say, volatile personalities, and station executives generally don’t want to risk unpleasant on-air fare-thee-wells.
Things were different at Salem Media Hawaii for Dawn O’Brien, who hosted the morning show at KAIM-FM 95.5 "The Fish" for the last time Friday.
She was told Feb. 19 she’d have only two more shows, that Friday would be her last day.
"I did not resign," she said.
Management of the Christian music station "asked me to watch my words," said O’Brien, who is a Christian.
At 7:30 a.m. Friday, prime-time morning drive, on the advice of a colleague and lifelong broadcaster, she told her listeners, "A door had closed at Salem Media, and I believe the Lord will open another door," O’Brien said.
"I wanted to honor the Lord, I had to keep it clean," she told TheBuzz.
O’Brien and station officials "weren’t able to reach an agreement that was acceptable to Dawn," said Jack Waters, program director of "The Fish" and operations manager for Salem’s other Hawaii stations.
"For me personally, and I speak for everyone at Salem, Dawn has been a special blessing for this family of listeners, and we know that she’s going to continue to be a blessing to believers here in the islands, and we wish her the best."
Evidenced by hundreds of posts on O’Brien’s Facebook page and other social media chatter about her departure, listeners are upset.
"We can understand the reaction," said Waters, who is currently co-hosting the morning show with Bulla Eastman. Eastman hosts a prerecorded show on KGU-FM 99.5 "The Word," Salem’s Christian teaching and talk station.
O’Brien’s show was rated seventh in Honolulu with 4.6 percent of the market among listeners ages 25 to 54, a desirable demographic for advertisers.
Stewart leaves TV for PR
You’ve not seen Vanessa Stewart contributing to the KHON-TV news coverage intended to generate viewership during the February Nielsen rating period because she has changed careers.
Stewart was hired as senior communications project manager at Olomana Loomis ISC in January.
A company statement says she’ll manage major public relations and corporate communications work for the business consulting, branding, marketing, communications and advertising firm.
Stewart has "the right qualities and values that fit well with our company," said Alan Tang, Olomana Loomis ISC chairman, president and CEO, in a statement.
In the same statement, Stewart said she looks "forward to the opportunity to use my expertise to contribute to the success of the (company’s) clients."
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
