During her long career in Newcastle radio, Kim Bauer would put social dilemmas to the audience.
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One of these was: "Would you leave your job for love?"
Recently, she's had to ask this question of herself.
"My partner is in Western Australia," she said.
Kim discovered that her answer to this question was yes.
And so, Friday was her last day after three years as co-host of 2HD's breakfast show with Richard King.
A female listener called her off air before her final show.
"She said, 'Kim, I just want to tell you you're doing the right thing, love'," she said.
"She said you don't want to be sitting in a nursing home in 20 years time, wondering why you let him go.
"Honestly, you can't imagine. Having the support of those people is just amazing."
Kim has been in Newcastle's media scene for about 35 years. As well as 2HD, she had stints at NEWFM, 2NX, NXFM and Prime TV.
Richard, who has been in the radio game for the best part of 45 years, said Kim had "renewed my radio enthusiasm".
"She's such a nice person and so easy to get along with. She's made working a pleasure," he said.
The Tears
Listeners often consider radio announcers almost like friends.
"People see you as part of their lives," Kim said.
"A man called this morning and said, 'I'm so glad you've been part of us'. He saw it as a family. The feedback from listeners has been, 'I'm losing a friend'.
"It's been so humbling. I have just cried and cried."
The Sexism
When she first inquired about joining the radio industry in the late 1970s, she was told "all females need to do is be able to type because that's all they'll be doing".
"Those were the days before computers. It really was quite staggering," she said.
"It was so hard. It was very much a boys' club. Women had no right to be in the industry. If you were a woman in the industry, it was presumed you must have slept your way into it somehow. It was so wrong.
"You know this whole Me Too movement. Oh my god, some of the things I experienced back then would blow your mind."
She recalled sitting at her typewriter one day when a male "snuck up behind me and put both hands around me and grabbed me by the breasts, whilst other men stood there laughing thinking that was normal behaviour".
She felt "completely and utterly powerless".
"These days, it's almost swung the other way," she said.
"Contemporary radio, certainly newsrooms, have a high percentage of women. Back then, a woman wouldn't have set foot in a newsroom unless she was taking in coffee.
"We've come a long way. I imagine in some industries there's still a way to go. But certainly the game has changed dramatically for women."
Supercars Stand-In
Sticking with radio, the NEWFM crew will fill the gap left behind by Supercars cancelling this year's Newcastle 500.
The Novos at NEWFM have created their own event, which they've dubbed The Total Tools Novos 500.
Each Novo - Jade, Matty and Krivo, plus Hamish from the newsroom - will team up with listeners from various areas of the Hunter.
The residents of Newcastle East will, no doubt, be delighted by this turn of events while hoping it becomes an annual affair.
The big race will take place at Go Karts Go Broadmeadow on Saturday.
KISS may have cancelled its Supercars performance last year. Not to worry. KISS tribute band Kisstortion! has been drafted in for the occasion.
Listen to the event live at 11am on 105.3 NEWFM or on Facebook.
Non-Viral Jokes
Which virus killed the radio star? Covideo.
Why do Afghans have to listen to the radio? Because of the tele-ban.
- topics@newcastleherald.com.au
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