COUNTRY DEEJAY CRIDER LEAVES K-103

A well-known radio personality for one of the top-rated shows has hung up his hat.

Morning disc jockey Kent Crider has left K-103 FM. He had been host of the country music station's morning show since 1994.

Crider cited "creative differences" as his reason for leaving.

Management for the Zimmer Radio Group, which owns K-103 FM and several other Midwest stations, were sorry to see Crider leave.

"It's a shame to see Kent Crider the deejay go," said Terry Hester, operations manager for the Zimmer's Cape Girardeau stations, "but we want what's best for Kent Crider the person."

The decision to leave wasn't made quickly. Crider said he pondered the idea for the past two months.

Crider has been a deejay for more than 20 years, half of that with the Zimmer Group.

He worked as the overnight deejay for K-103, then moved into the late morning rotation before switching to his "prime time" morning show.

He did not quit to negotiate a better contract, Crider said, explaining: "I cleaned out my desk. I'm gone."

No formal announcement of Crider's leaving was made during K-103's morning show, which had Bob James as host. James typically works on air from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. He originally announced the morning show when K-103 changed its format from easy listening to country music in 1988.

The search for a new morning deejay will be conducted within the company and nationwide, said Gera LeGrand, market manager for the Zimmer Group.

James, who has worked major market stations in Detroit and Philadelphia, among others, knows Crider's exit could hurt ratings. Listeners take from six months to a year to warm up to a new deejay, he said.

The success of both K-103 and Crider played off each other, LeGrand said. They made each other successful.

Crider had been named the state's best deejay in a medium-sized market several times, LeGrand said.

Although Crider has not decided where he'll work next, he plans to continue living in Cape Girardeau to stay close to relatives. On Monday he spoke with representatives of another country radio station and a car dealership.

Crider wouldn't shy away from selling cars.

"I've done live remotes for radio at about every car dealer in town," he said.

Crider regrets leaving behind those who listened to his program regularly and has always tried to make himself an approachable personality, he said, which his audience appreciated.

A man had seen Crider at the grocery store Thursday and gave him a birthday to announce during K-103's birthday club. Crider was sorry he didn't stay around long enough to make the announcement.

The former deejay doesn't regret not waking up at 4 a.m. anymore.

"I slept until 6:30 this morning, and it felt great," he said.

James will replace Crider until another announcer is hired.