Kev Poulton makes call to end his radio career for time with family

Cr Poulton, who is in the running for a major commercial radio award with co-host Albury mayor Kylie King this month, said council commitments and having little time to spend with his wife and five children had taken its toll.

The popular radio host, who with Cr King is in the running for best on-air team in the provincial division in the Australian Commercial Radio Awards, said he made the decision to end his on-air career this week.

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"I'll be wrapping up with Ace Radio with 2AY and 3NE at the end of this year so I won't be doing any more radio in the foreseeable future - I'm just looking forward to getting some time back with the family," he told The Border Mail.

"We've been together for four years, I've been on four radio stations in Albury-Wodonga, one community station and three commercial stations over a 22-year career in radio."

Cr Poulton said even if he aces the coveted award, he would not be tempted to stay on.

"I'll do an Ash Barty - I'll finish at the top of my game," he said.

"I'm a firm believer in you make your own decisions and quit while you're ahead.

"I'm a firm believer in doing what you do while you love it while you can do it and then when it's time for someone else's turn you've got to be honest enough to recognise within yourself that it's time to give somebody else a go."

Cr Poulton said the decision to quit his role with 2AY was entirely his own.

"I'm an employee of ACE radio so there's no need for contract renewal or anything like that," he said.

"I've just decided now's the time for me and my family to spend a bit more time together."

He said he had little time to take on criticism earlier this year by media ethic specialist Denis Muller who said his media role would potentially compromise his day-to-day job as mayor of Wodonga.

In fact he fired back at Professor Muller, saying being on radio made him more qualified to represent the people who voted for him.

"Part of the job is to be criticised by people who know nothing about you but as far as I'm concerned I don't think he'd read the Local Government Act ... there was no issue there.

"What I do each morning is entertainment.

"I think the benefit of holding both roles is you're more in touch with how the community thinks and feels about particular topics which helps you represent them a lot better than a lot of other people who don't have that advantage.

"They know where to find you each day - so rather than wondering where their elected representatives are and what they do for a job and what their interests are, they know everything about you. They know the names of your children, they know whether you're married or not, they know whether you had a good day or a bad day.

"I've got five young kids - for eight of the past 12 years that I've been parent, I've left the house before anyone has woken up, five days or more a week."

Cr Poulton said he was looking forward to spending more time at home.

"Before my daughter goes into high school, before my youngest child starts school, I look forward to being able to spend a bit more time at home and helping my wife with the morning duties of which I have no idea what they are because I've never really seen what they are," he said.

Cr Poulton said he expects Cr King to continue to work with another co-host, and that such changes were not uncommon in radio.

"For two years most of my days have started at 5am and then finished somewhere around 10pm or 11pm," he said.

"It's a long day, particularly over the years I've broadcast through fires and floods and some pretty significant sort of events.

"The pandemic alone, if you think of how much we all struggled to switch off - my job as a morning presenter was to give people some escapism but also to make sure they had the latest information.

"I can look back proudly upon my career and think of all those moments I've been there for the community to entertain them and inform them as well."

Cr Poulton said he had enjoyed the community aspect of working in media.

"So I don't think people will never hear from me again but I don't they'll be setting their alarms each day to be shocked and appalled by something that I might say," he said.

The Australian Commercial Radio Awards will be held October 29 and 30.

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