Beach FM rejig vital

PASSIONATE: Joanna Piatek and Corran Crispe outside Beach FM headquarters.

Beach FM owners Corran Crispe and Joanna Piatek were "gutted" to let popular breakfast host Todd Zaner go, after a rejig of the radio station's operation.

Todd, who was made redundant after a restructure, signed off on Friday after 13 years at the Lindale-based station.

"Broadcasting is something Todd utterly adores doing and the fact we have not been able to help him to continue to do that hurts," Corran said.

"It has been the toughest thing I think Joanna and I have ever had to do in a business sense."

Corran and Joanna took over the independent community radio station, which celebrates its 18th birthday in August, five years ago, and have been steadfast in their desire to see it survive and flourish.

But keeping the station, which doesn't get support from networks or New Zealand On Air, afloat has been a challenge financially.

The couple have remortgaged their house and Corran has gone without wages to prop the station up and ensure staff were paid.

After agonising about a restructure for a long time, they made the difficult decision to make Todd redundant.

"It was either one person or all," Joanna said.

"It's just got to the stage where we can't afford to personally keep propping up the company up," Corran said.

It was important the station was a viable business that was able to make a profit "because if we don't it's not going to work".

He said Todd's departure was "a big missing for us too".

"He has been an incredible stalwart for the station for the last 13 years.

FAREWELL: Todd Zaner has left Beach FM.

"He probably has been the most reliable employee one could ever ask for and he has never let us down."

Joanna, who gave Todd a photographic canvas collage featuring him as a leaving gift, said various changes had been made to enhance the sound, but cut the costs, and improve the product.

"Because at the end of the day if we don't have a product that people absolutely love, and this is no reflection on Todd, then the advertisers are not going to come back."

Corran, who is now the breakfast host, said the company had to look at the restructure, which features new drive time host Tanya Ellis, as a new beginning.

"We have got to move forward and try and make this radio station as good as it possibly can be.

"I'm certainly going to try my darndest to not let the legacy that Todd has built slide, and continue to provide a good fast-paced fun commercially savvy but very community orientated local radio station.

"As long as the community continues to enjoy what we do, we will survive and thrive, but if we do stuff that the community hates, or whatever, and we don't get that support anymore, the station will cease to be," he said.