6PR has retrenched Jon Lewis, replacing its veteran Overnights host with content reportedly from the eastern states.

Lewis has been a fixture in the lives of many Perth insomniacs and night shift workers for the last 29 years, offering a mix of news, entertainment, and companionship during the wee hours of the morning.

His final show was last Thursday, 28 March, where he was joined in the studio by his wife.

It is understood that Fred Mafrica, another Overnights presenter at 6PR, has also left the station.

The move sees 6PR – whose tagline is ‘Live and Local’ – follow other commercial stations in saving costs by networking its programs, taking advantage of content produced by other Nine stations.

Writing in a petition to reinstate Lewis, one of his listeners wrote: “Over the years during his program, many people who have been lonely and lost have switched on to 6PR to listen to Jon Lewis and have felt comforted through Jon’s gentle nature and supported as a result. The overnights program is much more than listener ratings it is very much evolved into an on air family where everyone feels connected.

Jon has successfully organised numerous listener lunches with the overnights family which has resulted in people feeling valued and cared for which has translated to listener retention for the radio station. 

In the years ahead our community without Jon won’t have a local compassionate voice to turn to in times of crisis and need and as a result mental illness will only increase throughout our community. He is more than a radio presenter, Jon Lewis is an Essential Worker for Community Service broadcasting.”