For 15 years Kim Napier was the Kim part of the hugely successful Kim and Dave breakfast show on Hobart’s Heart 107.3.

But with an on-air partner in Hobart and a husband in Adelaide things were starting to unravel. Even with her own remote broadcast studio in her Adelaide she found that a landline was no substitute for working live with a team.

This is Part Two of Kim’s story. If you missed Part One go here.

When I first began remote broadcasting in February 2010 Tiger were operating direct flights between Adelaide and Hobart. Just an hour and 45 minutes with fares $78 at most, so travelling to market was quick and cheap. And then they withdrew the leg – ouch! Fares ballooned to at least $600 return (remember at this point I was covering the cost of flights) and it seemed to take all day to get to Hobart, often via Sydney. So the process of flying between my two “homes” was anything but easy or cheap.
 
Once in Hobart the accommodation the company organized for me was faultless, a great location by the docks within walking distance of the studio and the staff did their best to make me feel at home, often leaving my favourite cooking magazine on the bed for when I arrived.
 
I loved turning up at the studio, after a quick hug with the guys the banter would begin…gentle teasing, a few crude jokes, balls being pelted at my head (Dave is always bouncing or throwing balls), standard breakfast radio behavior and in stark contrast to my morning starts in Adelaide. It didn’t take much to remind me of why it was worth continuing with the show. It was fun.
 
However, despite the enjoyment of the show itself I was feeling a little on the outer in the office generally. There were new staff I had never met, old staff who had disappeared, jokes I wasn’t in on and meetings I wasn’t invited to because I had been in Adelaide for the initial catch-up. The negatives started to outweigh the positives as I headed into my third year of remote broadcasting.
 
Once my shift finished it was back to the hotel often for a nap and then I’d head out on foot to find dinner, eating it alone on my hotel bed. I had no car so I wasn’t getting out and about to nurture my friendships outside of radio and this saddened me, as I equally wasn’t in a position to network new contacts or friendships in Adelaide.
 
Toward the end of 2013 my vocal cords hemorrhaged and I had three months off to recover. It was the first time in almost four years that I had been in the one spot and the longest with my husband since we married. I enjoyed the time. I was eating well; maintaining an exercise routine all without the fatigue of regular early starts and thus, it became apparent it was time to pull the pin on the Kim and Dave Show.
 
I wasn’t saddened or scared by my decision despite 21 years with the company and an ever-increasing salary that helped build a healthy investment portfolio and fund plenty of overseas holidays. Also, along with a much-needed change in lifestyle there was a nagging feeling that I didn’t want to be wheeled out of the job but rather bow out on my own terms.
 
It took eight months before my departure was announced on-air and it was as suspected, emotional and the feedback overwhelming. My final show, while riddled with the standard technical issues that plague OB’s, was perfect and despite the tears I couldn’t wait to jump on the plane back to Adelaide and begin the next chapter of my career.
 
The overseas holidays are on hold for the moment but for the first time in my married life I will wake up to my husband on my birthday. 
 
That makes me smile along with all the wonderful memories of my crazy days on the Kim and Dave Show.

For Part One of this story go here.