TOMS RIVER – You might not hear his voice on the radio, but you’ll still see him helping out the community.
Kevin Williams has stepped away from the microphone. He’s covered high school football for 45 years, for WOBM and the Shore Sports Network. But when reporting on sports, the scores are just part of the story. The most important part is the people – the athletes, the coaches, the fans.
It was this personal touch that led him to have loyal listeners. It was his desire to enrich those around him that led him to be one of the county’s biggest cheerleaders and one of the most vocal volunteers.
Hometown View, a personal, weekly piece, where he talked about anything of interest to him, will be a thing of the past. His segment that he did for almost 27 years has a fitting title since he worked, lived, and breathed “hometown.” It was where he announced his semi-retirement.
Kevin Williams in the studio. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
WOBM has had four different owners during its tenure. “Each time it changed, I felt like I had to prove myself,” he said. Each time, he was able to create value for the company while still doing what he liked, and he’s been happy to have an opportunity to do it. “I never cashed a paycheck I didn’t feel I earned.”
He started in 1979. He was WOBM’s first full time sports director. He remembers starting with the outcome of west coast games, because they likely ended after local listeners went to bed.
He developed a rapport with Steve Paul who would start his show immediately after. This grew into “Coffee With Kevin,” and then the two co-hosting the morning show from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. until 1996. He looks back on the time working with Paul as a lot of fun, because they would be extemporaneous. They didn’t need much of a plan, just trust and mutual understanding.
In a previous interview with this newspaper, marking his 40th anniversary in this business, he talked about how difficult it was to decline favors for good causes. “It took me so long to learn how to say ‘no,’” he said. If there was a cause he felt strongly about, he’d lend his voice to it
He’s now had three spine surgeries, a hip replacement, and another on the way. This is the time when he’s supposed to be slowing down. It’s just been difficult to do. Now, there will be fewer speaking engagements. If he’s on a board of directors, he’ll step down when his term is up.
“I was blown away by the social media” wave of support that came out when he announced he was leaving. “I was completely caught off guard.”
Part of this he attributes to longevity in the area. Nobody works for 44 years doing the same thing anymore. He knows 35-year-olds who have had 15 different jobs. Corporations buy each other out and staff are let go, jobs disappear, and personnel get shuffled around. It’s not like it used to be in any career, let alone communications.
When he was first starting out, the goal was to move up to one of the bigger markets – New York or Philly. But how many people can say that their commute has been less than 10 minutes their entire career? Living in Beachwood, it was a quick drive to WOBM when it was in Bayville. Now, the station operates out of downtown Toms River.
Kevin with former radio partner Steve Paul. (Photo courtesy Townsquare Media NJ)
Because of this, he’s been able to go to his kids games and other special events. He was able to be an active part of his children’s lives in a way he wouldn’t have been able to if he drove over an hour every day.
Shore Sports Network was sold last year. He went to one football game all season, Donovan Catholic versus Toms River North, and he worked it as the public address.
When he saw that he didn’t miss it as much as he thought he would, he said to himself “You’re now moving on with a different stage of your life.”
He’ll miss the people, though – coaches, athletes, and others who have become a family to him. “It’s closing a door on a long chapter of my life,” he said.
“I have no regrets. None whatsoever,” he said. In a challenging media landscape where staff are let go unceremoniously by corporate owners, he was able to script his own exit.
A photo of Kevin from the early days of radio. (Photo courtesy Townsquare Media NJ)
One thing that hasn’t changed is his desire to help the community.
Perhaps part of the reason that he hasn’t been emotional about it is that the door isn’t completely closed – not yet.
A collection of lanyards hanging on Kevin Williams’ office door shows how many events and games he goes to. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
Christmas Classic
There are a few radio station duties that he’s still going to work on, and it shows his priorities. For example, he said he’ll still do Student of the Week until the end of this school year. He’s worked out an arrangement with the media company to still carry on in certain capacities.
He’s the director of the WOBM Christmas Classic basketball tournament. This past event was the 39th annual, and, well, he couldn’t end on an uneven number like that. So, he’ll definitely be in charge of the 40th match, but after that, someone else might need to step up.
At last year’s, he met a father who had taken his boy to every tournament, and next year, he’ll be playing in it. The father wanted to make sure that Williams would be there, and he assured him he would.
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