DJ Fresh, the longtime media presenter, has finally opened up about his abrupt exit from 938, explaining that unresolved salary problems were a key factor behind his sudden disappearance from the station’s schedule.
On his podcast WAW! What A Week, the veteran radio host addressed why fans and listeners never received a proper goodbye after he was no longer heard on-air.
“To everyone asking, why didn’t you say goodbye? Because you were on air on Monday or Friday, and then on Monday you were not,” he said during the episode.
DJ Fresh also admitted he had been searching for an “elegant” way to break the news before realizing the underlying situation inside the company had escalated beyond what could be smoothed over.
“The truth is, things reached a stage where the staff were not being paid,” he shared.
He said he was still able to keep himself afloat thanks to other earnings from gigs and money he had saved personally while things were difficult.
Still, he insisted the arrangement could not last forever.
“My gigs help, and I had savings I could tap into, which made a difference. But once you get to the point where you haven’t been paid for so many months that it no longer makes financial sense to keep showing up—that’s where I was,” he explained.
The broadcaster further revealed that he now wishes he had left the station earlier, suggesting that his enthusiasm for radio may have affected his decision-making.
“One part of me is genuinely upset with myself, because that’s not how I operate. If you haven’t paid me for a month, I wait to see what you’re going to do—I don’t just keep coming back,” he said.
He added that even though there were clear signs the company’s finances were struggling, he continued to work out of devotion to the industry.
“So for my sins, and because I love radio, I ignored the voice that said maybe I should cut the cord for now, until you know where things stand with the business’s cash flow,” he added.
DJ Fresh ended the discussion by explaining that he eventually chose to stop reporting for duty until the money owed was settled.
“I got to a point where I said, I haven’t been paid, so I’m going to stay home until I am paid,” he concluded.
