Veteran Dunedin radio broadcaster Jim Sullivan is set to end his career after more than 50 years on the air.
The last episode of his Radio New Zealand programme Sounds Historical will air next month, signalling the end of his long career.
Mr Sullivan (69) said there were parts of the job he would miss, but he felt it was the right time to ''pull the plug''.
He started on air in January 1963 in his home town of Timaru, but had spent much of the time since based in Dunedin after falling in love with the city as a student in the early 1960s.
''I've always had a strong sense of place, which is why I kept coming back to Dunedin.''
He had moved back to Dunedin seven times, including to set up Sounds Historical, which he has broadcast from the city since its creation in the early 1990s.
He counted himself lucky to able to work in a field he enjoyed, especially being able to cover history, which was his great interest.
''I've never had to do a job that I've regarded as work.''
Letters from listeners were getting quite ''emotional'' now they had learnt his programme was finishing, and people were saying they would miss their weekly dose of nostalgia.
The chance to talk to people - not necessarily big names - who had done ''amazing things'' was a highlight of the job.
An example was talking to women about what they did during World War 2, which included a woman who spent the war listening to radio signals from Japanese submarines.
Having a show focused on history meant he had got away with not knowing much about modern popular culture.
''Until now, I've got away with it and with only a month to go I probably will get away with not having to know about Lorde.''
Mr Sullivan believed technology in recent years had reduced the importance of radio in New Zealand society, due to the emergence of new types of media.
''When New Zealand declared war [in 1939] people heard it on the radio.
''Now, if we declare war on someone, it will be on 6 million websites and 400 radio stations and 50 television stations.''
This had taken some of the ''magic'' out of the medium.
His decision to retire was nothing to do with restructuring at the Government-owned station.
''It will be 53 years since I started, which is ample from my point of view and the listeners' point of view.
He was looking forward to moving to Patearoa in Central Otago, where he will retire with wife Sandy, and enjoy having the time to sit in the sun and take his dog for a walk.
