R.I.P, SEAN DEMERY

Longtime Program Director/Music Director Sean Demery died Saturday in Salt Lake City, eight months after suffering a brain-stem stroke that left him paralyzed and unable to breathe on his own.

Many of us first met Sean in 1992 when 99X Atlanta flipped to Alternative and Sean was the on-air MD. Driven by a passion to make great radio, Sean is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest air talents to ever crack a mic.

Programming was another of Sean’s many talents, and his stint as PD at Live105 is legendary in Modern Rock circles. Sean’s career took him to Salt Lake City, Atlanta (twice), upstate NY, Seattle, Milwaukee, and most recently Portland, Ore., where he was PD/afternoon host at Triple A Powerhouse KINK, a job he absolutely loved.

In a blog post, Alpha Media CEO Bob Proffitt commented, “Sean was such a pro, fighter and determined man. He always did it his way. KINK will always have part of Sean’s DNA pulsing through it, and I’ll never forget the first day I walked into his office with his feet up on his desk and talking on the phone. He came into my office later and apologized, and we laughed. God Bless Sean Demery.”

Sean’s 99X colleague (twice) and beloved friend CMT SVP Leslie Fram wrote on her Facebook page, “Here’s a toast to the one person who changed my life for the better, changed radio, a true risk-taker, loving friend, husband and believer in ALWAYS doing the right thing. I love you, my friend.”