York has been waking up to Ben Fry for five years – but today the much-loved presenter signed off for the last time.
It was his final Breakfast Show with presenting partner Laura Castle before Minster FM closes, and is replaced by Greatest Hits Radio.
He is the longest serving breakfast host and it was an emotional moment for Ben, who is also York’s town crier.
He thanked Laura and his other ‘radio wives’ as well as his bosses Bridget Meynell and David Green.
Tributes poured in from listeners, including an email from Roy Stride, the frontman for the band Scouting For Girls.
Ben closed the show with a hint about the future.
He told listeners: “I can a hundred percent say I have not been the best Minster FM Breakfast Show presenter, but I have been here the longest and we will be the last.
“Everybody keeps saying, will you guys be working together again? So I think the only thing I can do is leave you with a James Bond quote because it seems the best way to go out.
“Never say never again.”
Then they played their last song, Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon.
‘An absolute privilege’
Later in the day it was time for David Green, another hugely popular presenter as well as Minster FM’s content director, to say farewell.
David told listeners: “I’m so incredibly proud of every single one of the team here.
“They’re all amazing, and I’m proud of everything we’ve done together; of the incredible bonds that we’ve made with the communities across North Yorkshire; and of course, of the amazing creative advertising campaigns we’ve created for our commercial partners.”
He said he couldn’t list everyone he wanted to thank because there were too many.
“I just wanted to end by saying it’s been an absolute privilege to be the voice on your radio for all these years.
“I sincerely hope to have the chance to talk to you again at some point in the future. But until then, all I can do is thank you for listening, for being my friend, and for making my radio dream come true.”