NZ radio host Jay-Jay Feeney steps away after 33 years: “I’m tired and low on creative ideas”

After 33 years, one of New Zealand’s most recognisable radio hosts will hang up the headphones tomorrow.

Announcing her decision live on air, MORE FM Drive host Jay-Jay Feeney was brutally honest about her reasons for taking a break from radio, admitting she’s tired …  and she’s also running low on fresh, creative ideas.

Feeney acknowledged that opening up about a lot of her life on the radio had come at a cost.

“When you have four hours to fill, you end up having to talk about all the stuff going on in your life,” says Feeney.

“33 years is a long time … basically, I just need a big rest.”

“The one thing I’ve learned as I’ve got older, is how important mental health and clarity is. It’s time I actually listened to what my inner-self has been screaming at me for a while and slow down.”

Feeney began her radio career on Energy FM at the age of just seventeen. She worked for years on The Edge before moving to MORE FM in 2018 to present the Drive show alongside Paul ‘Flynny’ Flynn.

Feeney was equally frank about how she started to lose her passion and excitement after doing the same thing every day for such a long time.

“I knew it was time to make the call. It would’ve been safe and comfortable for me to continue doing the show, but I felt like I was lying to everyone by not putting 100% into it,” she told Now To Love magazine.

Feeney isn’t sure what’s next.

“This isn’t the end of me. It’s just the end of me on the radio for now.”