After 12 years on air with 5FM, and some very memorable moments, Kevin Fine has announced that he plans to leave the national broadcaster to pursue several business and broadcast options. His last show will be on Sunday, 30 March.

Having started at the station in 1996 as a sports presenter, and spending 5 years on weekday breakfast as part of the Gillman team, Fine has gone on to establish himself as a highly respected radio DJ, with a string of radio firsts and noteworthy achievements.

In his early days at the station, he conceptualised, produced and presented The “Impact Zone”, which aired on Saturday afternoons and became the stations biggest growing show over two years and firmly cemented him as the recognised voice of youth culture and action sports in South Africa.

The show would bring many of the world’s top action sports hero’s including Tony Hawke, Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, Mike Metzger to South African audiences. He has shown immense support for the SA Action sports scene, broadcasting at the Mr Price Pro several times, at the Billabong Pro for the last four years, from the Red Bull Down Hill extreme as well as The Big Wave Africa.

Fine took over the weekend Breakfast at 5FM in 2004 and turned his show, Kevin’s Rise ‘n Fine into one of the most creative and interactive radio shows in SA. He threw himself into the mix for MTN, as their Man in the Box. A David Blaine type stunt, where he literally lived on a billboard in JHB for five days, with only his mobile phone to communicate with the world.

Travel became an integral part of Kevin’s Rise ‘n Fine. He went to Ibiza in 2004 to launch Decks and FX for Playstation. He regularly went to LA for movie junkets, and had exclusive interviews with the likes of the late Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, Selma Hayek, Ron Perlman and Stacy Peralta,

“Kevin’s Command Performances” saw the likes of Loyiso, Prime Circle, Skwatta Kamp, Louise Carver, Malaika, Danny K in studio with a live studio audience and an unplugged set from each artist. It was a South African first with audiences and performers loving every moment.

A most notable achievement of Kevin’s was “The Bury Me in Books” campaign, which has seen over 600 000 books already distributed by Postnet Courier to libraries and those in need, identified by Fine’s listeners. Fine’s aim is to have 3 million books delivered in an ongoing campaign which lives at www.burymeinbooks.co.za.

Not only has this contributed to the greater good of the South African community but also resulted in Fine being awarded the highest honour by Rotary International - The Paul Harris Fellowship.

Keeping his listeners constantly entertained and surprised, Kevin’s desire to consistently interact with his listeners saw him out of the studio, as often as he was in it. The show’s antics included shark cage diving, driving lessons for the worst drivers in the country, April Fools jokes with transvestites, all night movie marathons around the country, the Red Bull Box Cart Race, which saw “The Damn Fine Golden Bowl Team” racing for victory down Jan Smuts avenue dressed as pimps, and the infamous naked streak in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

“This has been a rare opportunity that many can only dream about. It’s allowed me to entertain and to be a part of South African’s and 5fm’s listener’s lives in a very unique way. I couldn’t have written a better script, I’ve loved every minute and will continue to “Keep it real and keep it Fine!”

Apart from his current business interests in The Little Champs Sports Academy, which he founded in 1996, Fine will also be consulting to EA Sports on their World Cup 2010 stategy and activation and working on several other broadcast initiatives.