Dj Fired Over $100 Giveaway - Of His Money

Radio stations entice listeners with giveaways every day, but one fledgling DJ was fired Thursday for an unauthorized middle-of-the-night stunt.

During his first and only on-air shift for KJR-FM (95.7) early in the morning of July 17th, Chris Stevulak (who went by the on-air name Chris Dolby), offered $100 to the third listener who phoned in.

What's unusual is that Stevulak was offering to give away his own money.

Most DJs are in no financial position to be throwing around C-notes out of their own pockets. "I did it because I wanted to go one step above what everyone else does," he explained.

Stevulak, 23, had been making $7 an hour at the classic rock station as a part-time board operator and all-around gofer.

He said there was confusion about whether he was supposed to be on the air at all.

"It was three in the morning, and I wanted to do something crazy," said Stevulak from his parents' home in Woodinville, where he's living.

"The lines went crazy," he recalled.

So did his bosses. When they learned of the stunt several days later, they fired Stevulak.

Gary Bryan, KJR's program director and host of the "Nut Hut" morning show, declined to go into the specifics about why Stevulak was fired.

"He got carried away, but it was one of several things that happened. Let it suffice to say there's more to it than that," Bryan said.

"It comes down to professionalism. You definitely want to fly under the radar when you're in that position," Bryan said, referring to the tenuous job security of radio part-timers.

For his part, Stevulak's quixotic attempt to break into broadcasting left him feeling crushed.

He had already been thinking of other late-night stunts - "Like, `Be the fourth caller, and I'll mow your lawn.' "