A familiar voice to Tri-State radio listeners has been silenced after three decades of friendship and service.

This week, Gary “Music” Miller was laid off from WKEE-FM in a sudden move by Clear Channel Communications, the parent company of WKEE.

Gary was an afternoon tradition to countless numbers of area listeners as they drove home from work. His name was instantly recognizable to many radio fans, regardless of their age or residence.

One could never think of “KEE” radio without associating it with Gary or his “Drive at Five,” where he always took listener requests so cheerfully.

It is also important to remember that Gary was not the only casualty of the Clear Channel cutback. Announcers at other stations within the vast Clear Channel family holdings were also let go in this effort to economize.

I am sure that Clear Channel will find that Gary and these other announcers had loyal listeners who may start listening to other stations now that their favorite DJs are gone.

Clear Channel should also realize that syndicated music programs and talk shows don’t always take the place of live announcers who develop a relationship with listeners and take their requests.

As I mentioned earlier, Gary will be missed by many Tri-State radio listeners of all ages.

I’m sure the other laid-off radio announcers will be missed by their fans as well. Clear Channel should keep this in mind if it doesn’t want to lose ratings and listeners to other local stations.

Lee Staley, Ironton