SEQUIM — Sequim public radio station KSQM 91.5 FM is now officially short one Bob.
Bob Spinks, former Sequim police chief and volunteer manager at KSQM, has accepted a job as police chief at McNeese State University, a small public university in Lake Charles, La.
Spinks, who is in his early 50s, told KSQM department heads and directors about the move at a staff meeting Wednesday, said Ed Evans, KSQM news and public affairs director.
Spinks’ first day on the job at McNeese University will be Sept. 19.
Evans said it was a shock to the volunteers at KSQM to hear Spinks was leaving, though the shift was not completely unexpected.
Spinks told his co-volunteers he had offers from multiple police departments across the country but finally decided on the move to Lake Charles, Evans said.
Spinks could not be reached for comment Thursday, but in a video about Spinks’ announcement that Evans produced for KSQM News, Spinks said the job as police chief at McNeese attracted him because he’ll get the chance for both police work and teaching through McNeese’s criminal justice program.
Radio still possibility
Spinks said the university also just acquired a license from the Federal Communications Commission to start its own FM radio station but was mum on whether his voice would ply the airwaves once more.
“We’ll see,” Spinks said when asked about going on the radio in Lake Charles.
“Certainly, it will be hard to completely walk away once you get bit.”
Spinks’ last day as Sequim police chief was July 2, 2010, after being asked to resign by Sequim City Manager Steve Burkett.
Burkett ended Spinks’ five-year stint as chief after saying Spinks was no longer a good match for the job, calling him “bombastic” in 2010.
Spinks also served as Sequim’s interim city manager from May to December 2008 before Burkett took over.
Since he left city employment, he had sought work around the state and nation at police departments in Lebanon, Ore., West Richland, Pullman and Columbus, Miss.
At the radio station, Spinks had hosted “The Five-O Show” with fellow volunteer Bob Rhoads for the past three years.
The two Bobs specialized in witty banter between playing “oldies but goodies” from the 1950s to the ’70s from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Thursday.
Rhoads said Spinks was an enthusiastic co-host who always brought a unique energy to the show.
Although Spinks will be missed, Rhoads said, he’s glad to see him move on in his chosen field.
“He’s got a lot of talent and a lot of experience,” Rhoads said. “It was really just a matter of time before someone took advantage of that and hired him.”
Fans of “The Five-O Show” need not fear, however, as Rhoads plans to continue the broadcast without Spinks.
Nothing firm has been nailed down, but Roads said he’s considering bringing in a guest host or two before a permanent replacement for Spinks can be found.
Bob Schilling, the station’s current chief executive officer and executive director, has been floated as a possible replacement for “The Five-O Show” — to keep the “two Bobs” theme going — though this has not been confirmed.
New general manager
Schilling did say, however, that he’ll be taking over Spinks’ responsibilities as general manager, a position Spinks held since January.
Schilling said he’s excited about taking over where Spinks left off and that Spinks will be available to give him advice managing the station even as he prepares to leave for Louisiana this Sunday.
Roughly 8,900 undergraduate students attend McNeese, and the university employs about 300 faculty, according to the McNeese University website.
Lake Charles’ population is approximately 72,400 as of the 2010 Census, just more than 10 times the population of Sequim.
In the video produced by Evans, Spinks, who is married to Connie Spinks, said leaving Sequim will be bittersweet and that his time with KSQM was one of the most enjoyable things he’s ever done.
While not going into specifics, he said there were only a handful of things about Sequim he didn’t like.
“There’s really just six people that I don’t like in town, and for a town of 7,000, that’s not bad,” Spinks said with a laugh.
To view the video Evans produced about Spinks leaving, visit http://bit.ly/TsPC0h.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsula
dailynews.com.
