What’s next for this ‘hero’ DJ who lost his Boise radio job? He posted a video update.

After announcing Tuesday that he had lost his job at Mix 106, longtime Boise radio personality Kekeluv mostly stayed silent on social media.

That changed Friday.

Kekeluv (real name Steve Kicklighter) posted a 4-minute video thanking fans and addressing the big question: “What’s next?”

The future job part isn’t yet clear, he said.

But one thing is certain: He’s staying in Idaho. He has a wife and three young children, including a newborn baby. “I love this place,” he said. “I don’t want to go anywhere else. This is a special place. I’ve got a history.”

A morning and afternoon host at 103.5 Kiss FM for 13 years, Kicklighter shifted to afternoon DJ on Mix 106 in 2020. Both stations are owned by New York-based Townsquare Media Group.

During that decade and a half, he became known as an advocate for preventing child abuse. He performed high-profile awareness campaigns such as the annual “Live for 175” — where he vowed not to sleep for an entire week — and ran marathons for seven consecutive days on the streets of Boise.

This spring, Mix 106 called him a “Treasure Valley legend” on its website.

After Kicklighter revealed that he had been let go by Townsquare Media, comments piled up on Instagram. Maggie O’Mara, morning anchor on KTVB Channel 7, summed up what many radio listeners obviously felt. “You’re my hero,” she replied.

In Friday’s emotional video update, Kicklighter made it clear that he felt the same way about Idahoans who have reached out this week.

“The overwhelming support has been incredible,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised in the video. “If you have any ideas on what you think I would be good at, let me know. We’re friends.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 2:57 PM.