Peoria radio personality Rick Hirschmann is leaving Peoria for Greenville

Rick Hirschmann, brand manager for radio station 93.3 The Drive, came to Peoria from his native New Jersey to attend Bradley University… and ended up living and working in the area for 40 years.

Hirschmann initially did not plan to settle in the Peoria area. As his radio career progressed, he expected to move into larger markets. The fact that he didn’t end up in any of those markets doesn’t seem to have been a source of disappointment or regret.

“Central Illinois has been so good to me,” Hirschmann said. “I was lucky that I could do what I wanted to do for forty years. The area was such a great place to raise kids and keep them grounded in good Midwestern values.”

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How he got his start

During his junior and senior years at Bradley, Hirschmann began his radio career with internships at the radio station Rock 106. His internships led to the station offering him a full-time position in 1984.

“The radio bug was a bit and I have been fortunate enough to follow that bug for 40 years,” Hirschmann wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday announcing his move to Greenville, SC.

If Hirschmann considers himself lucky that a radio career chose him, many listeners of the local radio personality seem to think the same. By Thursday afternoon, his farewell post had received 127 responses from listeners and colleagues.

“You have truly become part of the fabric of Peoria, not just Peoria radio, but Peoria in general,” wrote Dan Turk of Dixon, Illinois. “I have enjoyed listening to you and talking to you at events over the past forty years. ”

Closer to family in the east

Hirschmann’s decision to move to South Carolina was largely based on a desire to be closer to his family members. His mother lives near Asheville, NC, just 45 miles from Greenville.

“I also have other family in that area,” he added. “Two of my kids live in Savannah, Georgia. “So it’s time to get closer to another set of kids.”

Two of Hirschmann’s children will remain in the Peoria area, which Hirschmann said made his decision to move “terribly difficult.” His daughter, Meghan Monkemeier of Peoria, is the wife of Andrew Monkemeier, principal of Concordia Lutheran School. His son, Eli Hirschmann of Morton, works at Rivian Automotive.

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Although he does not currently have a job in the Greenville area, Hirschmann emphasized that his move is not a retirement, but a relocation. Some of his favorite memories of the greater Peoria area were being contacted by listeners.

“There were so many shows at the Civic Center and so many Riverfront events and promotions and all that stuff,” he said. “But that all pales in comparison to seeing someone, becoming friends with someone, or just meeting someone who was like, ‘Hey, I remember listening to you on Rock 106 in the 80s,’ or maybe on The Drive . It’s important to know that I was part of their lives, and I will always have fond memories of that.”