News director, author and songwriter Stew Cohen soon will join 101.5 Huntley Community Radio.

The 65-year-old previously was a news director at Crystal Lake-based radio station WZSR Star 105.5 and Dundee-based radio station WFXF 103.9 FM The Fox.

The Fox was sold in April to a Christian group that owns the Loop – Educational Media Foundation. Star 105.5 filed for bankruptcy in spring 2018 and was bought out by Alpha Media. Cohen lost his jobs after the changes.

Cohen received many positive comments from the community upon losing both of these jobs. He had 600 comments across different posts on Facebook, he said.

Many were congratulating him on retirement – but Cohen said he wasn’t ready to retire.

Starting July 8, he will volunteer for 101.5 and work for the Sun Day paper, a bi-weekly paper that focuses on Del Webb’s Sun City Huntley.

“I’m excited, it’s a new chapter,” Cohen said.

Along with these new careers, Cohen also is working on his new voice business called Voice by Stew. This would give him the opportunity to do different voice work such as: MC, documentaries, radio spots, TV commercials and speak to schools, he said.

Cohen published a book in 2013, “The WYEN Experience,” about his time at the WYEN station. Cohen also wrote songs for the band Vertical Jam, which has since disbanded.