Why longtime KWSS DJ Dani Cutler is leaving the radio station — and Arizona

Dani Cutler, KWSS DJ for 16 years and fixture of the Phoenix music scene, is leaving Arizona next month.

Cutler announced the news this morning on The Dani Cutler Show, which is broadcast on 93.9 and 99.5 FM.

"My husband and I have made a big, life-changing decision," she said in a prepared statement. "We are moving out of state this summer. We are going to be looking for some new roots in Massachusetts to be closer to family on the East Coast."

Her plan is to move around the end of June, and her last broadcasts will be live from Phoenix Fan Fusion, which takes place June 2 through 4.

"I have about 50 emotions every hour since we made the decision," says Cutler, who has lived in the Valley since she was 5 years old. "We made the decision about a month and a half ago, and it was just really strange because in my heart, I’m super excited and it feels right and I have no regrets about doing it, because we’ve been talking about it for a long time. ... Everything is showing me that it’s the right decision for me, regardless of how it’s going to break my heart to leave."

Cutler, like all KWSS DJs, volunteers her time to fill the airwaves during The Dani Cutler Show and her afternoon program, Dani's Diner. When she's not on the air, she's got her own marketing business, and has spent countless hours attending shows to support local musicians.

"Dani is the type of person who wants you to win," says Ali Adkins of local band Ali A and the Agency. "She takes pride in your success, which is one of the most selfless acts. So KWSS has always been a huge supporter of [Ali A and the Agency], and it’s going to be a really big loss. ... So to fill that hole, it will never be truly filled. Someone may take over her slots at KWSS, but the hole of her presence will never truly be filled because her passion was the local music scene."

Jay Cairo, another KWSS DJ and host of The Jay Cairo Show, wasn't at the station meeting when Cutler made her announcement to the staff, but "it was all jaws on the table from what I heard. Which was my reaction too, because she kind of holds everything together. Who’s going to pick up all that slack?

"In my eyes, she is KWSS. She’s the face of the station. If we had a billboard off I-10, she’d be on it. It’d be Dani Cutler, because she is the one who’s at every event. She’s the one that’s been on the station for 16 years. Everybody knows her. You don’t even have to say Cutler. You just say Dani and they know who you’re talking about."

Cutler says, "Everyone [at KWSS] was happy and understanding and sad at the same time, but everyone’s been really positive about it."

Besides hosting two shows a day, Cutler does a lot of behind-the-scenes tasks for the station, and adjustments for after her departure are still being figured out.

"I laid out the top five things I do that still need to continue, and everyone was very willing to pitch in and take on the duties and try to help out. Everyone is super positive and wanting to help," she says. "It doesn’t mean the end of the station. I figure I’m probably going to get those comments, but KWSS is going to carry on; it’s just going to be different."

But although the tasks and responsibilities will be taken care of, Cutler's love and support of local musicians and the Phoenix scene are harder to replace.

"It’s a huge, insurmountable loss. She will never be replaced," Adkins says. "She may be replicated in terms of whoever takes over her slot, and I hope that whoever replaces her chooses to continue the 9:39 Local Spotlight, but she herself, as a pillar and a staple in the local music scene in Phoenix, she’ll never be replaced."

Cairo adds, "We’ll all just do our best to carry the torch."

In her announcement today, Cutler said, "I can’t begin to express how much I’m going to miss the music community here in Phoenix. As much as I have supported it, the music scene has been equally supportive of me over the past 16 years. I have made lifelong friends through this community. Even some listeners have become friends over the years, and they're friends for life. It’s a family, and being dubbed 'Scene Mom' has always been an important honor to have."

A farewell show is currently in the works; details are forthcoming, but it will be held Saturday, May 27, at Last Exit Live.