BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — STAR 102.5’s Rob Lucas announced on-air Thursday morning that the station’s final day in its current form will be Friday, and teased some “surprises in store” for STAR’s final hours.

“My heart is now going faster than it did, I think, the first time I ever opened a microphone at WLEA in Hornell in 1979,” Lucas began his radio show. “Tomorrow is going to be the final day of us as a pop music station.”

He then referenced the recent sale of the station by owners Audacy to a contemporary Christian radio group and said the switch flips at 10 a.m.

Though STAR 102.5 is coming to a close, Lucas said he’s not going anywhere.

“I’m happy to tell you, our learning, our growing, won’t be stopping — it just won’t be happening here,” he said. “While this is the end of STAR 102.5, it’s not for me — I’ve got way too much to do. Sorry about that, haters.”

He does not know exactly what his future holds but gave a list of several dreams he still hopes to pursue. He assured listeners that just because STAR is in its final hours, there will be other music radio hosts elsewhere.

“Many of the parts of anything in entertainment are very disposable. If your favorite band or artist went away, you’d have a new favorite band or artist not too long after,” he said. “It’s the same with radio and TV people. We’re made to be replaced in a never-ending cycle — and that’s okay. We know it from the moment we get into the business.”

He did say, however, that he is honored that listeners are concerned about his future and want more from him as a radio host.

Lucas thanked local management for allowing him to stay in his position when a station sale was initially made a possibility in February. Lucas described himself as a metaphorical pilot in his position over the past few months, guiding the station to an end of an era.

“In our meetings, it was clear my bosses wanted me to stay and guide this station to its final days,” Lucas said. “That never happens in broadcasting.”

“I recognized that after 37 years at 102.5, this was my final charge to land this plane on an aircraft carrier in the middle of a hurricane,” the radio host said. “For the past eight weeks, some days have been, for me, internally stormy; most have been wonderful.”

Lucas said he isn’t a “look back and relive the past” type of person, but said he did look back and saw he believes he played over 800,000 songs and gave away over 85,000 pairs of concert tickets in his time as a host.

But the most important thing to Lucas about his time at the station? STAR 102.5 is where he met his wife, Linda.

He also acknowledged enjoyable experiences he’s had because of the station: Super Bowls, broadcasting from Disney, Las Vegas, and plenty of local businesses.

“When bad things happened in our world, we got to cry together here,” Lucas said.

He also thanked his listeners for their engagement and the lessons he’s learned.

“For those who have been paying attention, you know this hasn’t been goofing around in between your favorite songs every morning,” he said. “You’ve been teaching me, and hopefully, I’ve been teaching you.”

Lucas said maybe he’ll go for another 10 years in another place or form, but for now, he has to challenge himself.

“Challenge yourself, people,” he said. “Don’t stick to the tried and true. Don’t expect to put in your 30 years somewhere and that’s all there is. Sure, you can slow down, work how you want when you want — that’s what we all want — but figure out a way to keep contributing to society.”

You can listen to the full segment here.