Feulner's surprising fall from broadcast grace began July 15, when he announced on air he was taking an unsanctioned six-month sabbatical and said he might or might not return.

Feulner's pronouncement gave rise to a special board meeting of KPCW parent Community Wireless of Park City, which debated how to respond. The board remained mum until Tuesday, when it released a short statement saying Feulner was gone.

Asked if the Voice of Park City had been fired, board member Joe Wrona said, "Blair Feulner resigned on July 15, 2008. The board of trustees had taken no termination action prior to that date."

Asked what the board decided after Feulner resigned on air, Wrona said, "Considering that Mr. Feulner resigned on July 15, 2008, his decision resolved any question related to his employment status."

Wrona said Feulner will receive no severance package. Feulner was not asked to reconsider his resignation, Wrona said.

"It's fair to say that the board realizes this was an inevitable and a necessary part of the evolution of Community Wireless and KPCW."

A telephone call to Feulner's home was not returned. His attorney, Joe Tesch, released a statement saying that Feulner had "altered" his relationship with the radio station.

"As with all relationships, when they change there are going to be bumps in the road and some venting will perhaps occur while the details are worked out and until everyone gets comfortable with the new arrangement," Tesch said.

Wrona said he understood Tesch's statement to mean that Feulner and his attorney were confirming his resignation.

"Somebody who has resigned has altered their relationship with their employer," Wrona said.

Although Feulner may have exasperated the Community Wireless board, he remains popular with many listeners.

"I'll miss him. I listened to that radio station since day one," said Kari Dell Hays, a Park City real estate agent.

"He's a part of this community in so many ways. His voice is so familiar to so many ears. He knows everything about this community, and to find somebody who can replace him with his knowledge is going to be really difficult," she said.

Feulner has been a fixture in Park City since he founded KPCW in 1980. Although the station is one of the smallest National Public Radio affiliates in the country, nearly 70 percent of Summit County adults listen to it, according to Paragon Research, a Denver-based market research firm.

Feulner was known for his rich radio voice and active management methods at KPCW and Community Wireless. He could also be controversial. Feulner and wife Susan came under heavy criticism last year for receiving an $895,000 payment when Community Wireless sold a Coalville radio license for $3.6 million after acquiring it for $18,800 a decade earlier.

His departure appears to be rooted in a meeting with the board's executive committee March 25. At the time, Feulner was still president of Community Wireless, pulling down a $150,000 salary annually.

He presented a new employment contract to the committee that would give him a lengthy sabbatical and demanded that the committee sign it immediately.

The committee refused, and Feulner resigned his post as president. He remained at the station as an "at-will employee," with a salary that was cut in half.

pbeebe@sltrib.com