Thousands of Milwaukeeans will have to face Monday mornings minus the dry wit and premium musical tastes of WMSE DJ, Rich Mars.

Mars, whose real last name is Kirchen, has had an alternative music show every Monday from 6 to 9 a.m. for six years and surprised listeners this past week when he announced that Jan. 3 will be his last broadcast. He went on to spin a nostalgic show, with more cuts from the past than usual.

Kirchen, 46, says his decision came from a need for change and sleep.

"I'm mainly leaving due to exhaustion and burnout after six-plus years of waking up really early every Monday, going to the station for three hours then going to my real job for a full day," says Kirchen. "That's a lot of Mondays to feel like a zombie."

He also looks forward to watching the Bruce Pearl show at 10:30 on Sunday nights and still catching a full seven hours of snooze time.

"I know, it sounds exciting," he jokes. "After that, I'll see where my muse takes me."

Kirchen is the managing editor and a reporter for The Business Journal. He was born and raised in Milwaukee, currently lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood and was married this past fall.

Although happy to move on, Kirchen will miss many aspects of his show.

"I could play whatever I wanted, as long as it had no swear words and it was not a hit. I have been able to evolve my musical style as the music changed and as my tastes changed," says Kirchen, a lifelong music fan with more than 700 albums.

Kirchen will remain a substitute DJ at 'MSE, probably filling in for "Midnight Radio" and "Alt. Farm Rock" once or twice a month. The new Monday morning show during Kirchen's time slot has yet to be announced by station manager Tom Crawford.

Kirchen's final broadcast will be a "Best of 2004" show. Then he will sign off and start 2005 with less-caffeinated Mondays.

"I truly appreciate the people who have listened sometimes or on a regular basis. It always made my day when I received a complimentary phone call or e-mail or someone asking what song I just played because they really liked it," he says.