COLUMBIA — A longtime Columbia sports talk radio host says he was fired from his job after declining to get a COVID vaccine against company policy.

Tim Hill, 43, had been program director at 107.5 The Game since 2017 and boasts a two-decade broadcasting career, including 13 years heading sports coverage at WOLO-TV, Columbia’s ABC affiliate.

“I was told there was no reasonable accommodation for my position because it was too dangerous for co-workers,” Hill told The Post and Courier. His last day of work was Oct. 8.

Hill, who had been hosting shows from his garage for the past 18 months, said he asked for a religious exemption and offered to wear a mask, socially distance or host the show in studio from a producer’s booth separated from guests.

“I just felt like it was a decision I had to make; I’m at peace with the decision. It just came down to a matter of principle and I had to look myself in the mirror, and that’s where we are today,” Hill said.

The Game is owned by Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, which owns 400 radio stations in 80 markets. The company in August said all its employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 11 when in-person operations were set to resume.

A companywide memo reported by industry analyst group radioinsight.com explained Cumulus’ policy.

“Put simply, we believe that FORCE CUMULUS is at our best when we’re working together in offices. To do that as safely as we reasonably can, we’re requiring that everyone be vaccinated except those legally excepted. It would neither be fair nor do we have the bandwidth to make exceptions based on individual preferences,” officials said in August.

Representatives for Cumulus Media or 107.5 The Game could not immediately be reached for comment. Hill hosted the station’s “The Early Game” with Bill Gunter during its morning drive-time hours.

Hill broke news of his separation from the station on Oct. 11, posting a short video to his Twitter account, racking up more than 5,000 views.

Hill told The Post and Courier he wanted listeners to know why he’d no longer be on the air.

“I felt anyone who had listened to me over the years deserved an explanation, and was really disappointed that I wasn’t able to do it on my last show,” he said. “I’m not an emotional dude at all, and I was shocked how hard it hit me Friday morning.”

Hill isn’t the only Cumulus personality who says they were let go due to the company’s vaccination policy.

Roxanne Steele, co-host of a popular country music show on Detroit’s WDRQ, said on her Facebook page Oct. 10 she also was departing.

“If you are vaccinated and that makes you happy, I’m happy for you. I’m just personally not ready to get it. I have my reasons and it’s nobody’s business. I shouldn’t be bullied or forced to do something I don’t want to do, and that’s exactly what’s going on,” she wrote.

Hill said he was reluctant to get inoculated due to a lack of scientific data on the long-term effects of the vaccine along with his own religious beliefs.

On his Twitter page, Hill offered a similar position to Steele’s.

“I would never, ever tell anyone they had to be vaccinated or unvaccinated. I feel like this is a very personal choice,” he said. “I’m raising three boys and trying to teach them to stand up for what they believe in.”

According to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, of the 31,993 reported COVID cases between Aug. 6 and Sept. 15, 86 percent of people were not fully vaccinated, and 78 percent of the 760 deaths during that time were among those not vaccinated or partially vaccinated.

Hill said he has no immediate plans, but wanted his audience to hear from him personally about his absence.

“I don’t think I would have been able to get through it, first of all, so it might have been a blessing in disguise that I couldn’t do it on the air,” he said. “I loved my job and I loved connecting with people about some of what I think is the most fun part of life and doing it in a town where I went to college.”

Follow Adam Benson on Twitter @AdamNewshound12.