Harcourt is expected to leave the position Nov. 30 to pursue independent projects but stay on in the booth with a three-hour Sunday evening show. He said the move is mainly a financial one.

“It’s not the politician’s thing, like, ‘Oh, I’m spending more time with my kids,'” Harcourt told the Los Angeles Times. “The bottom line is I’ve been in public radio for 10 years, and regardless of how great my job is, I make public radio money, and I have two 5-year-olds. I have to think about their future. … I’m going to be busy. I’m looking forward to building some equity for myself.”

Through his company, Samluna Media, Harcourt has gradually been expanding his influence outside the station as a music supervisor for film and television, working on projects like “Ice Age,” “Igby Goes Down,” “Anchorman” and the CW television network’s “90210.”

As music director and programmer of the Santa Monica College radio station for the past 10 years, Harcourt has helped introduce hundreds of artists to SoCal and national audiences by inviting them to perform on “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” which has earned a national reputation as a “tastemaking” broadcast.

KCRW GM Ruth Seymour told the Times a new music director is expected to be named shortly.