Imagine living your career dream—something you have dreamed of and worked toward from a very young age, then having it all taken away in the blink of an eye. Sadly, that is happening to far too many radio people these days. But for former Country 106.5 WYRK Buffalo morning co-host Kadie Daye it’s just another challenge she navigates with positivity and enthusiasm.
I recently caught up with Daye to hear her story and learn what navigating the job market is like now. For the 25-year-old Daye, radio had an early impact on her and made her pursue it as a career.
“I’ve wanted to do radio since I was eight or nine. I grew up in northwest Indiana, so we were about an hour outside Chicago. So, I grew up listening to all those legendary stations in Chicago.”
“And what turned me on to radio is my parents had just gotten a divorce. So, my mom would have to drive us to school because she had moved out of the district. And because I’m the oldest, I sit in the front seat, passenger princess style.”
“We were listening to the stations one day. And it was Fred and Angie at the time in the morning in Chicago. And Angie, I remember her telling a story about a friend who I guess was going through a divorce and had kids. She made some statement about if you’re the child in a divorce, you got to remember it’s not your fault. And I felt like she spoke straight to me because none of my friends at the time had parents that were getting divorced. I was the only one in my grade.”
Daye’s love of radio was born at that moment.
“This person I never met through the radio somehow could describe exactly what I needed to hear to cope. That felt like a moment of magic. I wanted to be the voice of comfort for people, the voice of the voiceless, people who felt like maybe they couldn’t reach out about things but were going through similar struggles in life. And that made me kind of obsessed.”
“I would listen to all those stations, memorize the jingles, and sing along to them. When they went to music, I switched to the next station just to hear the radio always talk some more.”
Through high school and college, she sought airtime in any way she could.
“I went to Valparaiso University, about 15 minutes away from my high school, but just down the road from my mom’s house. And I went to the radio station because I had my license. And I stood there and knocked on the glass because it was locked.”
“Someone made eye contact with me within the first few minutes of me knocking, which was their mistake because then I wasn’t giving up. I literally stood there knocking for probably 15 or 20 minutes. And then finally, this woman, Nikki, answered the door and said, “’Can I help you? “’
“I said, I want to be on this radio station. How can I be on this radio station? She asked if I went there. I said, “No, I go to the high school about 15 minutes away.’” And she said, “OK, well, no one likes to do nights, so you can do that.”’
“I was ecstatic. My mom was mad because I wouldn’t get home until after midnight, and I had school the next morning.”
Daye’s commercial career began when a South Bend, IN radio station noticed her.
“I was noticed by the program director at U93 in South Bend. He wanted to bring me on his weekends, which later translated to evenings. I did the evening radio show there for two years while in school. I did that full time through COVID. And I didn’t do it remotely.”
Townsquare Vice President of Country Content and Programming Doug Montgomery heard Daye, which eventually led to a morning show co-host position with 106.5 WYRK, Buffalo. After three years as part of “Clay & Company” Daye was let go due to budget cuts.
Even losing her dream job didn’t dampen Daye’s spirits.
“You could be sad, but how will that help me? It is not going to help me get the next big thing. Also, I know things happen to people that are out of their control, but how you respond to it is important.”
“I decided to put out a video because I believe radio is so much a visual medium nowadays with convergence and the opportunity to be on social media platforms and really go to the listener, to their palms of their hands where they’re holding their devices. I decided I’m going to keep posting. And I just, one day, did on the bright side, gas is less than $3 a gallon.”
How is she approaching the job market, when, like her, there are so many out there competing for increasingly fewer positions?
“I try to connect with two or three new people every day that I haven’t talked to before in radio or people that I haven’t talked to in a while. I’ll reach out to them and just say, ‘Hey, this is my stuff. Can I send it to you?”’
“I’ve been doing that. I also made a video reel on top of my air check because I feel so visible on social media that I should make a reel too. That helped me get more interviews because it stands out more than sending an audio-only air check.”
What has she observed as her biggest roadblock to employment?
“I think my biggest roadblock is being underestimated for what I can bring to the table at 25 years old, and I can’t stand it because I feel I have so much to offer. You cannot teach passion, and you cannot teach drive, and those are two things that I’ve had since I was in that car listening to the Chicago radio stations at eight or nine years old.”
I asked Daye to imagine I had a magic wand in my hand and if she could wave it and create the perfect job, what would it be?
“I definitely want to do morning radio because I felt that magic on my mom’s drive to school every day. The ultimate location for me would be to have a full circle moment and kind of do radio where the love started for me, which was on the Chicago radio stations. That would be the dream.”
“But ultimately, as long as I’m doing radio in some capacity and I’m able to amplify the voices in our community and touch people’s lives. I try to touch at least one person or teach something every day. Something I learned that maybe could help somebody else. I would be happy regardless of where I’m at.”
Reach out to Daye here.
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Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
