Women To Watch: Kadie Daye; Adams Radio Group, Indiana

Kadie Daye hosts Mornings on Adams Radio Group’s Indiana 105 (WLJE) and Middays on Z107.1 (WZVN). She’s also part of the stations’ social media/branding team. She got the bug for the radio business when she was just a child, listening with her mom and brother in the car all the time. When she was 17, she discovered Valparaiso University, the college in her hometown, had a radio station, WVUR 95.1 The Source. 

“I drove there and just knocked on the glass of the building… and knocked… and knocked.”

She explains, “The Program Director happened to make eye contact with me, which was enough encouragement to keep knocking her for another 15 minutes until finally someone opened the door. They asked me who I was, and I said ‘Hi I’m Kadie, I want to be on your radio station.’ I told them that I attended a high school a few minutes away, and I was not, in fact, a student at the university. The PD looked at me and said, ‘OK, you can do nights since nobody wants to do that.’ I went to high school, had practice, and then I hosted my radio show until midnight.”

After high school, Daye went to Goshen College in Indiana to study broadcasting. She was the Station Manager and Morning radio host for the campus radio station 91.1 The Globe. She did an internship for about a year at WCOE 96.7 The Eagle in La Porte, IN, where she did mornings with an experienced co-host and caught the attention of the PD at the #1 rated station in South Bend. She was later asked to join the staff as a weekender until she was promoted to do Nights

Daye worked in South Bend for two years before Doug Montgomery, the Country Format Lead for Townsquare Media, suggested she move to Buffalo to join the morning show at 106.5 WYRK. After three and a half years, her position was eliminated due to budget cuts, and today she finds herself working in her hometown of Valparaiso. “I grew up listening to and dreaming about being here one day,” she says. “Now I am the morning show host at Indiana 105, ‘The Country Station’ from Chicago to South Bend. And it’s really a full circle moment for me, so I feel really blessed to be where I am right now.”

“Some of my biggest accomplishments include being nominated for a CMA Award, winning the award for Best Personality by the New York State Broadcasters Association, becoming a rising broadcaster scholarship recipient from the Indiana Broadcasters Foundation, and being named the Best On Air Personality five times in national collegiate competitions (CBI, BEA, and IBS).”

“Those affirming titles and awards are nice, but I also consider every endorsement with a local business to be an accomplishment and an honor as well,” says Daye. “Whenever someone calls in and says, ‘I love listening to you’ or ‘You help me get up in the morning,’ I feel like that’s also an accomplishment. Being asked to be the announcer for a local 10U softball team in Buffalo was also an accomplishment and something I take pride in.”

Despite Daye’s success story, it hasn’t always been easy for her. “Since getting into this industry, I have always been told by my mentors and experienced radio hosts that famous saying: ‘You haven’t made it in radio until you lose your job.’ I kept that in the back of my head, but sort of dismissed it as something I could prevent by working hard and doing a lot of events and being available anytime someone needs me… Until the day came. I expected to feel sad, but instead I felt motivated. I felt inspired to get back out there and to get back on the air. It actually made me look at things ‘glass half full,’ and it helped me focus on ‘staying on the bright side.’”

“I know that’s hard to do, but I realized that my being sad about my situation was not going to help me find my next opportunity. I needed to pick myself up, not feel sorry for myself (because it can happen to anybody, and it doesn’t mean you failed), and just keep going.”

“I also realized how important it is to be visible on social media. Even though I was off the air for a few months before finding my next opportunity, I used my platform on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok…you name it. I made the world my microphone, keeping people informed and engaging with people. I kept being me and doing what I love. I visited schools and gave career talks, I went to a radio convention, I interviewed local businesses for Small Business Saturday, I highlighted a local center that helps adults with developmental disabilities create art, and I kept doing what I love about radio, even without access to the airwaves. Because that is what’s really important…that is why I do this. I’m fortunate that people noticed that I kept at it, even though I no longer had a job.”

Daye has had the opportunity to work with some seasoned talent over the years, and she feels very fortunate about that. “There are two things that really stick out to me from my professor in college. He always said, ‘Availability is the best ability,’ and I believe that is true. The more you can do for people, the more often you are turned to for help. And he also said, ‘Don’t forget gratitude and appreciation,’ which is a helpful reminder in our world where ‘instant gratification’ is so common that it’s okay to be grateful for your experiences and appreciate the here and now. It’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel like you are not doing enough to get where you want to be, but when you have gratitude and appreciation throughout your journey, it becomes easier to focus on how you can grow in every situation.”

While Daye is already super busy, her immediate goal is to continue to grow. “My plan is to continue to build my morning show at Indiana 105 and get out in the community as much as possible,” she says. “I plan to enjoy being closer to my family and to keep making videos and posts in efforts to keep creating 360 content for my local community. I also want to continue working on my storytelling skills and connecting with other people in the industry. And I’m working on the debut of my podcast: ‘Between The Breaks with Brooke Hunter and Kadie Daye.’” 

Follow Kadie Daye @djkadie on Instagram, @Kadie Daye on Facebook, DJ Kadie on YouTube, and @djkadie on TikTok.