08/26/2026
For nearly seven years, radio and music have been a huge part of my life.
When I first walked into KSYM Radio in 2018, I had no idea how far this journey would take me. What started as a college radio opportunity turned into years of broadcasting, interviews, live bands, music discovery, friendships, traveling to broadcasting conferences, building programming, mentoring students, starting my own internet radio station, and eventually creating a digital archive of experiences I never could have imagined having when I was younger. There were incredible highs, difficult lows, and a few chapters that I never expected.
COVID was probably the biggest turning point. Watching KSYM close for over 2 years, losing my job there, seeing student programming disappear and finishing college through Zoom was incredibly difficult. But that experience also pushed me to build Overkill Radio from home, recruit broadcasters from around the country, and create something of my own that reached all new heights. A ragtag team of young college graduates who were out here creating our own radio shows, t-shirts, denim patches, mobile apps, and a one-time music festival which all led to the grateful payoff of listeners and sponsors. My original team has since moved on to greater things but include Overkill Radio on their resumes, I couldn't be more proud of these friends who stood by me during radio's shakeup during and after Covid.
And now I've reached another turning point. I'm not really saying goodbye to radio. I'm saying goodbye to the idea that I have to make radio my entire life. Earlier this year I went on a radio hiatus as I began working with the Wilson County News, my hometown newspaper, where I'm now applying the skills I've spent years developing in broadcasting, advertising, writing, interviewing, public speaking, storytelling, social media and community engagement. I've realized something pretty important: I don't have to choose between loving music and moving forward with my life. I can do both.
That's why Overkill Radio isn't disappearing. My website will continue to serve as a digital archive of the last seven years—the shows, interviews, memories, photos, videos and recordings that document one of the most important chapters of my life under the name Jake's Overkill Radio. I'm slowly beginning to explore new ways of creating. One of those will be a new writing project called Diary of a Mad Dad, where I'll be talking about heavy metal, the music industry, live shows, predictions about where music is heading, retrospectives, rankings, opinions and whatever else I feel like discussing.
I may still do the occasional ticket giveaway. I may still pop up around the music scene. Who knows? Maybe I'll find myself behind a microphone again someday. But it will be different. I'm no longer chasing radio because I feel like I have something to prove. I'm doing the things I enjoy because I genuinely enjoy them. That distinction means more to me than I can explain.
Because while my career in radio was unfolding, my life was changing in ways I never expected. I met the woman I love. I returned to my hometown and learned to appreciate it in a completely different way. I found meaningful work in my community.
And now...I'm a Dad. This is my son, Jaden.
For years, I was obsessed with the next accomplishment. The next show. The next opportunity. The next interview. The next thing that would make me feel like I'd finally "made it." Now I look at this little guy and realize that life has given me something far more important. I don't need to prove anything anymore. I can simply create and share this life story and passion with you. I can write. I can tell stories. I can enjoy music. I can preserve the memories I've made. And I can be present for the people I love.
So this isn't a retirement announcement. It isn't goodbye. It's simply a change in direction. The microphone may not be in my hand every week anymore, but the voice is still here. The music is still here. The stories are still here. And Overkill Radio is still here. Seven years of radio gave me an incredible chapter. Now I'm excited to see what I can build with everything I learned from it.
And perhaps the greatest adventure of all is just beginning.
