ADAM OWENS
Finding His Frequency: How One Broadcaster Turned Local Radio into Community Connection
Born in Boston but raised on a dirt road in rural New Hampshire, Adam Owens grew up surrounded by fields, forests, and freedom. “We lived so far down the road that the cable company wouldn’t even run a line to our house,” he recalls with a laugh. “As a kid, I hated not having TV. But it forced me to be creative and find my own fun — looking back, it was the best thing that could’ve happened.”
His mother was a yoga instructor; his father, a serial entrepreneur who opened a consignment and pawn shop in town. It was with his dad that his love for radio first began. When the local station approached his father about advertising, his dad agreed — on one condition: “Only if my son and I can be in the commercials.” Together, they wrote and recorded a series of humorous ads that became local favorites. Years later, while cutting another spot for the shop’s jewelry department, the recording engineer was so taken by his delivery that he jokingly offered him a part-time job. He accepted — and a lifelong career in radio was born.
In 2009, Adam moved to Sullivan County, New York, where he managed a small, non-commercial radio station. “It was a special place with a really diverse crew. We made some wonderful radio together,” he says. His path soon crossed with Paul Ciliberto from Bold Gold Media, who invited him onto Thunder 102’s morning show to promote local fundraisers. “That generosity really struck me — a competing station helping to amplify our cause. It said a lot about who they were.”
When the time came for a new chapter, Bold Gold offered him the morning-drive slot on 95.3 DNH. “I’d never done mornings and wasn’t sure I’d survive the 4 a.m. alarm,” he jokes. “But once I got on the air, something clicked. I just decided to be myself — no gimmicks — and it worked.”
Off the air, Adam fuels another lifelong passion: cars and racing. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by anything with a motor,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to drive on a racetrack, but life kept getting in the way.” About five years ago, he finally made it happen — joining a Boston-based endurance racing team that fields BMWs in amateur road-course races at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “We race for seven to twelve hours at a time, taking two-hour shifts. It’s exhausting, but when you cross that finish line with your team — it’s pure joy.”
That same team spirit drives his proudest community effort: The Holiday Toy Drive Challenge, a collaboration between Bold Gold Media and Wayne County Ford that has collected hundreds of truckloads of toys for families through The Zipper Junction Project. In 2022, he launched Operation: Make An Impact, a live toy-shopping event at Walmart. “I went on air and said, ‘I’ve got a hundred bucks — meet me Monday night and let’s buy toys.’ People showed up. Then more came. Every year it gets bigger.”
This year’s shopping spree happens Monday, December 8 at 6 p.m. at the Honesdale Walmart. “It’s proof of what this community can do when we come together,” he says. “One year a biker club filled a whole cart. Another time someone handed me a hundred dollars and said, ‘Go for it.’ That’s the heart of this place.”
He smiles, recalling his father’s advice: “If there’s something you want to do, just start doing it.”
That simple philosophy still fuels everything he does — on the track, on the air, and in the heart of his community.
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