Hello, I’m Steven Mills, and first of all, thank you for taking the time to read this. If we are going to grow together through On The Dial, then I believe you deserve to know who I am, what I’m about, and why this platform means so much to me. Radio has never just been a job for me. It has been a calling, a passion, a proving ground, and a place where I have been able to pour my creativity, my leadership, my heart, and my love for people into something bigger than myself. I have been blessed to experience this business in multiple markets, through multiple roles, and across many different seasons, and through it all, one thing has remained the same: I love the broadcast world with everything in me, and I truly believe we are here to serve this industry in a meaningful way.
I have been in radio since 1995, and like a lot of people in this business, my journey did not begin in perfect fashion. It started in Topeka, Kansas, at Midland Broadcasters, where I worked at KMAJ-FM and KDVV-FM. Since I’m telling my own story, I might as well tell it honestly. I got fired from that first job for falling asleep. Now, that is not exactly the kind of start most people would put in bold print, but it is part of my story, and I’ve learned that every chapter matters. What makes that part of my life so powerful to me is that about twenty years later, I came back to that same building as Assistant Operations Manager and Program Director. Life has a way of bringing you full circle when you stay committed, stay humble, and keep growing.
Over the years, I have worked in small markets and larger markets in places like Omaha, Tulsa, Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita, Tucson, Sioux City, Atlanta, Amarillo, Grand Rapids, and Augusta. Every city taught me something. Every role sharpened me. Every opportunity helped shape the broadcaster and man I am today.
During my time in Tulsa, I had the opportunity to connect with R-Dub of Sunday Night Slow Jams and Kid and Ruben in the Morning, and I put them all on in Tulsa. That season became the starting point of both of their syndications, which is something I will always be proud of. R-Dub even writes about that chapter in his book, and of course, I remember it well myself. Moments like that remind me that radio is not just about formats, ratings, signals, and strategy. It is also about seeing something in people, believing in talent, and helping create doors that can change the trajectory of careers.
When I was in Omaha, I had the opportunity of working with some of the best radio talent on the planet on a station called Hot 107-7/97-3, Omaha’s #1 for Hip Hop and R&B. That was a special season in my life and career. While I was in Omaha, I also got to meet and work with a gentleman named Craig Robinson, who happened to be Michelle Obama’s brother, but at that time, how could we have known Barack Obama would be President, right? Our “little station that could” won Urban Station of the Year in 2004 from The Source Magazine, and because of that, I got the chance to meet people like Kool Herc and so many more. That entire run was electric, and it reminded me that radio, when it is done with passion, vision, and purpose, can create moments bigger than anybody imagined at the start.
Over the years, I have had the chance to interview a lot of people on the radio, and that has been one of the real joys of my career. Some of my favorite interviews were Leona Lewis, Cheech and Chong, Little Big Town, and Tech N9ne. And while I was in Atlanta, where I served in a digital leadership position for Cumulus Media at the corporate offices, I was also blessed to spend time with some of my favorite actors, actresses, and musicians, including Chris Tucker. Experiences like that are gifts, and they are reminders of just how unique this business can be. Radio opens doors, creates memories, and introduces you to people and moments that stay with you forever.
But radio is only one part of me.
I am also a musician, and music has been in my life since I was four years old. At a very young age, I knew I wanted to be in radio and the performing arts. I have played piano for a symphony orchestra and in all styles of church, and that musical background has shaped my ear, my creativity, and my sensitivity to sound, pacing, timing, and emotion. Music taught me how to feel a moment. Radio taught me how to communicate one. In many ways, those two worlds have always been connected in my life.
I am also a husband and a father, and that means more to me than any title I could ever hold. I am married to the love of my life, Eunique, and we have been married for six years. Together, we are raising our beautiful 12-year-old daughter, Arizona-Callie, and they are absolutely the center of my world. We currently reside in Kansas, where I pastor part time at a church, oversee the operation of On The Dial, and continue doing all I can to serve both ministry and media with purpose.
And in this season, I am also walking through something deeply personal. I am currently in kidney failure, and I am looking for a kidney while continuing to live, lead, love, build, and serve through it all. That is a hard reality, but it is also part of my testimony right now. Even in the middle of that, I remain grateful, hopeful, and committed to the work in front of me.
That brings me to On The Dial.
This platform exists because I believe in the people of this industry. I believe in the talent, the creativity, the endurance, and the future of broadcast radio. I believe there is still room for bold ideas, meaningful storytelling, and a place that truly connects the radio world. On The Dial is here to serve. It is here to inform. It is here to celebrate. It is here to connect. And more than anything, it is here because I believe there is room for everyone in this field in this season and in the seasons to come. There is room for new voices. There is room for seasoned veterans. There is room for growth. There is room for reinvention. There is room for excellence. There is room for everybody willing to bring passion, purpose, and authenticity to this business.
I want to thank Darrin Patrick and Patrick Digital Xcellence, because without Darrin and his lovely wife Melina, none of this would be possible. I am forever grateful.
And finally, thank you to everyone for reading, for supporting, and for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I truly look forward to the future, and I look forward to growing in this industry with all of you.
-JPS