Freaky Dave

It’s Freaky Dave from the Freak Show in the Mornings on 98.5 KISS FM weekday mornings from 5am to 10am!

I grew up in Orange County, California and moved to Sparta, TN (YERT) halfway through my freshman year of high school. After a high school football career for the Warriors, I graduated in 1993 and continued my education and athletic pursuits at Maryville College in East Tennessee where I played for the Scots for two years before being sidelined with a serious injury and graduated with a BA in Communications in 1997. During the later part of my senior year, I got bit by the radio bug during a summer internship and eventual employment at Star 93.1 (now Star 102.1) and their radio group in Knoxville, TN. A year after graduating college, my radio journey continued as I moved back home to work at Clear Channel Communications in Cookeville, TN. After several years I left to pursue interests in publishing and law enforcement, before returning for good to be on Magic 98.5 (now 98.5 KISS FM) in the early 2000s. I am now nearing the 25-year mark of working in radio in Cookeville, TN where I have been the host of the Freak Show (Nights/Afternoons/Mornings). The Freak Show has consistently ranked as the one of the top ranked shows in all age and demographics with Nielson. In July 2006, I became Program Director/Brand Manager of 98.5. In May 2022, I was named Director of Programming for our radio group, Cookeville Communications, a division of Zimmer Broadcasting. In 2011 we received a Marconi nomination for Small Market Station of the Year. In 2012 we received a Marconi nomination for CHR Station of the Year. And in 2013 we received another Marconi nomination for CHR Station of the Year. I have been voted Best of the Best by the Herald Citizen in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022, with runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2020. In addition to other awards and honors, I was named Employee of the Year in 2014. I have also served as Executive Producer for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle Football broadcasts (Golden Eagle Sports Network) for over ten years. I continue to serve as one of the primary directors for Toys for Tots & Teens each year during the holiday season where we facilitate Christmas to thousands of children across multiple Upper Cumberland counties.

 

I am actively involved in the Upper Cumberland community including reading to school kids and promoting the love of reading at local schools, Toys for Tots and Teens, Habitat for Humanity, Susan G. Komen foundation, Cookeville Rescue Mission, Power of Putnam, Food to the Rescue, and over my career, a host of other national and local organizations.

 

In addition to my radio work in Cookeville, I also spent one year as Program Director/Brand Manager for our sister station, 105.9 KISS in Lawrence, Kansas. And was the host of More Music in the Mornings from 6am to 10am for 105.9 KISS from 2017 to 2023. I now serve as host of the Slumber Party on 105.9 KISS from 6pm to 10pm weekdays.

 

I am also owner/operator of DJ Freak Productions and coordinates and DJs events across Middle Tennessee including birthday parties, school dances, proms, weddings, and corporate events.

 

In my little free time, I love spending time outdoors hiking and kayaking, going to our numerous secret spots down on Roaring River in Jackson County, having epic fires with my neighbors, adding to my LEGO collection, reading books, and spending time with family and friends.

 

I am the father of two great kids, and love spending time with my 6 year-old granddaughter Alonnah. And will be getting married to my fiancé, Ashley, in September 2023 in Montana.