Why Did Dallas Radio Host Katelyn “Connected K” Maida Leave the Air?

The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a little less “connected” these days — and we still don’t know what happened to Connected K on KSCS, the radio station known as New Country 96.3.

Connected K announced on Nov. 6 that she was leaving her job co-hosting Hawkeye in the Morning, and she hasn’t yet revealed her next chapter. Here’s what we know…

Connected K is the radio name for former KSCS morning radio personality Katelyn Maida. Katelyn studied broadcasting at the University of Houston after realizing she had a “less than stellar singing voice” but possessed the “gift of conversation,” as her official bio explains. 

Katelyn started out at the university’s radio station before getting a double internship at Cox Media Group and landing a job at Houston’s KKBQ. She created an “online DJ” position for herself when she noticed the media company didn’t have a social media strategy, which is how she became known as Connected K. 

She moved from Houston to Dallas when KSCS brought her on to co-host the morning show with Mark “Hawkeye” Louis. While working on Hawkeye in the Morning, Katelyn also reported on award shows and provided weekly entertainment reports for Dallas’ CBS 11 Morning News.

Katelyn announced her departure from KSCS on Instagram on Nov. 6. “I originally wanted to take the weekend to reflect, but the news has gotten ahead of me,” she wrote. “I’ve been thinking for a while about how to word this announcement when this time came. The day I finally took my leap of faith in order to fly. It’s scary. But I’d be lying if I said my career wasn’t a series of leaps and sacrifices.”

She went on: “You will no longer hear me on New Country 96.3, but you will always have a friend in your corner. To the young women of the world: There is room for you at the table. The spot may be wide open, but it might also be narrow. Show up. Shimmy in anyway. Hell, stand in the room without a chair if you need to. My dad always told us to ‘show up’ when we were growing up. ‘Even if you lose the fight, you showed up, and that in itself brings respect.’”

Katelyn also thanked listeners for their support. “I have shared some of my favorite moments of my life with you. You were there when I adopted my boy, Fred. You were with me on the air when we called my then ‘casual date’ to convince him to make us Facebook official. You were there when we got engaged, and you were there when I married that same man. … We’ve experienced so much life together. I’ll never forget that.”

The day prior, she told a Twitter user that she “honestly [has] never been more excited” for her future and that she “can’t wait to share the details soon.”

And when a fan checked in on Twitter a few days later, she wrote, “I can’t say much for now, other than I’m moving in another direction. When I can, I will definitely let people know more. Thank you so much for your support!”