Age: 32 (33 on Aug. 16) Hometown: Webster Current residence: Rochester Occupation: Software engineer at Applied Materials; station manager at WAYO 104.3 FM Long before Max Kelley helped establish one of Rochester’s most beloved community institutions, he was sitting beside his Ita lian grandfather, listening to voices travel across an ocean through an old Grundig shortwave radio tuned to broadcasts from Italy.  Fascinated by the mysterious sounds drifting through the speaker, Kelley claimed the radio for himself, slowly turning the dial and discovering conversations between amateur operators in far-flung places. “It was just people shooting the shit,” Kelley said. “And that’s how I discovered radio.” What began as childhood curiosity became a lifelong calling. Kelley grew up in Webster, where his love of radio continued through the Webster Schools Amateur Radio Club. At home, he built amateur radio equipment capable of reaching across the globe with little more than a wire stretched through the backyard. Later, after studying at Monroe Community College and Rochester Institute of Technology, he joined WITR, maintaining the station’s studios and servers while learning the mechanics behind broadcasting. What he didn’t realize was that every step was preparing him for the role that would define his impact on Rochester. In 2015, former WITR DJ Mike Yates was preparing to launch a new volunteer-run community station called WAYO 104.3 FM. He turned to Kelley for help designing the studio, assuming the young engineer could offer technical advice. “When WAYO had reached the point where we had an FCC license and things were becoming increasingly concrete, I reached out to Max,” Yates said. “One meeting led to another, and he quickly became an indispensable part of the station.” Kelley initially expected to build the station and move on. Instead, he found himself helping create something much bigger. As DJs arrived for training and new shows multiplied, WAYO evolved from an ambitious idea into a living, breathing community hub. “Before we knew it, WAYO was blossoming,” Kelley said. “I thought, ‘Well, I guess I can’t leave now. This is our station.’” When Yates stepped away in 2018, Kelley naturally assumed the role of station manager, a position he still holds in 2026 as WAYO celebrates its 10th year on the air. It’s a volunteer position, though the workload suggests otherwise. By day, Kelley works as a software engineer for Applied Materials. By night, he’s often the Bug Jar’s sound engineer, mixing bands from the booth. Somewhere between those jobs, he oversees a radio station with more than 90 locally produced programs airing around the clock. One day he might be recruiting substitute DJs or answering emails. Another day might involve coordinating events or troubleshooting unexpected problems. Yates has watched Kelley tackle every challenge imaginable. “Max is practical, creative, enthusiastic and approachable — all evidenced by his ability to steward the shaggy, beautiful beast WAYO,” Yates said. “He has poured in endless hours, doing whatever needs to be done, from climbing a tower to attaching an antenna to taking out the trash.” But Kelley is quick to redirect attention away from himself and back to Rochester, which he believes is the real reason WAYO has flourished. “I can probably count on a single hand, or maybe two hands, the number of stations across the country that have as many diverse shows as WAYO does,” Kelley said. “I don’t know what the special sauce is, but so many people are interested in arts and culture, and it seems like Rochester has the right combination of factors to make pursuing those possible.” Kelley has helped cultivate a creative ecosystem off the air, too. Each year he partners with artist Scar Markham and Russ Torregiano of Needle Drop Records to organize the Second Chance Art and Record Fair at Radio Social, raising money for the station while giving artists and collectors an opportunity to sell their work. “Max has been fueling Rochester music behind the scenes for many years and, in some ways, is its unsung hero,” Markham said. “Celebrating the fundraiser in conjunction with 10 wonderful years of WAYO is something that couldn’t happen without Max, as he continues to uplift this entire music community.” Kelley believes the station’s greatest reward is knowing the community continues to embrace it. And in a city celebrated for its arts community, he has become one of the people making sure everyone has a chance to be heard. “I think listening to different perspectives is cool,” he continued. “We’re taking a magnifying glass and passing it over the city, zooming in on the conversations of our neighbors.” For someone who has spent decades fascinated by voices traveling through the air, it’s a fitting philosophy. Today, those voices belong not to distant strangers across the Atlantic, but to Rochester itself.  “Radio’s kind of weird,” Kelley said. “You can’t really know how many people are actually listening. So, it’s validating how much support that we get, and that’s allowed us to not only survive, but thrive for the last 10 years, and hopefully for many more to come.” wayofm.org —JON HEATH The post Rochester Ten | Max Kelley appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less