Stephen King is taking a big old ax to his Maine radio empire. The prolific author bought Bangor-based station WLBZ in 1983, renaming it WZON in honor of his 1979 novel, The Dead Zone, per Billboard.

The author, who owns the small independent stations in Bangor, said that the decision was prompted by a desire to get his business affairs in order.

Stephen King kept the radio stations afloat for decades, and he said he and his wife, Tabitha, are proud to have kept them going for so long.