- Jatarrus Smart launched his first radio show, “Afternoons with J Smart,” on Gainesville’s R&B 94.1 station in February 2024.
- Smart got the job after a Santa Fe College career fair and was chosen for his authentic R&B voice despite no prior radio experience.
- R&B 94.1 by MARC Radio fills a local gap in rhythm and blues music and operates primarily within Gainesville city limits using an FM translator.
Gainesville’s newest radio show hit R&B 94.1 airwaves in February for the first time, and for the personality behind “Afternoons with J Smart,” it’s the first time on the radio.
From Jacksonville, Jatarrus Smart would stay in Gainesville over summers and breaks before moving here for school and working after high school. He still remembers morning rides to elementary school with his dad, who always played the “Rickey Smiley Morning Show.”
“It felt like you were with somebody when you weren’t,” Smart recalled. “I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s different from regular music.”…