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.”   

Smart started his show the second week of February, and being on air is a perfect fit, Smart said. “Afternoons with J Smart” runs from 3 to 7 p.m. and features the “Double Dose of R&B” at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. 

He got the job after a career fair at Santa Fe College, where he earned his associate and bachelor’s degrees in multimedia. An opening with MARC Radio seemed like the only fit for him, Smart said.  

MARC Radio also owns Gainesville radio stations Magic 101.3, 106.9 I Am Country, The Beach 100.9 and Rock-It 100.5. MARC Radio and Mainstreet Daily News are both owned by MARC Media. 

A few months later, Smart goes live daily on R&B 94.1 just a few hours after Smiley’s show finishes.  

Vinny Foo called it a full-circle moment. He programmed R&B in 2020 when the station first aired and is program manager for it, along with Magic 101.3, where he is on the air from 3 to 7 p.m.   

When Foo met Smart at the Santa Fe College career fair, he said his voice matched the R&B feel. Plus, Smart already knew all the music the station plays that included artists Bobby Brown, Michael Jackson and Keith Sweat.  

Foo said 90% of the time he dives into data to make a decision, but for that 10%, he sticks with his gut. And he knew Smart would fit the role. A lack of radio training didn’t dissuade him either.  

Foo said he’s had more success taking someone with no radio experience and turning them into quality radio personalities than working with people who have a bit of experience on the air. 

Smart said the job had set hours week to week, but with the creative flexibility he wanted.  

“I was telling everybody for like two weeks,” Smart recalled. “I’m like, ‘please, I’m praying I want this job so bad.’” 

Foo said getting R&B 94.1 launched is one of the highlights of his radio career. He said the station’s music lineup is completely unique in the country—largely thanks to its sister station.  

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Foo said Magic 101.3 was dominating local radio ratings with its No. 1 hits and hip-hop lineup. R&B’s playlist was curated to complement but not repeat Magic’s mix. 

“There was a missing gap. There was no other [rhythm and blues] or even a hip hop station at that time prior to 2020 when we launched R&B,” Foo said.  

MARC Radio added a translator to convert an AM station it owned into an FM station and launched R&B as a music-dominated station. Because of the translator needed, R&B 94.1 broadcasts to just the city limits of Gainesville, with some fringe beyond. Foo said that’s probably why the station’s app is the most active versus the company’s other four Gainesville-based stations.  

Plus, he said, people resonate with the music and want to tune in.  

“There’s listeners that are on Magic that enjoy R&B and vice versa,” Foo said. “Depends on what type of mood you’re in. Sometimes we’re in that nostalgic mood and more of a smooth mood, and that’s when R&B is there to save the day. And then there’s times when you want to turn up, and that’s where Magic is.” 

R&B has stayed music-dominated since its launch in the pandemic. Foo said the company wanted to invest in the station but needed to wait until the time was finally right to add more live and local talent.  

Smart has filled that role since launching “Afternoons with J Smart” in February.  

“He’s super chill until you crack that mic, and then you’ll see him—something sparks up behind him. It’s pretty wild and impressive to see,” Foo said. 

Smart said he evolved into his laidback personality in college. He listened to more rap in high school, but once he got to college, he gravitated away from it. He said Outkast, his favorite band, informed his new music taste toward R&B. 

“I always had that nostalgia feeling for that music,” Smart said. “I always loved it, but I think once I got into college, I became more chill. Like, [rap] is cool at a time, but I don’t like listening to rap all the time, so I started leaning to more R&B.” 

Smart keeps the smooth and chill mood as he learns the ins and outs of radio. He’s had the expected learning moments, like making sure mics aren’t live. But the technical side is coming pretty quickly, he said, and he used similar software programs with his degree at Santa Fe College.  

Now he’s working on the intangibles of radio, connecting with listeners and joining them from song to song, like Smart felt with Smiley as a kid.  

He said radio will always have a lane in the world, especially morning shows, providing something extra with the music. 

“Last week, somebody was driving by blaring R&B, and I’m like, ‘That’s my station. I know what song that is, and he’s playing it.’”