If you listen to “Jamie’s Juice” in the morning on the radio, you are in the know. “We decided to make it a feature on the show, and it is formatted as if I am talking to my best friends – our listeners – about the ‘chisme’ of the day,” says Jamie Martin, co-host of “KJ and Friends with Randy and Jamie in the Morning,” which dishes out details of celebrity news and other hot topics.
As the morning co-host, Martin strives to deliver more than juicy gossip. Her goal every day is to create compelling radio for her listeners. “I hopefully deliver topical and entertaining morning radio,” Martin says. She also generates Internet content, along with personal appearances to market the show.
Finding Her Way
Born in Austin, Texas, Martin was adopted at 11 days old by her parents, Carolyn and Eldon Cagle. “I’ve always known, and I love to educate people on the choice to adopt! It has been an important part of my life,” Martin says. Luckily for us, her parents brought her up a San Antonio native.
“She grew up here and knows the people and loves them like I do,” says Randy Carroll, Martin’s KJ97 co-host. “I like that you don’t have to explain to her what ‘show me your shoes’ means [or] where the haunted railroad tracks are, and that you don’t call the Tower of the Americas ‘the needle.’ She is puro San Antonio.”
Martin spent her youth attending private schools. “I’m a long-time Catholic school girl,” says Martin, who attended St. Thomas More Catholic School and graduated from Providence High School in 1998. Her education continued at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the fall of 1998.
“I changed my major three times until I took one communications/editing class and finally decided this is where I belonged,” says Martin. She graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Technical Writing.
A Foot in the Door
Even before graduation, Martin had wisdom beyond her years. “At the age of 18, I knew I had to start networking with people in order to get my foot in the door,” she says. Just two months after her 19th birthday, Martin landed her first radio job. “When Jamie puts her mind to something, she is 100-percent dedicated and works hard to accomplish her goals,” says long-time friend Jennifer Boeselt Shreve.
For three years, Martin started her days at 4 a.m. at Metro Networks doing local traffic reports, went to class from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then went back to work from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All her hard work has paid off.
the Many Roles of Martin
Martin has been in the radio business for 11 years now, and she still loves it. She also spends time with her family – her husband, Aaron, and two sons, ages 2 and 3. “Our sons need constant attention, and Aaron helps me a lot.
which is what makes our family harmonious,” Martin says. Although the pull of (sometimes daily) public appearances is tough, Martin would not trade her job.
Family and work are important to Martin, but so are the opportunities she has to give back to her community. Martin has participated as an emcee for various March of Dimes events. She also lends her time, in various roles, to her alma mater, Providence, for events, such as Career Day and its “Reaching for the Stars” gala.
This past March, KJ97 participated in its first-ever St. Jude Radiothon. “I had the pleasure of visiting St. Jude in Memphis, and it truly changed my life!” Martin says. “They say Walt Disney is the happiest place on earth, but I disagree; it is St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Research Center.” Martin enjoyed being part of raising more than $300,000 for the children of St. Jude.
All this activity requires passion, hard work and commitment. “I have had many morning show partners through the years, and Jamie is the most committed,” Carroll says. “She never misses work.” Martin believes she is levelheaded and fair, and she tries to lead a positive life and set an example for her family.
This development in leadership, strength and success did not fall from the sky. Martin credits mentors in her life for assisting in her growth. Carroll, a radio veteran of KJ97 for 26 years, offers Martin advice, and she takes it. “I believe you should take advice from successful people,” Martin says.
Another person Martin considers a mentor is Robert Emmitt, pastor at Community Bible Church. “He doesn’t know me, but he has been pivotal in strengthening my relationship with God and living a Christian life.” Maybe one day she will get the chance to tell him.
The Name Game
Noticeably, Martin was not adopted by Martins, but Cagles. So where did she pick up the last name, Martin? She credits an impromptu live traffic report for her stage name. “I was informed that my last name didn’t make a good radio name,” Martin says. “Thirty seconds before going on air, someone yelled, ‘Who do you think is hot right now?’ My first thought was Ricky Martin!” It stuck.
Climbing the Radio Tower
As Martin begins her 11th year in radio, she advises that in this business, you must be flexible with your creativity, your ideas and your attitude. “So many people believe they ‘deserve’ the job or the title, but it doesn’t work that way,” says Martin. She stresses that radio is a tough business, and one should expect to start from the bottom up. If you demonstrate the qualities of dedication, passion and hard work, then “welcome to radio!”
For more information, please visit http://www.kj97.com or KJ 97 San Antonio’s Country Station on Facebook.
