Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Justice
Hi Jon , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Southern California. In the mid-1990s, I went to work for a real estate trustee company doing housing inspections and public real estate auctioneering. Growing up, I had a massive fear of public speaking. But, after a few years of conducting live auctions, I overcame that fear and, upon hearing a radio ad, decided to attend the Academy of Radio Broadcasting in Huntington Beach, California. Shortly after, I started interning at an alternative rock station in San Bernardino, California, before landing a full-time job in Tucson, Arizona, hosting a morning show. After Tucson, I returned to host mornings on KCXX, where I first interned.
As a music host, I worked in Atlanta and Grand Rapids, Michigan. At this time I decided to become a talk show host, with my first job being Assistant Program Director, weekend show, and fill-in host for the morning and midday show at WOOD in Grand Rapids.
After a short while, in 2008, program director Drew Lee hired me to host mornings at a brand new FM News Talk station, KQTH, back in Tucson. Drew would then become the producer for The Jon Justice on 104.1 The Truth KQTH. After three years and much success, Drew took a job as program director for IheartRadio KTLK Twin Cities News Talk here in Minneapolis. Drew and I became best friends over our time together at KQTH and the years that followed while I continued my show in Tucson and he in Minneapolis.
In the summer of 2016, the opportunity opened for a morning host on KTLK, and I came to Minnesota in August of that year in what would become The Justice and Drew Show.
Unfortunately, in June of 2022, Drew unexpectedly passed away. Since then, I have hosted the show solo, as the Jon Justice Show on Twin Cities News Talk.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I suffered a heart attack in 2008, where it was discovered that I had a bi-cuspid heart valve and ascending aortic aneurysm. I had open heart surgery to replace my valve with a mechanical valve and an aortic graft replacement. Unfortunately, in 2011, the doctors discovered a small leak in the graft, resulting in my second open-heart surgery. Then again, a similar leak was found, resulting in a third corrective surgery. During the third surgery, my best friend passed away.
It’s been an interesting journey since I arrived at KTLK Minneapolis. At first, it took some adjusting to being a co-host with Drew. While we were best friends and instantly took our chemistry off the air and onto the show, it was difficult for a short while not being the only host. But we found our footing and, with it, success. Drew’s passing took us all by surprise. I was recovering in the hospital from the third open-heart surgery when Drew died. I’m thankful that while I was recovering from the surgery, I was able to also grieve and work through losing my best friend before returning to the show. After which, it also took a little time to adjust to not having him on the air with me every morning. Eventually, I fell back into the role I was accustomed to after nearly a decade of hosting my show in Tucson. Since then, the show has continued to succeed, and I recently signed another multi-year contract with IheartRadio.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
After being late once for my first intern position with a radio station, I have never been late to work in my 28 years of radio. I stick to a rigorous sleep schedule of being in bed by 6:30 p.m. and set the alarm to 2:30 a.m. I typically spend several hours a day preparing for the show. Mon-Fri, I will usually make notes until I turn on the mic at 6:06a CT. My style as a talk host is probably best known for balancing local and national news while discussing lifestyle content and injecting a healthy amount of humor when appropriate.
I’m also a massive fan of science fiction, and I have written and published a sci-fi series called EMBARK, which consists of seven books.
What were you like growing up?
I was laid back growing up and not much interested much in politics. I was raised in a staunch Christian household and continue to attend church today. I loved going out to clubs, concerts (Depeche Mode is my favorite band, having seen them live 34x), and movies when I was younger. And I’m still a huge cinephile to this day. I also raced BMX bikes from age thirteen until almost my twenties, when I broke my leg, and that ended my racing career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.MyNerdWorld.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejonjustice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonjustice
- Twitter: https://x.com/JonJustice
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1041TheTruth/videos
