Director of Operations • Host of The Jazz Bistro
Jeff Johnson – host of The Jazz Bistro on UT Tyler Radio – has been playing jazz since he was three years old … when he figured out how to get his parents’ Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis records to play on their Philco High-Fidelity All-Transistor Stereophonic Radio-Phonograph. Deciding at age 8 that it would be at least as much fun to make music as to listen to it, Jeff learned to play drums or, as his mother called it, “beating on stuff, mostly in time with the music.”
Joining the school band at 12, he added trumpet, French horn, fluegelhorn and a love for jazz-rock fusion to his portfolio. His musical tastes range from Boots Randolph of “Yakety Sax” fame, to three-man Canadian progressive rock powerhouse Rush, and from the Trans Siberian Orchestra to the musical comedy genius of “Weird Al” Yankovic. (Yes, Jeff thinks Weird Al is both funny and a genius. Go figure!)
When he’s not sharing your favorite smooth jazz, the day’s news and weather, or the latest episode of UT Tyler Radio Connects with Mike Landess on The Jazz Bistro, Jeff serves as Director of Operations for UT Tyler Radio. He oversees all of our broadcast and digital functions, keeping the station on the air, the website online, our podcasts flowing out to your favorite platforms, and the streaming audio … well, streaming. As we like to say, “If it plugs in, or you plug in to it … it’s Jeff’s fault.”
Jeff is a cum laude graduate of Excelsior University in Albany, New York, with degrees in communications (and political science … don’t ask.) For more than four decades, he’s led radio stations to improved ratings and increased revenues through on-air performance, programming enhancements and technical improvements. He’s served with teams that have won four national awards for “Radio Station of the Year” from broadcast industry trade associations.
As a physically disabled military veteran, a throat cancer survivor, and an adult-diagnosed Autistic or “Aspie,” (he has what used to be called “Asperger’s Syndrome”), Jeff has spoken to thousands of people around the country about overcoming adversity, including to an audience of more than 10,000 on the National Capital Mall in Washington, D.C.
In his “spare time,” Jeff leads severe weather coverage for UT Tyler Radio and writes overly long, self-indulgent bios for our website. He enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter who would love to have a pet, but can’t because Jeff is allergic to pretty much everything that produces pollen or dander … including some people. You can learn more about Jeff on his personal website.
Join Jeff Johnson weekday mornings from 6-9, for The Jazz Bistro on UT Tyler Radio, on the air at 99.7 FM and online at UTTylerRadio.org.
