106.5 The Wolf’s morning show in Kansas City is part of a growing shift in radio: when a local show builds enough momentum and chemistry, the company takes notice and syndicates it into other markets. That’s exactly what happened here. In September 2026, their bosses asked if they’d be interested in expanding to New York on an HD2 channel. The answer was yes.
But this story isn’t just about syndication. It’s about how two people from completely different paths through radio ended up in the same studio — and in each other’s lives.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
Jenny’s Road
Jenny Matthews grew up “playing DJ.” “I had my very own radio station in my bedroom. I had one of those — I think it was called Mr. Microphone. It was a microphone with a little cord on the end. If you held it close enough to your actual radio and went to some random AM signal, you could hear yourself on the air.”
She was obsessed with one voice. “I was a gigantic fan of Casey Kasem — rest in peace. I love that man, always have, always will. And I would listen to his countdown, and I would write down all the songs, and I would literally mimic the whole production. I wanted to be Casey Kasem. I had no idea how to get into radio, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
She heard about the Connecticut School of Broadcasting through a radio ad and signed up immediately. Her internship was at 103.1 The Buzz in West Palm Beach, FL, which led to her first on-air job at sister station WMBX Mix 102.3, hosting the night show. She kept moving up, eventually becoming a producer for The Mo & Sally Morning Show and then a sidekick for Murphy in the Morning.
Then came 107.9 WIRK, the country station in the same cluster. “I don’t know country music, but yes, I will do this,” she told them when they asked if she’d join JD & The Wake Up Crew.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was terrified because I truly was a person who always said I don’t like country! But I quickly realized I actually love country music. I just didn’t realize it.”
The Email
But the real turning point came from an email.
Her husband — born and raised in Kansas City and working at a financial firm in South Florida — was listening to WIRK every morning on his way to work. He found her email address on the station website and wrote: “Single or attached?”
“That email led to a date, which led to literally both of us finding our soulmate,” she says. “We got engaged in South Florida. He told me he always wanted to get back to his hometown. He got a job offer in Kansas City, so I quit everything in radio in Florida, and we moved here.”
She started part-time at Mix 93.3 in Kansas City. Sixteen years. Then she moved to sister station Q104 to do country radio mornings again. A career. A life built.
Then, last February, everything changed.
“My dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer,” Jenny explains. “At the very same time, management made a lot of changes to my show — they left me without a co-host or a plan. Everything in my gut told me it was time to go. I quit with nothing planned, except I knew I was going to be able to take care of my dad. I’ll never regret that.”
Her father passed in July. She faced the question every broadcaster fears: Is this it?
“I didn’t want that to be the end of my radio career,” she says. “I really didn’t. And I didn’t want to go out like that. And I didn’t know if there was another opportunity available. My mom and dad told me to know my worth and have faith. Turns out, they were right, and now I get to go out like this. The show of my dreams, surrounded by radio pros with the best work ethic, working for the most incredible management at a company where I feel truly valued. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Jagger’s Road
Jagger grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, at WHOT Hot 101 — a 50,000-watt blowtorch between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
“I got my start at the legendary WHOT Hot 101. We were a station you could pick up on the way to Cleveland and on the way to Pittsburgh. Thanks to my mentor Tom Pappas for giving me my shot at a young age.”
He was 16 when he started. By 23, he’d been everything at the station — board operator, part-timer, night jock, music director. Then he started moving.
Birmingham. A year, then a format flip. Mobile. Three months. Fort Wayne. Another year gone to budget cuts and format changes. He was playing radio chess, figuring out the game.
Then Indianapolis: weekends at Radio Now 93.1. Six months that mattered.
“David Edgar was my PD at Radio Now. He taught me so much on how to tighten myself up and how to get to the next level.”
Salt Lake City came next. Multiple stations, multiple lessons. At KZHT, they ran a contest to name the new guy, which gave him his updated on-air name — Jagger. But these were all stepping stones to what he really wanted.
“I always wanted to be a big city jock and a big city programmer,” he said. “That was my dream.”
The New York Years
By 2004, he was ready. New Haven. KC 101. But Z100 in New York was already calling.
Romeo (Tim Herbster), a friend and programmer who was, at the time, Z100’s night jock and assistant music director, had a suggestion:
“Hey, Jagger, why don’t you send Tom Poleman your latest demo?”
Tom Poleman at Z100 responded via email.
“He asked me, ‘Hey, where are you at? Sounds excellent. What are you doing now?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I’m actually interviewing up the street, a station you used to work at, KC 101.’ He goes, ‘Okay, would you be interested in coming to New York to do part-time?’”
Jagger said yes to both. Nights at KC 101 in New Haven. Weekends at Z100 in New York.
“I’d drive back and forth every weekend, twice a weekend. Do my KC 101 job. Drive up Saturday and Sunday, back and forth. From KC 101 to, you know, Z100. And then it was cool as I was kind of developing at Z100. They’re like, ‘Hey, could you fill in for Shelley Wade middays?’ Sure, I’ll make it work.”
He filled in for afternoons, nights, late nights, and overnights — every shift except mornings. He was chasing the dream. But part-time at Z100 had a ceiling.
KTU
Then came 103.5 KTU, the other major New York Top 40 station. The 103.5 KTU job came up, where Tom and Rob Miller were like, ‘Hmm, all right, we don’t have a place for Jagger here, but we might have a place for Jagger here.’ And the rest is history.”
Jagger started doing full-time nights at KTU in November 2006. He committed to staying ten years. “I was there literally full-time from November of 2006 to 2016. It was 10 years. I kind of had that in my mind. Once I got to a certain point, I wanted to stay 10 years in New York. I want to do this.”
Seven to midnight. Night after night. But Z100 wasn’t done with him yet. Romeo, who had helped get him the original Z100 gig, was now the music director there and was leaving. He pitched Jagger to the station: “Hey, we know Jagger’s right over here, but Jagger has programming chops. He could be a great pick to be the next music director for Z100.”
Music Director for Z100
So, while doing nights at KTU, Jagger also became music director at Z100 from 2009 to 2016. Two stations. Two roles. Both driving forward.
“And I got the chance to be the music director at Z100 with Sharon Dastur, which was a great experience, and it taught me a lot when I was getting ready to go step and be a PD myself. So that’s kind of like my New York story.”
By 2016, the next level called. Hartford came up. WKSS, a legendary CHR. Jagger programmed that station and KC 101 again — the station where his New York journey had started.
“I got the station to its highest ratings, P25-54, in its history at the time. Back in 2018, so I was very proud of that accomplishment.”
But budget cuts in 2020 ended it. He moved to Kansas City and worked at various Cumulus stations, serving as Program Director and PM Drive host for 95.7 The Vibe and Program Director for 105.1 The X. Then another budget cut in 2024 left him looking for what came next.
How They Found Each Other
Jenny and JR Ammons had history. “JR was my PD at Mix 93.3 for a little while. I loved his leadership, had become friends with his wife, and we kept in touch all these years,” Jenny says. When she quit Q104, JR sent her a text: “Call me.”
“He’s like, ‘Do you WANT to be retired?’ I said, ‘I don’t think so. I mean, doing the laundry and stuff was keeping me busy, but I missed doing a radio show.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s have lunch.’”
He also knew Jagger, who was a free agent in Kansas City after the 2024 budget cuts. He knew Matt Gapske, an extraordinarily talented programmer and producer. And he had a vision.
“He had big ideas, and it took a while, but once the plan all came together, he’s like, ‘I’m telling you, just trust me. I know this is going to be a good team.’” The potential team — Jenny, Jagger, and Matt — met at a restaurant. Jenny knew immediately.
A Show at First Sight
“I left that very first interaction, and I could feel the good energy. I was like, this is it. And I really like these people and their ideas.”
Jagger felt the same way. “I do remember JR was like, ‘You have to meet this person. You have to. I have to connect you two.’ I didn’t know who it was, but then I started figuring it out. Like, oh wait a second, I think I might have an idea who this mystery person is that JR wants me to meet, and I was intrigued by it.”
But once they met, it was instant. “Our chemistry was there from the minute we met,” Jenny says. “Jagger’s all heart and all professional, and I honestly feel like I’m working with a superstar every day. It is so cool.”
Jagger sees it the same way. “I think the world of Jenny Matthews. The connection she made with all of KC during her time at Mix 93.3 and Q104 to 106.5 The Wolf. That’s legendary in itself — to be a solid Top 40 jock and grow within the market back to doing what she loves on country radio.”
106.5 The Wolf and Beyond
By fall 2026, 106.5 The Wolf’s morning show had built something their bosses took notice of. The call came to syndicate into New York.
“We were asked if we’d be interested in doing this, and we’re like, absolutely, we’re excited about it,” Jagger says. “I think these guys know how much I love New York. I’ve told them stories about how much I’ve loved my time there. When this kind of just popped up to us, we’re like, yeah. It’s the coolest thing to have happen. It’s really exciting.”
Jenny kept it grounded: “We hope it leads to more. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. If it does, great. We’re proud of our show. We’re on board.”
The Team Behind It
But this isn’t just about Jenny and Jagger. The show works because of what’s built around them. Executive Producer Matt Gapske handles daily show production. JR Ammons, VP of Programming for Kansas City, St. Louis, Houston, and Atlanta, oversees strategy and direction. Market Manager Roxanne Marati oversees station operations.
That’s the thing about radio that still works. It’s not one person in a studio. It’s a team. Ands it’s a producer who knows how to pace a show, edit on the fly, and keep the energy moving. It’s a VP of Programming with oversight across major markets who fights for the talent. It’s corporate oversight that says yes instead of no.
Jagger made a point of acknowledging the full ecosystem:
“I’m just grateful for this opportunity to work with Jenny, Matt, and JR Ammons. We have an awesome market manager named Roxanne Marati. I’m grateful for all the people who are behind us and all the people within Audacy who are involved in this as well, from Tim Roberts to John Foxx and Chris Michaels, to get us to do what we’re doing with not only 106.5 The Wolf but also within New York as well.”
All Roads
Jenny’s journey from Mr. Microphone in Florida to 106.5 The Wolf in Kansas City wasn’t planned. Jagger’s path through a dozen markets wasn’t charted in advance. But both were moving toward something they believed in, and both were disciplined enough to get better at their craft.
And they ended up in the same studio with producer Matt handling the show, JR Ammons as VP of Programming overseeing strategy across four major markets, Roxanne Marati fighting for them behind the scenes, and Audacy deciding to invest instead of cut.
This is what reinvestment in radio looks like. Not the algorithm. Not the cost-cutting. And not the formats baked into software. Real people, real talent, real support — given the freedom to build something that works in a market, and then trusting it enough to expand it beyond.
All roads led to Kansas City. Now those roads extend beyond.
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