Jay Jenkins is a hometown boy to the Roanoke Chowan area. He grew up in Woodland, which is about 10 miles from Murfreesboro, and considers the entire region his home. Jay is the former editor and publisher of the Roanoke Chowan News-Herald as well as a former group publisher with Cox Newspapers. In 2007, Jay was responsible for transforming Down East Magazine into what today is known as Eastern Living Magazine, while working with Cooke Newspapers out of Greenville, NC.

Although he spent many years in the print industry, Jay wasn’t a stranger to radio before becoming the station manager of WDLZ in 2019. He was program director in Murfreesboro at what was then WBCG and left as station manager in 1986. He has continued working in radio on and off throughout the years, mostly due to the regionally popular Beach Music radio program, Shaggin’ on the Beach, which has aired every Sunday afternoon continuously since the spring of 2004.

Jay is the former mayor of Woodland, a position he held for six years. He continues to reside in his hometown to this day.