Author Bio - Short/Long

100 WORDS

Don Sainte-Johnn is a veteran broadcast consultant and media educator whose career spans decades on the air in major radio markets, including San Francisco, Chicago, San Diego, and St. Louis. Best known for his years behind the microphone during Top 40 radio’s most influential era, Sainte-Johnn witnessed firsthand the power of live, personality-driven broadcasting. He later transitioned into teaching, mentoring future journalists and media professionals at the college level. His memoir, San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, blends personal history with media insight, documenting a pivotal moment in American broadcasting culture.

300 WORDS
Don Sainte-Johnn is a veteran broadcast consultant, media educator, and cultural observer whose career reflects the rise, peak, and transformation of American radio. Over several decades, he worked behind the microphone in multiple major markets, including St. Louis, San Diego, Chicago, and San Francisco, during an era when Top 40 radio shaped music discovery, community identity, and shared cultural experience.

Sainte-Johnn’s time on the air coincided with radio’s most influential period—when live broadcasters carried responsibility, personality mattered, and audiences gathered in real time. His work placed him inside the mechanics of the industry: ratings pressure, format shifts, promotion cycles, and the human connection between broadcaster and listener. These experiences form the foundation of his memoir, San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, which offers both a personal narrative and an insider’s view of a defining media era.

As radio evolved through consolidation, automation, and algorithmic programming, Sainte-Johnn navigated constant reinvention—lessons that later informed his work as a media educator. He taught college-level courses in mass media and broadcasting, mentoring aspiring journalists and helping students understand the responsibilities and ethics of media practice.

Today, Sainte-Johnn’s work bridges broadcasting history and contemporary media conversation. His writing reflects on craft, resilience, race, mentorship, and the enduring power of voice. San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is his debut book, capturing not just a career, but a moment when radio truly connected cities—and the people listening within them.