For more than two decades, he’s been an air personality with alternating alter egos. For some, he’s known for his conservative talk radio program heard in such markets as Las Vegas and Miami. For others, he’s the ringmaster of The MJ Morning Show, as “MJ” is how many Top 40 radio listeners in Tampa first got to know him.
Now, Todd Schnitt is making a choice. And, he’s sticking with “MJ.”
On July 28, Schnitt will wrap-up the Compass Media Networks-syndicated offering “The Schnitt Show” so he may focus full-time on his daily wake-up program, heard exclusively on Beasley Media Group-owned Classic Hits WRBQ “Q105” in Tampa.
“For over 20 years, I have been working two daily jobs,” Schnitt said. “The time has come for me to focus my full energies on The MJ Morning Show. This is bittersweet as it has been a joy and privilege to host The Schnitt Show and I am forever grateful to our affiliates, sponsors, partners, and most importantly our listeners for supporting the show for so many years.”
The Schnitt Show debuted not in Tampa but on WIOD-AM Miami in October 2001, partly in reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was then added to flagship property WFLA-AM in Tampa in January 2002. At the show’s peak, The Schnitt Show was heard in over 75 markets. Today, his Tampa Bay home is WHFS-AM 1010 “Money Talk,” a Beasley spoken word station with two FM translators. His show no longer airs in San Francisco or San Diego but airs in several other markets across the U.S. Those stations will soon be in need of a replacement program.
Peter Kosann, Founder and CEO of Compass Media Networks, commented, “How many people in the history of radio have hosted two-daily, drive time shows, targeting two completely different audiences, and doing it successfully for over two decades? The answer is virtually no one else. Kudos to Todd for his work ethic, creativity, ingenuity, and talent. It has been an honor to serve as Todd’s syndication partner all these years and we look forward to working with him on this next chapter.”
Sue Treccase, Executive Producer of The Schnitt Show, commented, “The hallmark of The Schnitt Show was prioritizing the most impactful stories of the day and delivering it with a sense of urgency and entertaining personality -driven opinion. No one delivers theater of the mind, especially in moments of crisis and confusion, better than Todd Schnitt. I will miss serving as executive producer and thank our listeners and partners for their steadfast support and kindness.”
For Schnitt, committing to Beasley and Q105 is a double-down move for The MJ Morning Show, which debuted October 5, 2020 on the station as veteran air personality Mason Dixon moved to his original afternoon time slot. From the early 1990s through February 17, 2012, Schnitt (as “MJ”) was one-half of the morning show on WFLZ in Tampa. That program saw Schnitt arrive in 1994, nearly 1 1/2 years following the end of the then-Jacor station’s infamous “Power Pig” era, forcing Q105 to abandon Top 40 in favor of Country. Schnitt was “MJ Kelli,” borrowing an airname used in Los Angeles; his co-host was B.J. Harris, who departed in 2001.
