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MJ Morning Show

radioguy555 said:
Well, I will say that I run the MJ Fan Page...

Are you for reeeeal?

Hang on, lemmie take a look...

Ok....... I'm not sure whether I should be amused or disturbed by this.

Either way, it's absolutely hilarious! ;D
 
I don't listen to his morning show. But you have to give him props for years of consistent top 3 finishes. But the last time he's had any real morning competition was when Bubba was on XTB... and we know who was cashing bigger bonus checks then don't we? ;)

As far as his afternoon drivel. He's just another smear and fear mouth piece for fascists. It amazes me what passes as entertainment ... Fear mongering. Personal attacks, Defamation, and Lies. and oh yea...lots of FX on a 360.

Some day...karma comes back around.

Ledge
 
John Haywoods said:
At one time, Q105's Cleveland Wheeler had huge ratings and was considered untouchable until Power 93 blew him and the rest of the station out of the water.

Actually, i believe Ron and Ron was the reason for the Q morning Zoos downfall. The Power Pig did thr rest of the damaged.

For the MJ/Schnitt is "talented" guys out there, if you were to pluck him from Tampa and place him in any medium or major market city around the county without syndication or satellite radio, do you think he would Excel to number one doing both am and pm drive time, going up against the legends in those particular cities?

just asking...
 
koolg said:
For the MJ/Schnitt is "talented" guys out there, if you were to pluck him from Tampa and place him in any medium or major market city around the county without syndication or satellite radio, do you think he would Excel to number one doing both am and pm drive time, going up against the legends in those particular cities?just asking...

That's kind of a ridiculous question. Obviously there aren't many talent or places who have the ability or fortitude to do double duty. That he's done it, in a big way, in a significant, large market, is a great story in and of itself. That the "syndicated" versions of his shows also do well in a vareity of other markets is impressive.

You know, guys, for as long as I've been in this industry, radio has taken about 7 - 8 percent of all radio ad dollars. The good news is despite additional competition rado holds its own, while the real enemy, newspaper and TV, continue to lose share. Radio could do so much better if we used our energy fighting the enemy, and not "hating" on OUR successes.
 
The problem with the kind of "success" you say we should celebrate is that it's become a cannibalistic, zero-sum type of situation. Corporate ownership will only shell out so much for talent as a whole. I have no problem with MJ getting all he can. Whether he would succeed elsewhere is academic. The fact is he is successful here and in his chosen markets. The problem is that as he gets paid more it tends to come out of the overall compensation pot, leaving less for everyone else.

The clearest is example is at CNN where a number of people got laid off as soon as Larry King signed his last contract. Look at what happened when Rush signed his big contract with Premiere.

Locally, I heard that WWBA was offering just over minimum wage for their production director's job. Metro pays so little that a friend of mine who is really hurting couldn't afford to work over there because the "salary" wouldn't cover the gas bill.

Of course, that doesn't stop them from pissing and moaning that they can't get good help and no one wants to work. The dirty little secret is that there are mom and pop shops in much smaller markets that are doing good radio and paying people a living wage (not making them rich, mind you). If you're expecting to make money in this market and you're not a designated superstar like MJ you're outta luck.
 
At one time, Q105's Cleveland Wheeler had huge ratings and was considered untouchable until Power 93 blew him and the rest of the station out of the water.

MJ and BJ didn't do mornings until '93 or '94, by the time Q-105 went country. The Q's fall came way before MJ, when the Q panicked and alienated their loyal listeners from the 70s and 80s by switching to the teen-oriented pop/rap Power 93 was playing at the time. The fact Power was so merciless in attacking the Q and their commercial load/music selection/personalities/program directors/etc. only helped the demise of the Q.
 
Q-105'S fall came from the usual internal strife in the radio station for a POWER PLAY of who would be in charge of programming. No pun intended.

Just ask anybody who worked in the Q-105 building the day that Power Pig hit the air!

RGM
 
MJ has great ratings. There's no denying that. However, I think his morning show glory days are still at the turn of the milennium, and he's not nearly as good as he once was. Like a lot of popular local hosts, MJ has simply become a fixture in Tampa, and people still listen to him out of habit. I believe it's either because the listeners are tuning in day after day hoping the show will become great again, or it's simply something people have become comfortable with because they get in their car every morning and oh, there's MJ Kelli again. Almost like it's a part of living in Tampa. I've tried listening to many local superstars when I visit other cities that have been around for decades, like Jim Philips in Orlando or Eric and Kathy in Chicago, and in many cases I can't find much all that entertaining about them. I ask some (non-message board) people why they listen and I get a response like "I don't know. I've always listened going to/coming from work."
 
Wow talk about hating on one of the biggest talents in the country. MJ's morning show does well not just in Tampa, but also in St. Louis and Jacksonville. The show recently got picked up for syndication at the new Kiss 95.1 Melbourne, and at Star 94.7 Ft. Pierce. Basically, he can be heard all over FL. His afternoon show can be heard in Miami, Birmingham, and on XM Radio. It's VERY HARD to find a talent who can relate to an audience in so many diverse markets.
How can anyone knock on this guy?? Why don't you ask PDs in NYC, Detroit, or Portland how well they think MJ would do in their market.
Just b/c he's not always the nicest guy to work with that doesn't mean he's not talented. I think this guy's got the right idea - he's always been more concerned with getting an audience rather then getting a bunch of radio geeks to worship him.
Anyone ever listened to some of his older airchecks when he was an up & coming night jock at Star 97 Norfolk? Could easily take to school most of the current batch of night jocks heard across the country. Yeah, he was that good, and through the years he's learned to perfect his skills for any daypart, and probably any format.

The likely reason MJ hasn't left Tampa is b/c he's happy living in FL with its weather and beaches, in a stable environment with his family, a job he loves, and a station he gives a damn about.
 
CHRles said:
Wow talk about hating on one of the biggest talents in the country. Just b/c he's not always the nicest guy to work with that doesn't mean he's not talented. I think this guy's got the right idea - he's always been more concerned with getting an audience rather then getting a bunch of radio geeks to worship him.

CHRles has a point. I helped him launch the Schnitt Show on WFLA (and his mini-network at the time) as his board op for almost a year.

In the same breath I will tell you he is the hardest worker and one of the most talented people I've worked around but is also an incredible egotistical jackass who will backstab even those who work hard for him if it makes him look better.

Those who are talented and working for him are constantly told they are worthless and untalented. There is never a thank you from the man.

He has no friends whatsoever. Those who act like his friends to his face mock him behind his back. Anyone who says otherwise is either dependant of him for a paycheck or scared of him for some reason.

In 18 years in radio, I never worked for a more vile disgusting self-centered person.
 
Ok so that is at least 2 people I have read on this thread that have a grudge against MJ. Say what you want from your own personal opinion, I can not take that away from you. But I know that there is not a person in that Gandy building that cares as much about his stations than Schnitt. I worked there for a little over 2 years and was there several times on the weekend and he made it a point to stop in the studio just to say hi. Not much I know, but when you are the biggest personality in the building saying hi to a jock on a weekend shift is going out of your way to be part of a team.

I can agree that he is a very difficult person to deal with. Part of it is probably ego. But who of us is not guilty as well. We all have ego. That is a little bit why we do this. MJ knows what he wants and expects the best from everyone around him. Cant slight the guy for that. I want it for my show now.

He has been there for a long time. Built a nice little deal for himself. He fights tooth and nail to get what he wants. I would do the same in his position. That dude works!!!

RESPECT. That is what he's got from me.
 
JBanks said:
Ok so that is at least 2 people I have read on this thread that have a grudge against MJ. Say what you want from your own personal opinion, I can not take that away from you. But I know that there is not a person in that Gandy building that cares as much about his stations than Schnitt. I worked there for a little over 2 years and was there several times on the weekend and he made it a point to stop in the studio just to say hi. Not much I know, but when you are the biggest personality in the building saying hi to a jock on a weekend shift is going out of your way to be part of a team.

I can agree that he is a very difficult person to deal with. Part of it is probably ego. But who of us is not guilty as well. We all have ego. That is a little bit why we do this. MJ knows what he wants and expects the best from everyone around him. Cant slight the guy for that. I want it for my show now.

He has been there for a long time. Built a nice little deal for himself. He fights tooth and nail to get what he wants. I would do the same in his position. That dude works!!!

RESPECT. That is what he's got from me.

What I said above isn't a grudge. Like I said, he's talented. I learned stuff from him that I still use today. THAT I respect. But bottom line is, Schnitt cares about Schnitt. Not his stations or the people who work for him. As a man, he is not a respectable person.

I've never had an opportunity to meet you Jared, you came in a few months after I left, but honestly, stopping in a studio and saying hi is not going out of your way to be part of a team. You never actually worked for him daily.

And like you, I also expect the very best from my team on my show, however I've never stomped on them along the way. I'm sure you don't do that. (You sound good on ZHT by the way)

Working at FLZ was a highlight of my career. Everyone there was a family. Like brothers and sisters. Ever notice MJ/Schnitt was never a part of that?
 
Interesting reading about Schnitt.

A personality who brings out this much passion is an act that "works". Whether you like him or not on a personal level; whether you worked for him or with him and hated it, the fact is the "air" is what counts, not behind the scenes drama. I've programmed and consulted quite a few stations in my career, and many successful radio personalities are complete failures as people. Most are self-centered, way paranoid and severely insecure for what I believe is the natural intangibility of the product. What does a radio talent really produce? Ratings? Hopefully. Revenue? Hopefully. But when they leave the station each day, what can they say they really produced? The show is over and it is history. One talent told me he felt like a fraud each day because of the obscene money he made and the fact that he couldn't even show his wife what he did that day. So many personalities are like thieves in the night, trying to milk it for every thing they can, fearing that they will be discovered for what they really are, and what they really do.

Schnitt is a radio geek. People who know him realize that and take him for what he's worth on the personal level. He's a bull in a china shop diplomatically speaking. But he is what he is. My professional opinion of Schnitt is based on his afternoon show on WFLA. I listened once to his morning show for about 10 minutes. That was enough for my lifetime. His WFLA gig to me spells out nothing but "self-pleasure" for Schnitt. He is obnoxious. He repeats himself over and over again, and his overuse of the "breaking news" crap drives me out of my mind. He thinks he is clever, but he's not. Cliché' comes to mind. Schnitt doesn't have enough life experience to be a talk show host with "substance". That's why he is overly redundant and relies heavily on other elements. I think, in his own mind, he is playing the part of a talk show host. Let's face it, why would a sensible human being with a life want to do a morning and afternoon show five days a week? Like I said, he is milking it for every drop while he has everyone fooled. And he probably has an intense need to succeed and get attention. And it's because of a deep-rooted insecurity that is part of the air talent make-up. If you are an air talent reading this, and you don't agree, then you too are showing your insecurity. Years ago when I was on the air in top 40 radio, I was the most insecure person I knew. But I would admit it. Now I'm just an insecure consultant - but with money. That makes a difference!

Schnitt is just doing what any Schnitt would do. Is he good? Not really. He just happens to be doing a talk show in Tampa Bay on a station with the best AM signal in the area. And the competition is weak. He wins by default and has no life. What a great reality.

But he is making good bucks and his ego is being fed! Not bad for marvelous mediocrity!
 
Any time that we work for someone difficult there will always be something that we resent. I have worked with some people in my time that I did not agree with the way that they did things. The best point Ray made is that he learned something from MJ. Even if you dont personally see eye to eye with someone, to respect each other enough to learn the positives and move on without throwing stones is very big.

The guy taking his personal time to have a conversation with someone who otherwise has no effect on his life is a big deal. It says a lot about who he is. I am not saying that he is not difficult. I know he is. But I disagree that he is the despised ogre that many make him out to be.

Thanks for the compliment on my show here in Utah Ray. I appreciate it. I am glad at least one person listens to my show every once in a blue moon. LOL!
 
CHRles said:
Wow talk about hating on one of the biggest talents in the country. MJ's morning show does well not just in Tampa, but also in St. Louis and Jacksonville. The show recently got picked up for syndication at the new Kiss 95.1 Melbourne, and at Star 94.7 Ft. Pierce. Basically, he can be heard all over FL. His afternoon show can be heard in Miami, Birmingham, and on XM Radio. It's VERY HARD to find a talent who can relate to an audience in so many diverse markets.
How can anyone knock on this guy?? Why don't you ask PDs in NYC, Detroit, or Portland how well they think MJ would do in their market.
Just b/c he's not always the nicest guy to work with that doesn't mean he's not talented. I think this guy's got the right idea - he's always been more concerned with getting an audience rather then getting a bunch of radio geeks to worship him.
Anyone ever listened to some of his older airchecks when he was an up & coming night jock at Star 97 Norfolk? Could easily take to school most of the current batch of night jocks heard across the country. Yeah, he was that good, and through the years he's learned to perfect his skills for any daypart, and probably any format.

The likely reason MJ hasn't left Tampa is b/c he's happy living in FL with its weather and beaches, in a stable environment with his family, a job he loves, and a station he gives a damn about.

I wasn't hating on the guy if anyone took my post that way. Heck, I frequently listen to his afternoon show (which is now my mid-day show, thank you very much west coast). I'm actually surprised his afternoon show has done as well as it has. He doesn't seem to use his morning show to piggyback the afternoon show on that much, and his afternoon audience is very independent of his morning audience, enjoying success in cities where the morning show has never played. My post before was just my own opinion of his morning show today and my own suspect as to why people still listen. I don't care what anyone listens to on the radio. Listen to whatever show you want if it gets you through your day.

And it is nice to see that the guy is able to do two shows a day and succeed in both timeslots. Having heard him on the air, it really does sound like he cares about his station and works very hard at his job. Hopefully he makes a very good living off of it.
 
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