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Todd Andrew Schnitt (born January 24, 1966), known professionally as Todd Schnitt and MJ Kelli, is an American radio DJ and was previously a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
host. Beginning in October 2020, he began hosting the "MJ Morning Show" on "Q105," 104.7
WRBQ-FM WRBQ-FM (104.7 MHz, "Q105") is a commercial radio station licensed to Tampa, Florida, airing a classic hits radio format. Owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group, its studios are on Executive Center Drive North, near Gandy Boulevard in St. Pete ...
in
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. Until July 2023, he hosted '' The Schnitt Show'', an afternoon
drive time Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
talk program whose
flagship station In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...
was WHFS 1010 AM in Tampa, and was nationally syndicated by
Compass Media Networks Compass Media Networks is an American radio network. The company launched in January 2009. It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann. The company focuses on radio and offers representation and m ...
.InsideRadio.com "Schnitt Show Ends" June 21, 2023. Retrieved Aug. 11, 2023
/REF> He co-hosted a morning drive time talk show on WOR 710 AM in New York with
Len Berman Leonard Berman (born June 14, 1947) is an American television sportscaster and journalist who is based in New York City. He is currently hosting the morning show on WOR along with Michael Riedel. Berman is widely known for his television c ...
from January 2015 until October 19, 2017. Schnitt was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and raised in
Nanuet, New York Nanuet is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of Pearl River, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west of West Nyack. ...
, and
Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...
. He is a graduate of Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach. He has worked in radio since he was 16 and has used the stage name "MJ Kelli" in hosting shows at the
Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, and
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
markets from 1986 to 2012 and beginning again in October 2020. From 1994 to 2012, Schnitt was morning drive time host of ''The MJ Morning Show'' (known before 2001 as ''The MJ and BJ Morning Show'') at Tampa
top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
station WFLZ-FM and select other
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
stations. In 2001, Schnitt launched an afternoon talk program ''The Schnitt Show'' on
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
radio station
WIOD WIOD (610 AM) is a commercial radio station in Miami, serving South Florida. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, The studios are on SW 145th Avenue in Pembroke Pines. WIOD's transmitter site is on Krome Avenue in Wes ...
. ''The Schnitt Show'' later expanded to other markets, including Tampa station WFLA in 2002. The show now airs live on Money Talk 1010 WHFS from 3-6 p.m. Eastern.


Early life and broadcast career beginnings

Schnitt was born in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
and grew up in
Nanuet, New York Nanuet is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of Pearl River, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west of West Nyack. ...
. Schnitt has credited New York City station MusicRadio 77 WABC with his interest in radio broadcasting. As a young boy growing up in Nanuet, New York in the early 1970s, Schnitt became fascinated by WABC and listened as much as possible. In late 1976, Schnitt's family moved to
Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...
. In 1982, at the age of 16, Schnitt landed his first part-time job at WCPK in
Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is an independent city in Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,422, making it the second-most populous city in Virginia, the tenth largest in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 92nd-most populous city in the ...
. During his high school years he worked at numerous
Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean. ...
, area stations including
WVAB WVAB was a commercial radio station licensed to serve Virginia Beach, Virginia, at 1550 AM, and serviced parts of the Hampton Roads region. The station broadcast from 1954 to 2018, ceasing operations when owner Birach Broadcasting Corporation ...
,
WNIS WNIS (790 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads media market. WNIS is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. It airs a talk radio format. WNIS has studios and offices on Wat ...
and WNVZ (Z-104). Schnitt attended
Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca (town), New York, Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a Music school, conservatory of music. Ithaca College is known for its media-related programs and entertainment program ...
in New York and worked at the Cornell student-run station,
WVBR WVBR-FM (93.5 FM) is a student-owned and volunteer-run college radio station in Ithaca, New York. It airs an alternative rock format on weekdays with talk and variety programs on weekends. It is owned by a non-profit organization, the Co ...
. In 1986, he returned to the Hampton Roads area and scored his first full-time radio job at WRSR-FM (97Star), which soon reverted to the callsign
WGH-FM WGH-FM (97.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Newport News, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. WGH-FM is owned and operated by Max Media and airs a country music radio format. It uses the branding "97.3 The Eagle". Studios and off ...
. The name ''MJ Kelli'' was first used at WGH-FM. The name MJ was created because the 97Star program director was adamant that Todd Schnitt was not a good radio name. In 1988, Schnitt was recruited to leave WGH-FM (97 Star) and cross the street to Top 40 rival radio station WNVZ-FM (Z104) because Schnit's 6-10 p.m. Eastern nighttime show on WGH was the only show beating WNVZ in the nighttime ratings In 1989, after just a little over a year at WNVZ, Schnitt was hired by Scott Shannon at Pirate Radio, KQLZ in Los Angeles as creative director, assistant program director and morning show cast member. Schnitt later rejoined Shannon at the revamping of
WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, licensed to New York, New York. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), based in Franklin, Tennessee, it broadcasts EMF's Christian adult contemporary formatted p ...
, New York which had originally signed on as Mojo Radio in April, 1991. Schnitt left New York City in October 1992 to start The ''MJ Kelli Morning Show'', his first morning-drive program (6-10 a.m.) on WOVV (Star 95.5), West Palm Beach, Florida. In February 1994, he was brought to Tampa, Florida to anchor the new morning show on WFLZ-FM (The Power Pig). Schnitt was teamed up with BJ Harris, the Power Pig's program director, to form the ''MJ and BJ Morning Show''. Harris left the show on February 7, 2001. The show was renamed ''The MJ Morning Show''.


''The MJ Morning Show''

Schnitt hosted ''The MJ Morning Show'' under his "MJ Kelli" personality. The show was broadcast Monday through Friday 6-10 am on flagship WFLZ-FM—Tampa and syndicated to KSLZ—St. Louis (Z107.7),
WKSL WKSL (97.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Neptune Beach, Florida, and serving the Jacksonville metropolitan area. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. WKSL airs a contemporary h ...
—Jacksonville, Florida and
WFKS WFKS (95.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a contemporary hit radio station serving Florida's Space Coast area. The iHeartMedia outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 4.3 kW and is licensed to Melbourne, Florida. History The station was branded as 95.1 ...
—Melbourne, Florida (95.1 KISS-FM). The show focused on current events, lifestyle news, pop-culture and personal experiences. The program had been mostly a talk and humor format but played about two songs per hour. Schnitt relaunched the "MJ Morning Show" in Tampa on October 5, 2020, on 104.7 WRBQ-FM with returning cast members Fester and Froggy along with newcomer Roxanne Wilder. During the original run of the morning show, Schnitt's Tampa-area rival was Bubba the Love Sponge Clem, morning host at rock stations WXTB and later
WHPT WHPT (102.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Sarasota, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. Owned by Cox Media Group, it broadcasts a hot talk format. It is also the flagship station for Tampa Bay Lightning hockey and carrie ...
. In March 2008, Schnitt sued Clem for
defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
of him and his wife. A Jury found Clem "not guilty" on all counts. The Schnitts subsequently refused to pay the remainder of their attorneys’ fees, after paying roughly $1 million. In March 2016, a jury partially sided with the Schnitts’ former legal firm and awarded the firm an additional $669,200. It was announced on January 19, 2012, that Todd Schnitt would be doing the last "MJ morning show" broadcast on February 17, 2012. He continued hosting his political talk show ''The Schnitt Show'', which broadcasts afternoons. In October 2019, Schnitt teamed up with two former members of the show, Fester and Froggy, to launch an "MJ Morning Show Reunion Podcast" which was discontinued in November 2020 after the live morning show was relaunched the month prior on WRBQ-FM. He also started a podcast with Fark.com founder Drew Curtis called "Fark and Schnitt" in September 2019 and discontinued it in the summer of 2020.


''The Schnitt Show''

'' The Schnitt Show'' was a conservative radio talk show that aired Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m.
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...
. It was based at Tampa's "Money Talk 1010 WHFS" and also aired on 92.1 and 103.1 FM in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Schnitt described himself as a "fiercely independent conservative with
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
influence." The show consisted of news, political commentary, lifestyle and pop-culture with sound bites and parody material. ''The Schnitt Show'' was syndicated by
Compass Media Networks Compass Media Networks is an American radio network. The company launched in January 2009. It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann. The company focuses on radio and offers representation and m ...
and was heard on nearly 60 stations across America. The program first launched on October 1, 2001, on WIOD in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. After
The Glenn Beck Radio Program ''The Glenn Beck Radio Program'' is an American conservative talk radio show, hosted by commentator Glenn Beck on over 400 radio stations across America, his company's own TheBlaze Radio Network, with a live television simulcast weekdays on The ...
was discontinued on WFLA, Schnitt took over the 3-6 p.m. slot on 970 WFLA in Tampa starting January 3, 2002. In 2013, the flagship station for The Schnitt Show was moved to 1250 WHNZ. In October 2020, the show's flagship station moved to Money Talk 1010 WHFS in Tampa. Schnitt joined WRBQ-FM to relaunch the "MJ Morning Show" on Q105 and now works for Beasley Media Group. In June 2023, Schnitt announced he would be ending "The Schnitt Show" on July 28, 2023, after nearly 22 years.InsideRadio.com "Schnitt Show Ends" June 21, 2023. Retrieved Aug. 11, 2023
/ref> After working two radio jobs, 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays on Q105 and 3 to 6 p.m. on "The Schnitt Show," he decided to concentrate on the morning program and leave his afternoon talk radio gig.


Personal life

Todd Schnitt is married to Michelle Schnitt, an attorney and former Hillsborough County prosecutor. They have two children, Chloe (b. 2001) and Julian (b. 2005) as well as two Jack Russell Terriers. Schnitt is also a self-described automobile enthusiast and an avid scuba diver and skier. Schnitt is a 2007 graduate of the Tampa FBI Citizens Academy, an invitation-only program offered by numerous FBI field offices around the country. In that same year, Schnitt flew with the
Blue Angels The Blue Angels, formally named the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, are a Aerobatics, flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.. Blue Angels official site. Formed in 1946, the unit is the second oldest formal aerobatics ...
in a two-seater F/A-18 Hornet jet #7 from their NAS
Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...
headquarters
video
. Schnitt has also experienced a jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) in "Fat Albert," the Blue Angels' C-130T Hercules transport at
MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
in Tampa.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnitt, Todd 1966 births Living people American talk radio hosts American libertarians Florida Republicans Newsmax TV people Radio personalities from Tampa, Florida People from Nanuet, New York Ithaca College alumni People from Virginia Beach, Virginia Radio personalities from Virginia Radio personalities from New York City