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We’ve all heard MJ talk about how the Q105 management team promised the crew a new studio to work in at some point after the MJ Morning Show returned to the Tampa Bay airwaves in October of 2020. We’ve also heard MJ use a wide range of analogies to describe the crew’s current studio setup, everything from “shoebox” to “dump” to “hell hole.”

However, over 40 months later, the crew is still waiting for a larger and more visually appealing space for MJTV that would offer them a better line of sight and the opportunity to have more guests in the studio without essentially sitting on top of each other. They’re also hoping to get an updated console and equipment which apparently dates back to 2006.

That’s why a few weeks ago, MJ called a meeting with some of the “top dogs” at Q105 and within the Beasley Media Group company. This included Brian Beasley himself. MJ said he essentially demanded that they finally provide them with new digs. After the meeting, it was agreed upon that the show would ultimately move into a new studio by Q3 of 2024, meaning between July and September of this year. MJ said the move should realistically happen by mid- to late September.

Because the crew has been waiting for so long, there is no guarantee that this new studio will actually happen this year. In other words, they’ll believe it when they see it. But MJ seemed pretty optimistic for the first time when he brought this up recently. Let’s all cross our fingers that the new studio is finally coming. Not only does the crew deserve it, but it would put an end to the ongoing saga of the over-the-top descriptors MJ likes to use to paint a picture of their current arrangement. And who knows…such a setup could bring interns onto this version of the morning show for the first time and even opportunities to do more stunts with additional space.

Over the years, MJ and the crew have handed out a huge variety of prizes, from plastic surgery to Microsoft Surface Pro tablets to dash cams to Japanese rice cookers.

The MJ Morning Show’s contest this past week – dubbed “MJ Bill Pay” – was designed to kick off the new year by giving away a total of $20,000 to listeners to help them pay off their inflated holiday credit card bills. During every hour of the program, listeners could win $1,000 in cash by being a certain number caller and identifying the name of the previous hour’s winner.

During the 7 a.m. hour on Monday morning, a woman named Peggy called in and correctly identified the 6 a.m. winner to collect a cool grand. However, right before MJ was about to pass her over to Andrew, Fester piped up and asked Peggy whether they should mention who she actually was, totally throwing MJ for a loop. It turned out to be his 85-year-old aunt, his late mother’s sister, who happens to live in St. Petersburg.

Many radio station contests come with legal fine print about who is eligible to win. Because Peggy is related to Fester, the crew immediately investigated whether she was allowed to participate in the contest and win a prize on the station where her nephew works. It was determined that several categories of “immediate family” relatives were not eligible. However, aunts and uncles were not specifically included in the rules as being ineligible.

Later that morning after MJ and the crew signed off for the day, promotions director Tyson Jones sent out an internal email to the Beasley Media Group team which MJ read on the air about a new update to all contest rules. The language was updated to now include a mention of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Because this change was apparently made in response to Aunt Peggy winning, she still took home the money.

It just shows that you never know who is listening and calling in to radio stations. It also demonstrates that, on this rare occasion, Fester was actually honest about something for once.

In 2022, MJ played up the fact that his morning show contract with Q105 was coming to an end at the end of the year. He ultimately agreed to a one-year deal that would take him through 2023.

This year, he did mention his looming contract expiration again, but he didn’t quite play it up as much until the last two months or so. On Friday, December 15, the last live show of the year for the crew, MJ revealed that he had agreed to a multiyear contract to remain hosting the MJ Morning Show on Q105. However, the agreement was in principle, and he had not signed any paperwork prior to leaving for Christmas vacation in Colorado. The same thing occurred last year in which he was apparently able to remotely sign the agreement from the ski slopes on his phone.

This time around, Roxanne cautioned MJ about signing his contract before the end of the calendar year. Because “Mercury retrograde” runs through January 1 and is supposedly a period in which bad things can happen, she thought he should wait to put pen to paper until January 2. He basically dismissed this warning as “hocus pocus” like he does for some of Roxanne’s claims.

It’s exciting but also somewhat surprising that MJ would agree to a multiyear deal this time – likely for two or three years – after only inking a one-year extension last year. He has made it clear that he is not happy with the fact that the crew has not received a new studio to work in for over three years after being promised this when he first came to Q105 in 2020. In addition, he doesn’t think the Nielsen ratings accurately and consistently represent the true listenership to the program.

However, it is clear that the station has given him the creative freedom he demands for the show, i.e. essentially phasing out music almost entirely from the broadcast. In addition, advertisers have been extremely happy with the show’s reach and impact on their businesses. This is a big motivating factor for MJ as well who is certainly reaping the benefits of acquiring and retaining these sponsors. He has also mentioned his enjoyment for doing the show with the current crew. Finally, the station must be paying him enough – relative to today’s lesser salaries in the radio industry – to keep him coming back.

Regardless of the reasons, it’s fantastic to know that the MJ Morning Show should continue on the air for at least a few more years.

If you’ve listened to MJ and the MJ Morning Show on Q105 or its former station for any length of time, you’ve likely picked up on several key phrases MJ is known for uttering regularly. Let’s take a look at six of the biggest “MJ-isms.”

1) “Haven’t even scratched the surface…”: When MJ is talking about things coming up during a particular show, he’ll often use this phrase to imply that the crew has plenty more “scratching” of the “surface” to do. His obvious goal is to ensure listeners don’t tune out because of how much material is in the hopper to be discussed– and what great content they will miss if they do, such as the “9:10 must-hear story.”

2) “A lot to get to…”: It rarely matters what day of the week it is, or even how much time is left during a given broadcast. MJ always says he’s got lots of material to cover. While this might sound like hyperbole at times, it is absolutely true that he is a show prep machine, and he does consistently leave tons of content on the table after each show ends. If only he had time to do a post-show podcast with the leftovers…

3) “Stand by”: Another key phrase MJ will mention is for listeners to stand by and not leave their radio, whether they listen at home, in the car, on Alexa, or through one of the many apps.

4) “Little Cayman”: This is a tiny little island within the Cayman Islands that MJ and his family have been visiting for years, mostly for scuba diving. MJ always pronounces it “Cay-man” rather than “Cay-min” like most others will say when referring to the Cayman Islands or Grand Cayman.

5) “Unbelievable”: This might be MJ’s favorite adjective, if not word in general. When talking about crazy happenings in stories the crew is discussing, it’s one of his go-to keywords. On occasion, he draws it out into two specific syllables, saying “un-believable.”

6) “Cauliflower”: Primarily a white vegetable, but one that also surprisingly comes in yellow, green, and purple hues, MJ seems to mention this word once in a while when talking about the various dishes he is known to cook. However, the crew always chides him on his pronunciation of the word, saying “colly-flower.”

She always brought the laughs, the upbeat personality, and sometimes a bit too much early-morning energy for the crew to even handle in the studio. Now, she is moving on to a new chapter in her life.

On Friday, September 1, Wacky Jacquie bid farewell to the MJ Morning Show, Q105, and the Beasley Media Group for the final time. A sales assistant for the radio station complex in St. Petersburg, FL, Jacquie made numerous appearances on the show in her brief stint with Beasley. She has a highly infectious laugh, and she has designed some very clever, hilarious graphics featuring the members of the morning show for various holidays. Plus, Fester claims she had the best candy jar game going on in the office.

At one point, Fester made some comments about Jacquie during a Facebook Live stream that almost turned her into an enemy of the crew. He said that he could only handle her “in small doses” due to her highly energetic personality. After Jacquie shed a few tears over the incident, the two later went out to lunch and apparently made up.

A few months ago, Wacky Jacquie thought she was on the brink of being terminated from her sales job. She admitted to posting some not-so-flattering comments on social media about some of her colleagues and superiors, and she apparently had meetings with some of the higher-ups. Fortunately, they retained her for the time being, and she was able to part ways with the company on her own terms.

Jacquie decided to move back to her native Ohio – the town of Mansfield, specifically – where her sister lives. Fester joked that this is the perfect name for a place for Jacquie to be as she is in search of a man. Hopefully we will still hear her voice on the air if she decides to call in, and she promised to still contribute some graphic design work to the program. We wish Wacky Jacquie all the best in her future endeavors!

Creative Loafing, a popular publication in the Tampa Bay area, is running its annual “Best of the Bay” contest for 2023. A wide range of people, places, businesses, and services from around the area are in the running to be named the “best of the bay” for this year.

In the “best radio show” category, the MJ Morning Show on Q105 is among the shows up for a vote. Click here to vote for the MJ Morning Show. Voting ends on August 31, 2023. Winners will be invited to a reception at the end of September to be recognized.

Let’s make sure MJ and the crew get all of our votes to win this awesome award!