Whatever Happened To

TJ Connors

By Jay Cooper Contributor / Musican

TJ Connors is one of the funniest announcers on radio today. So where is he now? We caught up to TJ to see how life is treating him.

TJ: Hey! Is this that long-haired rocker, Jay Coop? (laughs)

TJ: The family is good! My daughter is 7½ and my son is 2½ . She’s in grade 2 and really enjoying school. I kind of wonder if she’s really mine because she likes school. The jury is still out on that. (laughs) My son likes hockey and likes to eat, so he is definitely mine. Chelsea (TJ’s wife) is great and has put up with me for 12 years so I must be doing something above average. (laughs)

ATOTK: Yes it is, my friend. Just older and not so cute anymore. (laughs) How are you doing?

TJ: I have no complaints you find me in the frozen tundra of Winnipeg Manitoba, it’s a balmy minus 28 today and yeah we’re enjoying it. Suppose to get a little break in the cold action next week so that will be nice.

ATOTK: The family has adjusted to the landscape and weather in the west?

ATOTK: You grew up in Winnipeg. Was it your father’s career in radio that pushed you into the broadcast field?

TJ: In 2004 I was working in construction and listening to the radio all day, everyday. When my Dad had his first cancer diagnosis (stage 4 bladder cancer) we didn’t know what the outcome would be. He wanted to do a cross Canada trip to visit all the stations and friends from his career. So we started in Montreal and did a Legion tour of north western Ontario, stopping for a day each time. We made our way to Calgary where I spent a few days at a station there and got bit by the bug, so to speak. I sent out ten demos across the country and Lindsay was one that got back to me. I did not go to Broadcasting school. As my dad would say, ‘I went to Clown College’. (laughs)

ATOTK: You’re now on 92.1 back in the Peg.

TJ: Yup 92.1 Citi working for Rogers and have been here just over a year now. Before that I was at Hits 97.7 in St.Catharines and was there for 2 years. It was cool to go there, as it was a place where my Dad had worked from 1988 to 1992. It’s a legendary station. It’s called the Whitehouse of Rock for a reason. Just an old haunted white house and I worked with people that worked with my Dad. It was a great experience. I love the Niagara area and had no plans on leaving, but sometimes you get an offer that you can’t refuse. Everyone has a price, as Ted DiBiase (The Million Dollar Man/Wrestler) said, so I made the jump and came back to my hometown, Winnipeg.

TJ and his father, legendary DJ Scruff Connors

ATOTK: I’m so very sorry about the passing of your father (Scruff Connors). We had a ton of laughs together.

TJ: Yeah, I know. It is 3 years now. Dec 18th, 2016. I was living in Kamloops BC at the time and got a message on December 17th from the hospital. He’d been taken off a train in Hornepayne Ontario coming back to Toronto, he loved to ride VIA Rail. He got off the train for a breath of fresh air and had a stroke. They couldn’t air lift him out because of the weather. I got up the next day with messages from my uncle that he had passed away.

ATOTK: Our friendship started when you were working in Lindsay and then here in Peterborough. What did you love about the Kawarthas?

TJ: I was first exposed to the Kawartha area while in Lindsay in 2006. There’s just a great sense of community. The spirit of enjoying the outdoors, the scenery and affordable housing prices compared to the GTA. A little more quiet and quaint. And the people were great to me. People would jump on charity drives that we were doing for one of the many organizations in the area. The proximity to the GTA to visit or the airport was great. My in-laws were in Kingston, so far enough away but close enough if we needed a baby sitter. (laughs) It was a great experience for me and helped shape my career. Also getting to ride in the Jay Cooper hearse was a highlight for me. And our gigs (Band Bash) up on Stoney Lake together!

ATOTK: What has been your best gig so far?

TJ: I can take something positive away from every job from the Kawarthas to Niagara. But I love my job here in Winnipeg, and I’m truly back home.

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