Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 23, 2008 at 07:26:12:
Mancow Muller to join WLS-AM lineup
Erich "Mancow" Muller, who lost his last full-time Chicago radio job 27 months ago, has signed a letter of intent to host a weekday talk show for Citadel Broadcasting's WLS-AM 890.
Mike Fowler, WLS-AM's president and general manager, confirmed that Muller will replace Jerry Agar in the 9 a.m.-to-11 a.m. slot, beginning Monday. For his first week, he will be paired with Pat Cassidy, who joined WLS from WBBM-AM 780 this summer.
"It's going to bring a lot of energy to the station," Fowler said. "It's a younger version of Rush [Limbaugh], with some Roe Conn thrown in."
Muller, who will continue to do a separate syndicated morning program, did not return a call for comment.
Since Muller's "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" was dropped by Emmis Communications' WKQX-FM 101.1 in July 2006 after eight years at the station and a dozen years on the air in Chicago, he has done commentary for Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" program and public television station WTTW-Ch. 11's "Chicago Tonight."
Marv Nyren, vice president and general manager of Emmis Radio Chicago, said at the time that WKQX declined to re-sign Muller because research showed Muller's program drew very different listeners than the music programming that filled the rest of the station's programming day. He said that the show was at times vulnerable to the wrath of the Federal Communications Commission. But Nyren also cited advertisers' uneasiness with Muller.
Muller, Nyren also said two years ago, was a polarizing figure on arrival in Chicago "and the ad community and even listeners never really forgot it. I would have people call and they would say, `My ad just ran behind the porn star from California who's running for governor.'"
At the time Emmis dropped Muller, the company said his program accounted for $6.5 million of the Q101's $15.5 million in revenue.
(Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune)