Johnny B. leaves Loop - Some staffers get to stay

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: November 30, 2009 : UPDATED AS OF 2:50 p.m. with Brandmeier's exit and Byrd getting morning slot. : : LATEST UPDATE: Johnny B. leaves Loop; Byrd flies to mornings : Johnny B.'s on the loose again. : Longtime local radio favorite Jonathon Brandmeier is leaving WLUP-FM 97.9, his Chicago outlet for the last four years and 17 of the last 26. The Emmis Communications station plans to introduce a new show in morning drive Tuesday, moving John "Byrd" Kempf from middays to host. : "We brought John back and he put the Loop back on the map," Emmis Chicago boss Marv Nyren said Monday, waving away all other questions about Brandmeier. "He is among the legendary broadcasters in Chicago radio, if not the legendary broadcaster, and it was a true honor to work with him for the last four years. Whatever he does in the future, I hope I can either watch or listen or read it." : Brandmeier, 53, one of the last big-money radio personalities in the market, signed a one-year Loop contract extension in March reported to be worth at least seven figures through the end of February. Discussions of another renewal are said to have ended last week, and the station substituted Pete McMurray for Brandmeier's Monday shift. : The station subsequently began to scrub Brandmeier from its wlup.com Web site, followed by the naming of Byrd as morning host, the role he held for close to a year before Brandmeier's November 2005 return. With the exception of audio producer Vince Argento, Brandmeier's staff -- including newsman Kent Voss -- was released by Emmis on Monday. : Joining Byrd on news and traffic will be Jill Egan, who has been a contributor to Eddie Webb's afternoon program. Coming off the bench to assume Byrd's old slot will be weekend/fill-in personality Pat Capone. Plans for nighttime will be determined by Wednesday. : Nyren brought Brandmeier back to local airwaves in 2005 after a more than 4-year absence. For Brandmeier, it was a return to the station that had been his home from 1983 to 1997, when he was a force of nature in local media. He later hosted a show for CBS Radio's old WCKG-FM in Chicago from Los Angeles, which he gave up in 2001. : As in 1997, Brandmeier's 2001 contract renewal was reportedly all but signed until collapsing at the 11th hour. : According to Arbitron diary figures, the WCKG show at that time was ranked his midday show No. 1 locally with men between the ages of 25 and 54, his target audience. Only recently did he start to slip from the upper echelon. Arbitron people meter figures for October had Brandmeier's show in 17th place with the same demographic group. : The one-year extension, negotiated for Brandmeier by John Malevitis, was a bet that economic conditions squeezing the radio business at the time might ease up. “Listen,” Brandmeier said then of the deal, “I’m confident in my ability. I’m confident in the show’s ability. And I’m confident the economy will turn around." : Then as now, Chicago Tribune parent Tribune Co.’s WGN-AM 720 was seen as a possible option for Brandmeier when he is contractually free to become a free agent. So is Citadel's WLS-AM 890. : But Johnny B. also has explored television -- he did a short-lived nationally syndicated TV show, "Johnny B. on the Loose," at the height of his radio popularity -- and has expressed interest in possibly exploring that again. : Nyren in March acknowledged that Brandmeier always has had the option -- and forbearance -- to walk away from any and all offers. : “Johnny’s in a position in his life where I don’t think he has to do anything he doesn’t want to do,” Nyren said at that time. : : (Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune)

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