Mancow Joins WLS, Replaces Agar
Just days after Rob Feder offered it up in his last column, Phil Rosenthal confirms that Erich “Mancow” Muller will be joining WLS-AM 890 next week, replacing Jerry Agar in the 9-11am timeslot. Muller will replace Jerry Agar, whose contract reportedly expires this week. Muller will continue to host his syndicated morning show.
It was more than two years ago that Muller was bounced from Q101after eight years with that station. Since then, he’s continued to host his nationally syndicated morning show, distributed by Talk Radio Network. He’s also provided commentary for WTTW-TV Ch. 11on “Chicago Tonight”.
For at least his first week at WLS, Muller will be paired with veteran newsman Pat Cassidy, who jumped to WLS from WBBM-AM earlier this year. Since then, Cassidy has bounced around among different dayparts, playing the roles of news anchor, reporter, and sidekick. It’s not clear if the Muller-Cassidy pairing is a long-term combination.
Muller has long had the “shock jock” label hung on him, despite his occassional forrays into conservative talk radio. His arrival at WLS undoubtedly marks a change in the station’s programming philosophy. For the last seven or eight years, WLS has enjoyed its largest success with reliable conservative talkers like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and morning drive duo of Don & Roma. Mancow takes the station in a less political direction, presumably because the appetite for conservative politics may be waning as this election season comes to and end. At the same time, Don & Roma are days away from the end of their current contract. Could Mancow be test driving the Big 89, in advance of taking over the morning slot?
Don’t be mean to Jim Johnson! He’s a sweet guy. I need more of Jerry Agar and Debra Rowe!!! What WLS could have done was bring in Larry Elder for more balance. Love DW and Roma, Rush, Hannity and Levin. I agree with the sentiment that there was a point Don Wade was weakened by the fear of the fairness doctrine. He’s back– I think.
Mancow is growing on me but I can do without the shock jock-esque characters- “gay producer” and so forth. Pat should stay in the newsroom with his colleague Ron Magers.
Roe Conn is lost to us forever. His head is in the clouds and his eyes are fixed to syndication/or t.v. dollars in the sky. If there was ever anyone who kisses up to the ruling party,to avoid the fairness doctrine hitting him, he is it! How weak is he!