The first song played after the flip was Rise Against’s “Satellite”. (Hat tip to Radio Insight.)

As the launch of Q87 took place, the station tweeted, (@Q877Chicago) “Yep, we just birthed this bitch. WKQX and Alternative are back in Chicago on 87.7FM!” The station is also on Facebook here.

Just a few short weeks after entering into a limited marketing agreement with Venture Technologies Group, Merlin Media and its investor group are making good on their promise to restore alt rock to the airwaves in Chicago, which have been lacking that format since they took it off last summer.

Currently, WLFM-LP 87.7 has been stunting with a simulcast of FM News 101.1, but that will change at some point on Monday when the call letters become WKQX-LP. The station will be helmed by longtime Randy Michaels acolyte Jim Richards, who worked with Michaels at Jacor, Clear Channel, and most recently at Tribune Media, which he left in November of 2010. For most of last year, he programed an alt/hot AC station in Seattle until an abrupt departure at the end of 2011. Richards will assume the title of Operations Manager for both WKQX-LP and WLUP-FM.

The unusual nature of the 87.7 frequency leaves a lot of doubt about the viability of the station. Technically, 87.7 isn’t really a radio station. It’s the audio portion of a low power TV station broadcasting on Ch. 6. The FCC has allowed the frequency to be used for radio broadcasts as long as video is also being transmitted on the analog frequency for Ch. 6. However, in September of 2015, all low power TV stations will be forced to convert to digital, which would render 87.7 completely useless for radio broadcasting.

Merlin Media is also expected to launch a new format on 106.9 FM in Philadelphia, which will reportedly be branded as “IQ 106.9″ with a news/talk format.

At the end of 2011, Sandberg and Dahl parted ways after budget constraints forced cuts in the operation. Since her departure, she has worked for several local event and media companies until landing in her new role at B96.

In the latest Abitron ratings, the “J & Julian” show ranked fifth in persons 18-34.

Send your congrats to Mary on Twitter and Facebook.

Sarosky is upset after seeing a new billboard for Merlin Media’s FM New 101.1 which depicts the former governor with the phrase, “He Never Listens.” The attorney claims that to use Blago’s image on a billboard without obtaining consent might be a violation of Illinois’ Right to Publicity Act. That law precludes the use of a person’s identity for commercial purposes unless consent is granted.

Sarosky told Crain’s Chicago Business, “I don’t think they got Rod Blagojevich’s consent to do this. The question is, what do we do? We haven’t made any decision yet, but it clearly seems to be a violation of the law.”

Merlin Media hasn’t offered any official statement on the matter and won’t disclose how many of the billboards they’ve placed or how long the image of Blago will stay on the billboard.

You can listen to the podcast here:

Lazare has continually promoted this idea of “The Score” being heard on one of CBS’ FM sticks, if not 105.9 then 104.3, the current home of JACK-FM. The problem with this idea is that it simply doesn’t make any sense. What advantage would CBS gain by putting a station already transmitting on a 50kw AM license that can be heard throughout the Midwest on an FM stick with a considerably smaller coverage pattern? The quick answer always seems to be demographics. Most of the popular wisdom suggests that the AM band skews much older than the FM band. Advertisers like younger listeners with disposable income, so the FM stations are more desirable. However, both Lazare and Sherman point out that “The Score” and ESPN 1000 WMVP-AM both do very well in the highly coveted 25-54 year-old demographic.

Lazare:

In the key 25- to 54-year-old adult demo Monday through Sunday, WSCR was in a tie for ninth place in the most recent December Arbitron ratings.

Sherman:

In the fall ratings book, both stations were tied for first in men ages 25-54, the demographic that means the most to advertisers on sports talk radio.

Would “The Score” really pick up that many younger listeners if they were heard on the FM band? It seems like they are doing fairly well with the old AM stick.

CBS also likes offering demographic cells to advertisers. While Fresh FM hasn’t done phenomenal numbers yet, it offers advertisers a nice supplemental audience to the already strong US99. Sacrificing that marketing opportunity to “The Score” seems like a strange move. In 2008, “The Score” billed $15.7 million in a down economy, putting it ahead of “The Loop”, Q101, and JACK-FM, and just behind “The Drive” and KISS-FM. The sports talker is hardly struggling.

Additionally, CBS just brought int veteran programmer Bill Gamble to run Fresh FM. Gamble’s track record has generally been pretty good, so it would be unlikely that CBS would pull the plug on the format without giving Gamble time to do his magic.

There does not appear to be a compelling argument for CBS to do anything with “The Score” other than leave it alone on the AM band.

What about the idea of a third sports talker in Chicago?

This idea seems a little more possible, but it’s unlikely that it would resemble either “The Score” or ESPN 1000. Sherman points out that there are some major markets that can sustain more than two sports talk stations, but in the case of Dallas’ KTCK-FM “The Ticket”, the station is a hybrid sports talk / hot talk station, that is less about the X’s and O’s the big game and more about DD’s, if you get the drift. It’s possible that a creative programmer in Chicago could make it work, but so-called “hot talk” in Chicago has a mixed recent history.

There’s also the issue of play-by-play sports availability. Much of the revenue lifeblood of sports talk stations comes from this type of programming. WGN-AM has already locked down the Cubs and Blackhawks for the foreseeable future. The Bears aren’t leaving WBBM-AM anytime soon. The White Sox seem content on “The Score”. The Bulls already had a brief stint on WCKG-FM a few season ago, before the station flipped. There may be some college teams looking for new homes, but those are hardly compelling selling points for a new station.

To play armchair programmer, what about a station that features some combination of  Dan Patrick, Steve Dahl, Dennis Miller, Bruce Wolf, Matt Abbatacola, and Bill Leff? There would be plenty of sports, but there would also be a lot of talk about a lot of other topics that appeal to men —pop culture, politics, women, etc. The talent seems to be out there. Is there a broadcast company willing to take the risk?

In an interview with Feder earlier this week, Damsky hinted that the change would be coming:

My top priority is make sure WLS is being programmed to best showcase the talent that we have. We have great individual shows, but now we need to maximize their value and restore the luster of the WLS brand

Shomper has been with the station for just over a year. He came to WLS in one of the more bizarre personnel realignments in recent memory. Shomper had come from WBAP-AM in Dallas to program WGN in 2006. In late 2008, frustrated with the slow pace of change at WGN, he essentially negotiated with his current employer, WGN, and WLS to make the jump. He landed at WLS, ousting previous PD Kipper McGee. Meanwhile, WGN brought in Kevin Metheny.

During his tenure at WLS, Shomper inherited a recently re-signed morning duo of Don Wade & Roma, the oddball pairing of Mancow of Pat Cassidy, and a quickly sinking afternoon show in Roe Conn. Shomper also brought in Illinois’ disgraced ex-governor Rod Blagojevich to host a weekend shift. The Mancow & Cassidy experiment seems destined to fail, as rumors swirl that Cassidy is working on an exit from WLS that would let him return to WBBM-AM. Roe Conn recently brought in a new partner Cisco Cotto, who effectively replaces Amy Jacobson, who replaced Bill Leff & Christina Filiaggi earlier this year.

There does not appear to be a timetable for Damsky to replace Shomper, but there should be a clear sense of urgency. While Don & Roma continue to over-perform their age and ability at this point in their career, the popular wisdom is that they are working out the last three years of what will be their final contract. There is no apparent successor in place. The unusual revenue sharing deal that has put Mancow into mid-days may be helping the station’s bottom line, but it’s not doing much to, “restore the luster of the WLS brand,” as Damsky hopes to do. The strategy to add Cotto to Conn’s show seems to be a last gasp attempt to salvage the once untouchable afternoon drive shift on WLS when Conn and Garry Meier were paired together. It’s too early to tell whether listeners will take to the new team.

To top off the challenges already laid out before the incoming PD are the health concerns that plague Rush Limbaugh, who has been a fixture on WLS since its inception. At some point, Limbaugh will close the book on his remarkable career and his replacement — either a new syndicated show or a local show — will need to be chosen.

The elimination of Sirott’s show coincides with another of cost-cutting moves, including the release of Dave Stewart, the station’s City Hall reporter and a 28-year veteran.  Others released this week include “Sports Central” weekend co-host  Glen Koslowski, producer of the Steve Cochran show Rick O’Connor, and producer of the Milt Rosenberg show Zack Christenson.

The company is under increasing pressure to cut costs as realign programming priorities as parent company the Tribune Company attempts to emerge from bankruptcy All of these moves come amid speculation that WGN is negotiating with Jonathan Brandmeier to join the station, either in afternoon or morning drive.

It’s unclear if the elimination of the producer positions for Cochran’s show and Rosenberg’s show indicates that either or both of those show may soon be coming to and end. There seems to be little doubt that Cochran will not be re-signed by the company at the end of his current contract.

Feder claims, without attribution, that Brandmeier was seen recently at WGN, inspecting the studios, in full view of station staff. If true, that doesn’t, in and of itself, mean that Johnny B will be joining WGN. But multiple sources are reporting that the station has essentially cut off talks with Steve Cochrane about renewing his deal.  The rumors of Johnny B afternoon show have become more intense since Brandmeier abruptly left the Loop WLUP-FM 97.9 in November when Emmis Communications chose not to renew his deal.

In the meantime, Brandmeier released a parody video, spoofing his recent membership in the ranks of the unemployed. In the closing scene of the video, Brandmeier is shown standing outside of the Tribune Tower, holding up a sign that says, “Will Work.”

If WGN does decide to bring Brandmeier to afternoons, it will certainly demonstrate that the station is moving in a very different direction than what it’s traditionally been known for. Since the arrival of PD Kevin Metheny, the station moved out-of-towner Greg Jarrett into morning drive, replacing John Williams, who had replaced Spike O’Dell only a few months earlier. Williams then took the late morning slot previously held by Kathy & Judy. In addition, Garry Meier returned from radio exile to helm the early afternoon shift.

Many believe that Metheny is attempting to position WGN to appeal to a younger audience, to better compete for the coveted 25-54 year-0ld demographic. It’s questionable whether hiring Meier (age 60) and Jarrett (age 57) will really achieve that goal. Hiring Brandmeier (age 53) wouldn’t do much to skew the station line-up much younger. But as Johnny B has long said, “We’re all crazy in Chicago.”