In 1995, Dan Mason knew he'd won the crown jewel of Chicago radio when he acquired fabled adult rocker WXRT-FM (93.1) in a $60 million deal with the fledgling sports talker known as (WSCR) the Score.
"We are paying a premium to buy waterfront property, and we see no reason to alter how these stations are operating," Mason said at the time. "All of the key personnel should stay intact."
(Mason later signed WSCR's Mike North to an unheard of contract)
Well, that was then -- and this is now.
On Thursday the very same Dan Mason presided over a wave of cutbacks and consolidations that many fear will destroy the unique culture of WXRT, and consign the station to mediocrity.
In eliminating the WXRT positions of vice president, general manager and sales manager, CBS Radio merged its operations under the Score.
Paul Agase, vice president and general manager of WSCR-AM (670), also will oversee WXRT, while sales will be handled by Peter Bowen in a new CBS group cluster.
Staffers at the famously eclectic Chicago adult-rock outlet were told Thursday that they soon will be leaving their squat, one-story Northwest Side clubhouse at Belmont and Cicero Avenues for more modern downtown accommodations at NBC Tower.
WXRT's sales department is set to move in a few weeks, with the on-air staff supposed to follow in three to four months after changes are made to digitally upgrade the facilities the station will share with all-sports WSCR-AM 670, sources said.

Watch - Dickhead Dan will shit North to mornings at XRT, so he can "compete" against Steve Dull. Thank god for mp3s.

Oops - that should have been "shift."

You were right the first time!!

That's really bad news for XRT. While that station has steadily declined since CBS purchased it (thanks to Clinton's deregulation of the telecommunications industry) over a decade ago, putting it under Paul Agase's control will surely hasten its demise.

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