Mancow's done with Q101

Today was the last time Mancow will wake you up on Q101.

The final live airing of DJ Erich "Mancow" Muller and his Morning Madhouse was Tuesday, 101.1-FM General Manager Marv Nyren told RedEye.

"It's just not what it used to be," Nyren said of the shock jock's morning radio show. "I felt a little bad; I think he wanted to stick around. But it's the best thing to do knowing his audience. Best for both of us."

According to Nyren, the station will air previously aired Mancow shows Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He also said that the station offered Mancow the opportunity to record "thank-yous" and other statements to be aired through Friday, but the DJ had not responded to the station by early Tuesday afternoon.

In a news release Tuesday Macow said: "To expand my audience without interference I need a new partner."

Mancow's Morning Madhouse has aired on Q101 since 1998.

Beginning Monday, Q101 will kick off the music-focused "Summer of Shuffle," hosted by James Van Osdol, according to the company statement.

"Mancow has been an enormous asset to Q101, and we're grateful to him for his eight great years at the station," Mike Stern, vice president of programming for Emmis Radio Chicago, said in the statement. "Mancow is a tremendous talent, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

About half of the Mancow's Morning Madhouse may be asked to stay at the station, said Nyren.

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I put this in the Mike North morning show just to keep this in the morning show's info.

Anyways, what was the deal here ? I thought Mancow's ratings were still good. Have they dropped ?

I know Mancow is a bit on the childish side, but if the Score is looking for a morning show that would attract some attention (unless his ratings have totally bombed), would you guys like this move ? The score seems open to a non-sports show in the morning, so if you forced to listen to North talk politics or Mancow talk about strippers, I'd probably choose the stripper talk.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Mancow would be a definite step down from North.

Moving on from Q101, Mancow looks forward
For all practical purposes, the Era of Mancow -- the eight-year run of Mathew Erich Muller at WKQX-FM (101.1) -- quietly ended at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
At the conclusion of a typical installment of "Mancow's Morning Madhouse," Muller was informed that he'd just finished his last show for the Emmis Communications alternative rock station.
Highlights of past shows will air for the rest of this week, and Muller's contract will be paid through its expiration on Aug. 25.
Considering the headline on the front page of Tuesday's Sun-Times ("MANCOW OFF AIR? Q101 morning man could be leaving station today"), the official word should have come as no surprise.
Also out at Q101 are eight staffers associated with the show, including on-air mainstays Jeff "Turd" Renzetti and Ken "Al Roker Jr." Smith.
Offered the opportunity to tape a message to listeners, Muller declined, saying: "I'm not in the mood to record a goodbye to Q101."
He otherwise seemed in fine spirits Tuesday, expressing his usual confidence and optimism despite the setback.
"Twelve years ago, I fell off the turnip truck in Chicago with a crazy dream, and I honestly can say that my wildest dreams have been fulfilled," he said. "I believe my show is the future of radio, and I'm going to be back and save FM radio the way Rush [Limbaugh] saved AM.
"I wish my old station luck, but no looking back. I have huge plans and huge ideas."
His first goal is to secure a new studio for "Mancow's Morning Madhouse," which is syndicated to about two dozen affiliates nationwide. Although his show no longer will be heard in Chicago (at least for the time being), Muller hopes to reassemble his staff and resume live broadcasts by Monday.
Also on Monday, Q101 will begin airing an interim morning show of alternative music "on shuffle," hosted by overnight personality James VanOsdol.
"I'm thrilled to be at 'Ground Zero' for Q101's rededication to the alternative format," VanOsdol said. "I got into radio because I love music. There's no better station for me to be at or situation to be in."
If all goes as planned, Q101 expects to launch a brand new morning show on Sept. 18 -- three days before the start of Arbitron's fall ratings period. The new show will feature an ensemble cast of as many as 10 with a focus on topical humor.
"It's an exciting time here at Q101," said Marv Nyren, vice president and general manager. " 'Q101 on Shuffle' -- which represents 85 percent of our weekly programming -- has proven to be incredibly popular with our listenership, primarily composed of individuals within the 18-to-49 [age] demographic.
"In light of this, we've decided that the time has come for us to develop a morning show that will better serve the needs and sensibilities of this audience. These changes will provide our core listeners with a format that they can enjoy continuously, all day, every day."
Nyren and other Emmis executives acknowledge they've taken a big risk in choosing not to renew the contract of their No. 1 franchise -- a demonstrably popular personality whose show has made tens of millions of dollars over the years.
In the end, their decision came down to concerns that they'd lost control over the show to demands of syndication and that the disparity between Muller's audience (mostly men between the ages of 18 and 24) and the station's overall target audience (adults between 18 and 49) was growing wider.
One other key to their calculated risk was the belief that Muller would not soon be hired by a competitor in the market.
Mike Stern, vice president of programming at Emmis, praised Muller's contribution.
"Mancow has been an enormous asset to Q101, and we're grateful to him for his eight great years at the station," Stern said. "Mancow is a tremendous talent, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
"While we are sad to part ways, for Q101 to continue to grow and expand our audience, we realize that it's important for us to provide listeners with a morning show with broader appeal that better fits the tone of the rest of the station's programming. We believe we have that show and will be excited to bring it to Chicago this fall."

i don't like mancow / but his ratings are a thousand times better than north / and the target demo is a close fit too / but i bet wckg wants mancow to replace rover to save drew hayes job!