Thursday, December 19, 2019

Chicago Radio: WXRT Shakes-Up Morning Drive

Mary Dixon & Lin Brehmer (Chicago Tribune photo)
Entercom and Lin Brehmer announced that after one of the longest morning drive tenures in Chicago radio history, he will be moving to middays on 93XRT WXRT-FM in early 2020.

“Like a veteran centerfielder who moves to first base, I look forward to batting second,” said Brehmer. “The exhilaration of being a morning companion to the families that support 93XRT offset the brutal schedule of someone who likes to go to concerts at night. I’m not 29 anymore. May the phrase, ‘Isn’t it past your bedtime?’ be applied to someone else for a while.”

Brehmer began at 93XRT on October 1984 as music director and did his first morning show on December 30, 1991.

To accommodate Brehmer’s shift to middays, current midday personality, Richard Milne will segue to mornings. Milne has been with 93XRT since 1986. The one-time host of the long running series “Local Anesthetic” on 93XRT has been hosting the midday show since this past summer.

“Even after, 33 1/3 years on the air at 93XRT, it still makes me one of the ‘new guys’ here and it’s still a thrill to come into 93XRT every day and spin Chicago’s Finest Rock,” said Milne. “It has also given me plenty of time to learn from the best airstaff around, especially the incomparable Lin Brehmer. It is an absolute honor to take over mornings from my favorite disc jockey of all time.”

“93XRT has long held the reputation for playing Chicago’s finest rock, but also has enjoyed hosting Chicago’s finest jocks,” said Greg Solk, Operations Manager and Program Director, Entercom Chicago. “Lin Brehmer is a Chicago treasure. All of us at the station are indebted to Lin for his 28 years of wrestling with his alarm clock. His morning fans will now get to enjoy their best friend in the whole world sharing their workday as Lin accompanies their middle of the day rituals. We are also blessed to have someone of Richard’s character, charm, music knowledge and wit to take over for Lin. It’s Richard’s turn to get in early and Rock Chicago.”

With these shifts, current morning news anchor 54-year-old Mary Dixon will depart the station, after 20-years.

While Dixon’s departure was abrupt, the decision was weeks in the making, reports The Chicago Tribune citing sources. Dixon was offered one of two open anchor positions on news stations WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9, which are also owned by Entercom. The position, sources said, was the 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. overnight slot.

“I was offered a position at Newsradio (WBBM),” Dixon said. “It was not a good fit for my family, and I had to say no. I am no longer on the air at WXRT.”

Brehmer joined WXRT as music director in 1984 and took over the morning show in 1991. He soon teamed up with Dixon, and they’ve been partners on air for most of the last 25 years.

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