Chicago: Pete McMurray Out At Merlin's i101

Merlin Media, the radio corporation that is said to be on life-support and busy looking for buyers, has released yet another staffer. Chicagoradioandmedia.com is quoting  insiders as saying that longtime morning show host Pete McMurray has been released from the company right after ending his morning show Wednesday.

Since August, Pete McMurray has been the morning host on WIQI-FM 101.1, currently known as i101. Prior to that, McMurray was the morning show host on WLUP-FM for the last 5.5 years, until he was removed at the end of July to make room for Maxwell, a crony hire of Merlin Media CEO Randy Michaels and Operations Manager Jim Richards.

CR&M adds This is the second major on-air firing from Merlin Media's Chicago stations in less than a week. Late tast week, afternoon host Shark was released from WKQX-LP/Q87.7.

In typical Randy Michaels/Merlin Media fashion, Operations Manager Jim Richards Wednesday denied that Shark was released, claiming only that his hours had been cut. Of course, that was leaving out the fact that the hours were cut to zero, effective immediately, and that Shark was wished a fond farewell at that point last week. 

Merlin Media also denied that Pete McMurray was taking over mornings at i101 (McMurray did just that three weeks later) and that their stations were for sale (Merlin Media sold WRXP-FM to CBS Radio for $75 million less than two weeks later).

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