Chicago Radio: WXRT's Johnny Mars Gets Day Job

Johnny Mars

Longtime WXRT air personality Johnny Mars has a new day job – real estate agent, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Mars has joined Baird & Warner’s Edgebrook office as a newly-licensed real estate agent, the company announced Friday. He also plans to keep rocking part-time at WXRT, his radio home since 1980.

A Chicago native, Mars started at the CBS Radio-owned  WXRT 93.1 FM as a 22-year-old, and made his mark doing the late shift for some two decades at the pioneering rock station.  Forced out in 2001, he had stints on short-lived WZZN-FM 94.7 and Nine FM, and began working in real estate between radio gigs.

In 2007, the 56-year-old Mars rejoined CBS Radio’s WXRT part-time, and took a full-time job as a listing agent with Apartment People, a Chicago rental service.  After 7 years of balancing radio and real estate, he decided to take the next step and become a licensed agent.

Mars holds down the Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. air shift at WXRT, and fills in throughout the week as needed. He is confident that the two careers can be harmonious, and said being a rock ‘n’ roll real estate agent may be good for business.

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