Chicago Radio: Jack Diamond OUT At WLS-FM

Cumulus Media\Chicago has confirmed that morning show host Jack Diamond has been released from the station.  The new broke as Diamond was back at his Washington DC home on vacation. His last show on Classic Hits WLS 94.7 FM was July 24.

The-WLS Program Director Jan Jeffries had been seeking a new morning show for much of 2014.

After negotiations with one-time Chicago radio superstars Eddie & Jobo broke down, Jeffries went after his friend and former colleague from the east coast, Jack Diamond. He is best known for his 24 years working mornings at WRQX 107.3 FM in Washington, D.C.

For the last week of July 2014, Jeffries gave a "tryout" to Diamond, having him host the morning show for a few days. Chicagoland Radio and Media reports it appeared clear at the time the "tryout" was much more than that. Speculation had it that Diamond was a lock to become the new full-time morning show personality for the station, most likely starting in early September.

WLS-FM made an offer to Diamond, but he turned it down. In mid-August, Diamond instead accepted a job as morning show host for XHPRS-FM in the San Diego market.

That move turned out to be very short-lived. After only a matter of days in southern California, Diamond and his family returned back home to Washington, D.C.

It did not take long for Jeffries to try once again to get his friend Diamond to come back to Chicago. A deal was struck in October and Diamond finally began hosting the morning show on WLS-FM on November 3, 2014.

Diamond returned home to Washington, D.C. for the two-week Christmas break. Then, Diamond decided over that break to have surgery to help repair his diverticulitis issue. He scheduled the surgery for January 20th at a Washington area facility.

He did not return to the WLS-FM studios until April 6th. Since his tryout week in late July 2014 through this week at the end of July 2015, Diamond worked less than two dozen weeks at WLS-FM in Chicago.