Irma is moving on, and Kennedy may be moving in.
Irma Blanco, a key player on shock jock Mancow Muller’s morning radio show, is striking out on her own and won’t be moving with the morning powerhouse jock when he comes back on the air at WKQX-FM 101.1 next week, she confirmed Monday.
Meanwhile, Muller’s agent, Robert Eatman, said he is close to signing former MTV host–and smart-alecky Gen-X mouthpiece– Kennedy (Lisa Kennedy Montgomery) to replace her.
In the meantime, Muller will be without two key members of his hot morning show from former station WRCX-FM 103.5. Besides Blanco, Muller’s former traffic person, Freak, continues to be under contract with Shadow Broadcasting and will stay at the Chancellor Media Corp.-owned station.
How much Blanco’s departure and the possible addition of Kennedy will change Muller’s morning show when it hits the airwaves in Chicago next week remains to be seen.
Blanco, who wouldn’t talk in detail about her new employer, is expected to join Chancellor-owned KCMG-FM, an R&B oldies station in Los Angeles, beginning Aug. 10.
“I have had the best time with Cow,” said Blanco of the 4 1/2 years with the jock. “There was never a dull moment. There was always some fun stuff happening around him. But this was really something I couldn’t pass up.”
Blanco’s agency, Darcy Bouzeos, struck the deal with KCMG, which will bring Blanco back to her hometown.
Besides Muller’s show, Blanco also was a host of “Absolute Artistry” on PBS WYCC-Ch. 20.
Meanwhile, Eatman said that a deal with Kennedy is “something her managers are in favor of, that I’m in favor of and she is in favor of as well.”
He said that the deal hinges on whether she wants to, or can, commute here from her new home in Seattle.
The 25-year-old former host of “Alternative Nation” on MTV and a Winter Olympics “correspondent” this past February for CBS, got her start in radio in Los Angeles for alternative powerhouse KROQ.
Lerner’s first challenge: Eric Lerner started as news director of ABC-Ch. 7 and was met immediately with two on-air talent holes to fill. Weekend anchor Jim Rosenfield confirmed Monday that he is taking a weekday anchor job at WCBS-TV in New York.
The New York native said the opportunity to move into a daily slot in the country’s biggest market was the main reason for taking the job.
“They were pleased to find someone who was a native of New York,” Rosenfield said. “That was important.”
“He has a tremendous opportunity to be a Monday-to-Friday, 6 p.m. anchor in the No. 1 market in the country,” said Emily Barr, general manager for Channel 7. “I’m happy for him.”
Rosenfield, who has worked for nine years at Channel 7, will stay on through mid-September.
Meanwhile, Channel 7 also will soon be without reporter Kent Ninomiya, who is leaving the
station when his contract expires next month. The 32-year-old reporter said he couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract with the station.
“I rejected their last offer,” he said. “There is no standing offer here.”
Ninomiya, who has been at the station for five years, said he can’t negotiate with other stations until the end of his contract.
“I like Chicago. It’s a great town,” he said. “I’m looking to grow in my career and for an expanded role.”
Vodick promoted at WPWR: Tom Vodick, a writer, producer and editor for WPWR-Ch. 50, was promoted to on-air promotion manager of the station. He reports to Diane Hannes, the station’s promotion director.
Programming note: WSCR-AM 1160 travels to La Crosse, Wis., July 30 and 31 to follow the Chicago Bears’ training workouts with the Mike Ditka-coached New Orleans Saints. Dan Jiggetts and Mike North will do their midday shows both days from there, as will Dan McNeil and Terry Boers in the afternoons.
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Jim Kirk’s “Media Talk” column appears on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Contact Jim at JKirk@Tribune.com.
