Alternative rock reclaimed its longtime home on 101.1 FM this morning, offering a rude awakening for some listeners, and relief for its long-suffering fans.
The station, which had been programming adult hits, flipped the switch Friday morning, bringing back groups such as Cage The Elephant, Phoenix and The Raconteurs to the mainstream airwaves.
The format change follows the announcement last week that Cumulus Media had taken over operations of WLUP-FM 97.9 (The Loop) and WIQI-FM 101.1 through a four-year local marketing agreement, with a firm option to buy the stations from current owner Merlin Media. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
As part of the deal, the alternative rock format airing on WKQX-FM 87.7, technically a low-power TV station that Merlin had been running through a local marketing agreement, migrated back to its former home on 101.1 FM. After simulcasting for 45 days, alternative will remain on 101.1 FM and 87.7 FM will revert to its owner, Los Angeles-based Venture Technologies Group, where it will be repurposed to another format, according to executives.
The legacy call letters WKQX will also move with the alternative format to 101.1 FM.
Launched in the summer of 2011, Merlin Media, a partnership between former Tribune Co. CEO Randy Michaels and Chicago-based equity firm GTCR, bought WKQX-FM and WLUP-FM in Chicago, and WRXP-FM in New York, from Emmis Communications Corp. for about $198 million. Merlin soon pulled the plug on Q101's alternative rock format, relaunching it as Chicago's first all-news FM station. Low ratings doomed the format choice, and Merlin abandoned news and changed to adult hits in July 2012.
In March 2012, Merlin entered into a local marketing agreement to run WLFM-LP (87.7 FM). The call letters were switched to WKQX, and the alternative format was revived as well.
In the most recent Chicago ratings by Nielsen Audio, the alternative format on 87.7 FM ranked 23rd with a 1.7 share, while the format it bumped, adult hits WIQI, ranked 25th with a 1.6 share.
rchannick@tribune.com | Twitter @RobertChannick