Bye Bye FM News 101.1, Hello I101

By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 17, 2012 10:10PM

Barely a year ago Q101 faded away, and it was replaced by FM News 101.1, an all-news station created by Randy Michaels. Well now it's changing formats again, shifting to "adult hits." Much of the staff was laid off, with an estimated 27 jobs lost.

Chicago Radio and Media writes:

The new I101 will remain jockless for now, but will eventually add voice-trackers without set shifts, used in the same way they are used between songs at WLUP-FM and WKQX-LP. The music format is "on shuffle" (a term used for a while on the old Q101), playing largely hits from the late 1980s through the early 2000s, or newer songs from artists made famous from that era. The target audience for the station is Women 25-54 and Adults 25-54.

It looked like Q101 might maybe kinda, sorta come back when Merlin Media bought it in May, but this isn't exactly the kind of thing we were hoping for. Apparently "adult rock" includes acts like *NSYNC and Britney Spears. According to the Tribune, John Gehron, chairman of the advisory board of Merlin Media in Chicago, described it as "a mix of music that's been popular over the last fifteen years, minus the hip-hop."