Ferguson Off The Air At WTMX/Chicago

• RAMP has confirmed that Hubbard has pulled longtime WTMX (101.9 The Mix)/Chicago morning personality Eric Ferguson off the air, at least through the end of this month, as allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior from former female co-workers continue to multiply.

As reported by veteran Chicago media journalist Robert Feder, former longtime Mix personality Melissa McGurren became the third woman to publicly accuse Ferguson of inappropriate workplace behavior, describing him as “a serial abuser.” McGurren, who filed court documents on Tuesday, spent 22 years at Mix, rising from traffic reporter to morning co-host, before abruptly leaving in Dec. 2020. “For many years, Ferguson has grossly abused his power, and his conduct was the major reason the station became a hostile working environment,” McGurren said in her filing.

McGurren’s legal action comes on the heels of allegations from two other former Mix staffers, Cynthia DeNicolo and Kristen Mori. DeNicolo, a former Associate Producer on Ferguson’s show, alleges that Ferguson coerced her into an “unwelcome sexual relationship” in 2004 and engineered the elimination of her job in 2020. Mori, a former Mix sales staffer earlier alleged in a court document that Ferguson groped her at the station Christmas party in 2003.

 Feder also posted a copy of a staff email sent by Jeff England, VP/Market Manager of Hubbard Radio Chicago, that reads, in part, “We have made the decision that Eric will not be on the air through October. We take these allegations seriously and we are confident in the results of multiple investigations we have initiated. But we also owe it to ourselves and our listeners to have a deliberate and thoughtful process about our path forward, and candidly we are not there yet.” The full text of England’s staff email is posted in Feder’s column.

The Chicago Tribune also posted a lengthy story regarding the Eric Ferguson situation. Watch this space for further developments.