Experience Rice’s Final Flashback

It’s the end of a three-decade era this weekend at CBS Radio Triple A WXRT/Chicago, as Wendy Rice hosts her final Saturday Morning Flashback show. Saturday Morning Flashback airs Saturdays from 8am-noon and focuses on the music, movies, pop culture and news headlines of a particular year each week. Rice was part of Saturday Morning Flashback when it launched in 1985 and was named sole host and producer in 1991. “I’ve been at XRT for 35 years and I’ve always worked on weekends,” said Rice, who interned at WXRT in 1978; after a stint at WWCT/Peoria, IL, she joined the 93XRT airstaff in 1982. “The opportunity to play great music every Saturday has kept me going, along with the support of the loyal listeners who have stayed with us all these years,” Rice remarked. “I’m now looking forward to my ‘retirement’ and to experiencing the novelty of a two-day weekend.”

WXRT OM/PD Greg Solk rightly describes Rice as “Chicago radio royalty.” He added, “Her Saturday morning show has been a staple of XRT’s programming, and one of the most-listened-to specialty shows in Chicago radio history. All of us thank Wendy for her years of brilliance, both on and off the air.”

For her final Saturday Morning Flashback broadcast this weekend, Rice will appropriately focus on 1978 — the year she interned at the station. “I’ve had a wonderful run at ‘Chicago’s Finest Rock,'” Rice said. “I married the boss [legendary former WXRT PD Norm Winer] in ’87, raised three amazing kids, and am now dedicated to my weekday gig as a middle school teacher.” Beginning Saturday, July 1, longtime WXRT personalities Frank E. Lee and Johnny Mars will begin rotating as the new hosts of Saturday Morning Flashback, which will run at its new time of 8-11am.