Melissa McGurren, who spent 22 years with WTMX-101.9-FM and co-hosted the "Eric in the Morning" with Ferguson, in 2020 filed suit against WTMX owner Hubbard Radio Chicago, claiming an email sent to her former coworkers implied she was lying about alleged abusive behavior by Ferguson. WUSN-FM (US99)/Chicago morning co-host Melissa McGurren has filed a defamation lawsuit against her former employer, crosstown Hubbard Radio, reports the Chicago Tribune.On Thursday, she alleged that WTMX-FM (The Mix) management perpetuated a culture of discrimination to protect cash cows such as its morning host Eric Ferguson "at any cost." Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. After McGurren left WTMX, in December 2020, she filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. I cant believe Justin Fields and I are moving to Chicago at the same time, especially considering he throws a much tighter spiral than me, Huff was quoted as saying. Mom 1st. Moving to Chicago was a natural move for her. Melissa McGurren Drops Attempt To Revive Her Defamation Case Against Terms of her multiyear deal, negotiated by attorney Steve Mandell, were not disclosed. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, US99 tied for 15th in mornings with a 2.0 percent share and cumulative weekly audience of 250,800. It all comes just as Ferguson is back from his latest surgery for spinal stenosis, a procedure involving spinal decompression and disc fusion. She has excellent taste. By. Audacy announced a new morning show for US99 (WUSN-FM) in Chicago, welcoming local media veteran Melissa McGurren and Austin Huff as morning show co-hosts. 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Robert Feder, a lifelong Chicagoan, covered the media beat in his hometown from 1980 until his retirement in 2022. Its an adjustment to have to talk about your life to so many people, but she loves that it allows her to connect to those around her. Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. "Melissa and Austin" debuted on WUSN Monday, May 10, running from 6am-9am. A onetime producer of "The Jim Rome Show" for CBS Sports Radio, he owns and operatesKorkedBats.com,a comedy sports blog. Now, in her defamation suit, McGurren accuses Hubbard of intending to injure her and jeopardize her new career. At least four women have accused Ferguson of misconduct, which led the host of "Eric In the Morning" to leave the station last October. You can find a comprehensive archive of his material here. McGurren first made her accusations in a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, shortly after leaving the station in December 2020. After studying business in college, Tiffany embarked upon a career she never dreamed of. Radio Ink. Shes always wanted to be in the business, and she always wanted to do things like this that she loves so much. The arbitrator in McGurrens EEOC case ruled in Hubbards favor earlier this year. Tell us what's wrong with this post? We wish her the best.. One Month In, WUSN Chicago's New Morning Team Is Making Itself At Home. In the suit, McGurren said the station falsely calls (her) a liar and attacks (her) integrity credibility when it said in a statement that it did not agree with McGurrens characterization of events in relation to Ferguson. She did promise her followers back in October that she would reveal him sooner or later, but shes yet to do so. Starting Monday, she will host "Melissa and Austin" from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays with co-host Austin Huff, a radio producer and podcaster just in from St. Louis. A defamation claim by former Ferguson co-host Melissa McGurren was dismissed earlier this year. When he stepped down after 25 years at the station, Ferguson said in a statement that he was energized to move forward and defend myself against claims made against me and the station.. McGurren called Ferguson a serial abuser of women, station management pulled Ferguson off the air, a separate $10 million defamation lawsuit against Hubbard Radio. She also loves artists like the Foo Fighters. Not so, Valderrama wrote in his 20-page opinion and order. A thorough investigation would have uncovered that Jennifer Ashrafi brought many of these same issues, that corroborate Melissas characterization of events, to England in January 2020, months before Melissa filed her charge with the EEOC. Hubbard also asked Judge Franklin Valderrram to consider Judge Guzmans rationale and toss DeNicolos complaint for the same reasons. Collectively, this roster will super serve Chicagos country music audience as the standalone country station in the market, Williamson said. It just brings alertness and focus to the game., White Sox notebook: Benintendi, Anderson, Alberto, Saturdays win. After being missing from "Eric In The Morning" for the past several weeks, Hubbard Hot AC "101.9 The Mix" WTMX Skokie/Chicago has revealed that co-host Melissa McGurren is departing the station after declining a contract extension offered to her. The breakup came less than a year after the ubiquitous duo known as "Eric & Kathy" were inducted in the Radio Hall of Fame. But, her cohosts have not said a word, and thats what has fans worried. 10 Things You Didnt Know about The Sticklers, Luann de Lesseps Accuses Russell Simmons of Groping Her, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Mariana Jasel, 10 Things You Didnt Know About Leo Sheng, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Lele Pons, Being a Movie Superhero Doesnt Always Mean Your Kids Will Like It, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Rila Fukushima, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Asya Branch, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Tricia Ana, Guy Builds Insane Star Trek Man Cave Theater, This Clever Never-Ending LEGO Climber Automaton. The announcement, made Thursday, comes months after McGurren mysteriously left her morning. Thank you for all those great messages. Former Chicago Radio Co-Host's $10M Defamation Suit Dismissed We look forward to getting them under oath for questioning.. -. Former WTMX radio host Melissa McGurren's defamation lawsuit dismissed Thanks, you guys. She's back: US99 hires Melissa McGurren to host mornings She's been with WTMX 101.9 The. "Drew [Walker] returns to late mornings and middays and will continue to bring the energy and companionship country listeners have grown to love to get them through their day. She grew up in Portage, Indiana, which is not too far. In his ruling, Gomez cited the legal statute opinions that do not misstate facts are protected by the First Amendment and are non-actionable. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. How would you rate this article? Judge dismisses defamation case against WTMX owner - Chicago Sun-Times 1 talking about this. No reason was cited for the breakup, but reports persisted of friction between Ferguson and McGurren. All four women alleged management protected him because of his shows high ratings. Im honored to wake up with this city every morning, and I cannot wait to have a ton of fun in the process.. The Mix and its corporate owners have been engaged in a coverup that is now exposed as a lie, Caruso told the Tribune. What really has fans upset is that no one has addressed her disappearance from the show. You have permission to edit this article. Suffice it to say that we do not agree with Melissas characterization of events.. Shes a radio host, and she has a huge fan base. In the court filings made public Tuesday, McGurren said that during her 22-year career at The Mix she rose from traffic reporter to show co-host with Ferguson and Brian "Whip" Paruch, who she. He was sidelined from his popular morning radio show last year. She is a huge fan of different genres of music that would never be played on her own station. While so many people tend to move to Chicago from far away, she is not one of those people. Lefty reliever Brandon Hughes also has been on a later game schedule after a heavy workload last season. McGurren left the station in 2020 and alleged in the lawsuit that the station was intending to injure her and jeopardize her new career. But in a Nov. 28 written opinion, U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama of the Northern District of Illinois found the statements were nonactionable and did not defame DeNicolo. Drew Walker, an 18-year veteran of US99 who most recently has been hosting mornings, returns to middays from 9 a.m. to noon. Violeta Podrumedic, Brian Whip Paruch, Melissa McGurren and Eric Ferguson. In the midst of her absence, some of her fans have even taken the time to post on social media that the show is no longer any good without her. McGurren currently works as a host at the country station, US99. While she does not address the actual reason for her disappearance, she does make it clear that she and her family are all healthy and shes hopeful everyone stays that way. I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be, and I couldn't be happier to make this new move in my career.".