WKQX (Q101)/Chicago is officially dropping Mancow as of July 14. The news comes after morning man Erich "Mancow" Muller said on his program today that he was seeking a new flagship radio station. Mancow's Morning Madhouse has aired on Q101 since 1998 and there was no word on what this decision will mean to his syndicated outlets.

Beginning on Monday, July 17, Q101 will kick off the "Summer of Shuffle," featuring music intensive programming in the morning that will match Q101's "on shuffle" programming the rest of the day. Chicago Alternative Music Expert James Van Osdol will host the show, which will include brief news, traffic and sports reports.

"It's an exciting time here at Q101," said VP/GM of Emmis Radio Marv Nyren. "'Q101 on Shuffle' - which represents 85 percent of our weekly programming - has proven to be incredibly popular with our listenership, which primarily is composed of individuals within the 18-49 demographic. In light of this, we've decided that the time has come for us to develop a morning show that will better serve the needs and sensibilities of this audience. These changes will provide our core listeners with a format that they can enjoy continuously, all day, every day."

"Mancow has been an enormous asset to Q101, and we're grateful to him for his eight great years at the station," added VP Programming for Emmis Radio Chicago Mike Stern. "Mancow is a tremendous talent, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. While we are sad to part ways, for Q101 to continue to grow and expand our audience, we realize that it's important for us to provide listeners with a morning show with broader appeal that better fits the tone of the rest of the station's programming. We believe we have that show and will be excited to bring it to Chicago this fall."

Stern also told FMQB that this move "does not signal a format change of any sorts" and that Q101 is dedicated to the direction the station has gone since its debut as "Q101 On Shuffle" on April 1, 2005.

Stern will look to develop an unconventional morning show with a target launch date of September 18. Additional details about the show will be released at a later date.

"I wish Emmis management didn't frown on my relationship with Fox News Channel and my success in national syndication," said Mancow, who has been a regular commentator on the national morning television program Fox & Friends for the past seven years. "I've enjoyed working with Emmis, but they've wanted me to talk only about their narrow music world and related issues despite the fact that my track record and numbers are growing consistently as I broaden the subject matter of the show."

Citing that Mancow's program generates an estimated $7 to $10 million in annual revenue, Mark Masters, Mancow's syndicator and chief executive officer of Talk Radio Network FM, commented, "Mancow's track record of success in the top ten markets combined with the fact that his show has become an attractive environment for more than 25 national brand advertisers since 2004 position him favorably to take full advantage of the ratings quagmire created by Stern's early replacements. With more top markets on the way by year's end, the Mancow juggernaut is positioned for unprecedented growth."