The first Casey Hart disappeared from "Eric and Casey", a morning radio show on WTMX-FM, named after her for twenty years. Three years later, another co-host, Melissa McGurren (Melissa McGurren) left without any explanation.

As these women’s voices disappeared from The Mix, Eric Ferguson continued to serve as the host of his popular show until last month’s outrage over allegations of misconduct forced members of the Radio Hall of Fame to withdraw from television. broadcast. The controversy sparked a discussion about the treatment of women working on Chicago radio. All four women who spoke publicly about Ferguson claimed that the 101.9-FM managers protected him because of his high ratings.

"The general response is that we all need to'protect the quarterback', which is Ferguson," McGlennon wrote in a recent complaint filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In the past 10 months, the Tribune interviewed three dozen women on Chicago radio. They were shocked by the number of well-known women who left the radio to work. They found that they were passionate about their work, but they were very enthusiastic about what many people call male-dominated. The industry is generally frustrated. Ten women said they quit their jobs because they were dissatisfied with their treatment, while the voices of other women were weakened or silenced by the broadcaster’s cost-cutting efforts, including during the pandemic.

In Chicago, some radio audiences could not hear the hostess for several hours.

"Unfortunately. The voices on the radio should reflect the communities they serve. This is not only bad for women, but also bad for people of color," said Lisa Dent, who spoke on the iHeartMedia radio station in September 2020. Lost the noon host job of WEBG-FM 95.5 when transitioning from country to rock. Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees are currently heard on WGN-AM 720. "Except for the very successful and talented black radio station in town, you can't hear many (black) voices, especially women."

Veteran radio celebrity Trish Biondo-the mainstay of WUSN-FM 99.5 until she quit in 2013-told the Tribune that she had a "fantastic career" with "many great bosses and colleagues", but after 27 years She left the country radio because she described this culture as "unprofessional culture", which originated from the attempts of station managers to "become more avant-garde."

Bioondo said in a statement that before she left, she “constantly” received material to be discussed on the radio. She “feeled that it was an insult to women” and received a letter from one of her bosses. It is recommended that she pose a "strategicly covered nude photo" of the station. Biondo now serves on the advisory board of Loyola University’s School of Communication. He also described photo suggestions and other alleged incidents in a 2017 Facebook post as the #MeToo movement gained momentum.

"There are certain things that women have to deal with on the radio. I think women have to deal with them in every profession. You ignore it, ignore it, even laugh at it, until one day you say it's not worth it," Bioondo said. The letter from the Tribune wrote. "When you leave, the standard line is'she wants to be with her family.' The part they missed is "because it is not worth it to leave the family to work in such an environment. ""

When Biondo left US99, it and six other radio stations in the Chicago market were owned by CBS Radio, which merged with Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications in November 2017. Entercom is one of several out-of-town broadcast giants operating multiple radio stations in Chicago and recently changed its name to Audacy.

Audacy declined to comment on the alleged incident that occurred when CBS Radio owned its station. In a statement to the Tribune, Audacy stated that “providing a work environment where employees of all genders, races and backgrounds can thrive is a top priority. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment.”

After former WBBM Newsradio morning anchor Felicia Middlebrooks left Audacy in May 2020 to focus on her multimedia company Saltshaker Productions, she said that she "try to use my platform to guide and advocate for women and minorities. I have."

Middlebrooks is known for being the country's first woman and the first African American, and she co-hosts the morning drive on the Internet news station. But she regrets that her manager at WBBM only allowed her to co-host twice with a female while a male anchor was on vacation. Since she left, her former live broadcast partner Pat Cassidy (Pat Cassidy) has been a single morning driving anchor.

"I'm encouraged by some of the changes I saw," she said in a phone interview, noting that "an amazing woman" Rachel Williamson was appointed to the executive position of Entercom at the end of 2019. "In other words, I believe Rachel has an obligation to use her powerful platform to help eliminate the toxic and sexist culture in our industry."

After Ferguson's former long-time assistant producer Cynthia DeNicolo sued the radio host in May, the riot against Ferguson began, accusing him of forcing her to have sex and harassing her after it ended. His lawyer denied these allegations. McGullen later stated in court documents that she “was subjected to “mental and verbal abuse, harassment, tears, yelling, belittling, neglect, and ridicule” by Ferguson. Both McGurren and DeNicolo complained to the radio owner. Hubbard Radio Chicago filed a personal defamation lawsuit, and two other women filed legal statements in support of these allegations.

Hubbard declined to comment on the specific allegations in this report. The company said in a brief statement that it "strives to provide everyone with an open, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere."

First, Mary Dixon was excluded from the WXRT-FM 93.1 Cubs home opener of the year, even though she has been a member of the radio lineup for many years. Then her morning news program was cut in half, and her salary was cut by nearly 40%.

Finally, in 2019, she was escorted to her shared office and provided a box to hold her things. She was fired.

Audacy Rock Radio later issued a statement about personnel changes, which also witnessed Dixon's long-term morning co-host Lin Brehmer moving to noon. The statement ended with this sentence: "With these shifts, the current morning news anchor Mary Dixon will leave the station."

"I worked on XRT intermittently for 28 years," Dixon told the Tribune. "This is what (owner Greg Salk) thinks of me, with a sentence at the end of a very long press release."

Several women who worked with Salk asked questions about his leadership style in an interview with the Tribune, saying that their ideas were often rejected and they felt excluded from meetings and events. Overnight DJ Emma McElherne, known as Emma Mac on the radio, told the Tribune in an email that Solk often referred to her as a "baby" or "child", did not take her seriously, and once joked that there was nothing right She "does it".

Solk's current job at Audacy is the vice president of programming and operations for its Chicago market. After four years of writing XRT, he was promoted in July. Laura Duncan recently succeeded Solk as the brand manager of XRT.

Audacy rejected the Tribune’s request for an interview with Solk and instead provided his statement and various letters of support from the women he worked with, including former WDRV-FM 97.1 morning news anchor Kathy Voltmer, who she described as " A great boss," and long-time XRT DJ Terri Hemmert, she said that her experience with Solk was "very good" and she considered him "fair, sensitive and respectful."

Salk said in a statement: "I am proud of my record of hiring, mentoring and promoting women and holding management positions during my 40-year career." "Many people who work with me consider me a team builder. And strive to create an inclusive and respectful workplace. Managing large teams is not an exact science, but I will continue to work hard to do better and apologize to anyone I don’t intend to offend. Large scale in our industry When layoffs, my greatest effort is to protect the work of our employees."

Dixon said that within a year of Salk's arrival, she found that she was the only woman in the room attending the meeting. Dixon started working for XRT as a journalist in 1991. He told the Tribune: “I haven’t felt this rejection for a long time, and felt it in 2017, 2018, 2019, and it was particularly painful. I just feel that we have gone. Go further."

Dixon said that in 2017, she chose Solk’s salary reduction proposal instead of severance pay for 12 weeks because she needs her own health insurance; her husband, former Tribune reporter Mark Carroll; and their two daughters. . Her news broadcast frequency was halved; she was allowed to go to work after 15 minutes; the salary cut was implemented for six months.

Dixon said that she was frustrated and powerless. According to her, Solk told her not to be in the main studio after 9 a.m. in 2019, "because he said I distracted Lin." Bremer is in her twenties. She confirmed to the Tribune that Dixon was not allowed to enter the studio after that. Dixon said she felt that she was no longer part of the team.

Obviously, "It didn't work for me," Dixon said in a telephone interview. "I walk into the building every day with a boss who doesn't know what I do there."

A spokesperson for Audacy told the Tribune that Dixon's layoffs were "the result of the disappearance of all music radio news." Dixon said that she got an overnight anchor position on sister radio station WBBM, but salary and working hours did not affect her and her family.

Dixon began serving as the morning news anchor for WBEZ-FM 91.5 in January 2020. WBEZ-FM 91.5 is a public media station whose morning ratings continue to grow.

McElherne joined XRT as an intern ten years ago, then became a promotional assistant, and then a part-time host since 2014. She said she felt that Solk had treated her "very condescending" from the beginning. In Salk's first week, she told the Tribune that he canceled her show "Dawn Dig" on Saturday morning.

"In retrospect, I don't think I had a chance as soon as he walked in," she said.

McElherne said that she reached her "critical point" in a station photo shoot in October 2018, when Solk allegedly adjusted the XRT jacket she was modeling, and then stopped and said: "It can't be handy." McElherne said. , She felt humiliated, objectified and powerless in front of a few colleagues. McElherne told her boyfriend of the interaction at the time, and her predecessor confirmed this to the Tribune.

She said that she immediately filed a complaint and met with Elizabeth Geerling, Entercom Human Resources Coordinator and Office Manager for an hour. McElherne said Geerling told her to make a list of things that Solk thought she did not consider inappropriate.

McElherne told the Tribune that she put a list under Geerling’s office door, which included an allegation by Solk in a 2017 discussion about potential raises: “Put it on me, baby, like you are facing The mirror practice is the same." She said she didn't get a raise. She also said that she reported on the Fleetwood Mac concert held in the United Center in 2018. Salk said to her boyfriend: "It's nice to meet you Andy. She looks great, right? Don't worry, I won't touch her." McElherne's predecessor also confirmed this statement.

In an email, McElhern told the Tribune that Gillin told her over the phone that she had talked with Salk about "his treatment of female employees." Geerling, who no longer works for the company, did not respond to the Tribune's request for comment.

A company representative told the Tribune in April that there was no record of any complaints against Solk. After the Tribune described McElherne's allegations, an Audacy spokesperson responded that a review of internal records found that McElherne made a "single complaint" against Solk in 2018.

The statement said: "We handled the complaints through standard procedures, including direct resolution with Greg." "Since then, we have not received any complaints. We at Audacy attach great importance to these investigations, and we are committed to taking action to resolve us. Any situation in the workplace that is inconsistent with our values."

Wendy Rice hosted XRT’s "Saturday Morning Flashback" for about thirty years, when she said that Salk told her he planned to choose music for the show, reducing it from four hours to three hours, and reducing her Salary.

He said she can still host, but Rice, also a middle school teacher, voluntarily withdrew from the "flashback" in June 2017.

"They deprived me of my love for the job, which is the creative freedom to put shows together," she told the Tribune. "I have the freedom to say, do you know? I have another job, I have a family and a life.... I walked out there and I really feel great."

"Flashback" is now hosted by a rotating group of men. The only female DJs currently available for XRT are McElherne, Lara Mondae and Hemmert. Although Hemmert is a full-time employee, they are part-time. Mondae did not respond to the Tribune’s request for comment.

In an emailed statement, an Audacy spokesperson stated that it is not uncommon for a new project director to make changes, noting that Solk must be managed through the merger and the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that in XRT, both men and women are affected by "shift changes, job changes, and the subsequent impact on working hours and income."

"After studying these changes, we determined that women are disproportionately affected by men," the spokesperson said.

Hemert, who is battling cancer, left XRT's noon class in 2019. After working on the station for more than 45 years, he continued to host the "Beatles Breakfast" on Sunday morning. In a statement provided by Audacy, Hemert said: "For decades of my career, I have been in a bad position of sexism. I have never felt that Greg and I have faced this situation. No. He has always been fair, sensitive and respectful of others."

Audacy also provided a statement from Voltmer, who worked for Solk at Hubbard. She wrote: "He supports, tolerates and encourages. To this day, I still consider him a mentor, friend and champion of my career.... In all the time I have worked with Greg, I have never felt I am the object of discrimination. I have never seen him discriminate against other women."

A spokesperson told the Tribune that Jimmy de Castro, who has long been a radio director, "has always been a sociable person." "He connects and communicates with people in a way that he thinks is very personal and friendly."

For some female colleagues interviewed by the Tribune, this style of workplace is very good. But others said they had a negative reaction.

De Castro, former president and general manager of WGN Radio, was appointed as the senior vice president and marketing manager of Entercom Chicago in November 2017. This reunited him with Solk, who had built the old WLUP-FM 97.9 with him a few years ago and became a rebellious rock radio brand.

Julie DiCarlo had worked for Chicago Sports Radio for many years and had intersections with De Castro at WGN and Entercom. She told the Tribune that he was "always funny" but "he will kiss you."

"It's a bit like on the cheek, but it's not an air kiss, and sometimes it's actually closer to your mouth," DiCarlo said. "I look back, I just hate myself for not saying anything.... But it's just one of them. Work is so unstable. You don't want to do anything to disrupt the situation, so I can only bear it."

Judy Pielach, who served as the news editor when de Castro joined WGN Radio, described him as an “embrace,” whose “sensitive, hands-on” approach was inappropriate and unreasonable. People are annoyed, but they don't involve sex. Pilah said she told him not to touch her "straightforwardly", but he "doubled his efforts" and made fun of her at the same time.

"Men like this...just smile, thinking it's not important," Pilah said. "This is very important to me." Pielach accepted the acquisition of WGN in 2018. After working at the site for more than 30 years, he is now doing the Bruce St. James morning show for WLS-AM 890. Contribute.

Nexstar Media Group started operating WGN Radio in September 2019, but declined to comment on de Castro, who left WGN at the end of 2016.

De Castro’s spokesperson, Natalie Bauer Luce, stated that in his interactions, “never had any sexual intentions”.

"But I think he recognizes that social norms have changed," she added. "As a person in a position of power in this role, he understands...the way people sometimes accept his gestures is not necessarily It was the way he wanted, and of course he did apologize to the women who said they were uncomfortable."

Patti Vasquez was the live broadcast host of WGN for most of the 2010s. She told the Tribune that her interaction with de Castro made her feel uncomfortable when she arrived at the station in 2013, but his position in the business and his departure Before WGN, the scarcity of jobs prevented her from complaining.

"I want it to stop, this is what I want," she told the Tribune. "And I don't know how to do it. It won't be very painful for us and my family."

Vasquez was fired by WGN after an air swearing incident by a guest in June 2019. He joined WCPT-AM 820 earlier this year and participated in a one-hour talk show.

A former female employee of Entercom who has been a long-term customer executive claimed in a 2019 federal discrimination lawsuit against the company, shortly after management learned that De Castro had kissed her "and other women" in the morning and before the meeting , She was forced to resign. "

The lawsuit filed by Sara Horkavi stated that Entercom told her that in order to keep her job, she had to report to the office five days a week instead of twice a week as she had done in the past two decades, and accepted no To two-one-third of her annual income.

"When the plaintiff first expressed her dissatisfaction and stated that she was actually fired, her manager told her that he could not support the position of the plaintiff due to fear of losing his job and said,'You can't go against Jimmy's wishes, Or you are out,'" the lawsuit said.

Hokawi’s lawsuit alleges that she was forced to resign after rejecting an ultimatum to "accept an unacceptable offer for more time and less money." Court records show that last year, Entercom agreed to pay her $36,200 to pay her back wages, overtime, so-called compensation and attorney fees.

Over the phone, Horkavi said that the non-disclosure agreement prevented her from commenting. Audacy representatives declined to comment on the lawsuit.

De Castro, 68, left Entercom in December 2019 after working for two years. Bauer Luce pointed out to Tribune that he was not a defendant in the Horkavi lawsuit and did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. She attributed Horkavi's departure to major consolidation in multiple markets, including Chicago.

Several women who worked with De Castro told the Tribune that they had not experienced offensive behavior. Andrea Darlas, a longtime WGN anchor and host, said that De Castro "has been very professional."

"Jimmy De Castro is one of the best bosses I have ever met," said Dallas, who voluntarily left the station in 2019 to go to the University of Illinois to work in communications. "I hope what you hear is positive, because he is such an motivator and he brings so much energy. He really revives WGN."

Former WBMX-FM 104.3 noon host Diana Steele said that she "never observed or experienced any misconduct" while working for de Castro on radio stations in Los Angeles and Chicago. Steele was fired by WBMX last year as part of what Entercom said was related to the layoffs related to the coronavirus.

Former Tribune columnist Kathy O'Malley and Judy Markey's popular show was brought back by De Castro when he took over WGN in 2013. She said: "I think Jimmy’s enthusiasm may be misunderstood, but this has never been a problem for us."

De Castro did not agree to talk directly to the Tribune, but stated in a brief note that his "record and reputation speak for themselves."

"For 45 years, I have been promoting women and supporting their careers and jobs," he wrote.

Paul Luce said that De Castro retired soon after running a North District marketing company with two female partners who had worked on the radio. She said the company closed during the pandemic.

Former WTMX host Casey Hart has never publicly talked about her exit from the popular show with Eric Ferguson in 2017. But a few months before other women's allegations against him became public, she provided the Tribune with a statement about the story.

Hardy wrote: "When I entered the radio station (in the early 1980s), the only women who aired at the time were usually'noon girls', while in big cities, it was'traffic girls'." "I even remember. Arranged music for my show and was told,'Don't play two female artists back to back.' (This was before the company took over programming.)

"We have seen women leading other industries with incredible growth and success, but the broadcasting industry seems to be satisfied and may even be a little afraid to deviate from the homogenized and predictable state it has been in for a long time-stop broadcasting etc."

Several former female employees of The Mix also reported to the Tribune about their dream of working on the radio, but they endured a hostile working environment or less wages and opportunities than their male counterparts. Some people chose to leave.

Stephani Young, a long-time part-time host of WTMX, said that after Los Angeles radio veteran Jimmy Steal took over from program director Mary Ellen Kachinske in 2019, she became more and more unhappy.

Yang said that she quit the radio a year ago because her broadcast time was reduced by theft, and then she was not on the schedule at all. Yang said that she felt "He doesn't care about any of my thoughts."

She said that for someone who started working in the radio industry as a teenager, “it’s so sad that it ended like this.” Young is now a reservation producer and podcast creator and podcast creator for the national broadcast news network Newsy. Producer.

Looking back at her time in Hubbard, former transportation reporter Jennifer Ashrafi said that her initial enthusiasm for the job gave way to a sense of worthlessness. She believes that Salk, Hubbard’s former senior vice president of programming, does not support her ambitions. She told the Tribune: “He makes sure you know where you are.”

A year after Salk left Hubbard in 2016, Ashrafi, broadcast by Jennifer Roberts, began co-hosting a popular WTMX afternoon show with Kevin "Koz" Kosk. However, after working at the station for more than ten years, she withdrew to human resources in January 2020.

She told the Tribune that her responsibilities had been reduced and Steal no longer gave her feedback. She felt that her salary was too low, especially when compared to her male counterparts, who said the latter had a more generous bonus structure. Ashrafi said she feels increasingly anxious and ashamed of the workplace she once loved. She said that she also thought of her two daughters and that she never wanted them to be treated the same.

“If you see a woman walking away from her own radio show, this has always been her goal. In her game, the story should have more content, of course,” Ashrafi told the Tribune.

In the court documents included in McGurren's lawsuit against Hubbard Radio Chicago, Ashrafi stated that she told management during her exit interview that she left because of a “hostile and humiliating atmosphere” towards women. "You have a problem with women in this company," she reported.

McGurren described Ferguson as "continuous abuse of women" in court documents. She said that she complained dozens of times to Kachinske, who left the station in 2018, but failed. McGurren claimed that she also had "over 10 conversations" with Steal, to no avail.

Stealing "would tell me by saying,'This is what (Ferguson) is like, all radio geniuses do this' or asking me why I let Ferguson bother me," McKellen complained in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Kachinske, Steal, Koske, and Ferguson did not respond to the news from the Tribune.

McGurren also claimed in her complaint that Solk filed a complaint about Ferguson's alleged behavior while Solk was in Hubbard, but "had not responded." Through an Audacy spokesperson, Salk declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The Tribune requested a meeting with Hubbard’s representatives and sent a detailed list of issues raised by women. A company official responded with a statement: "At Hubbard Radio Chicago, we strive to provide everyone with an open, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Since Hubbard Radio acquired WTMX/WDRV/WSHE in 2011, we have continued to strengthen Our values ​​and regularly communicate our expectations to all employees."

This spring, McKellen found a morning co-hosting job at Audacy's US99.

Hart now lives in Montana. In her statement, she told the Tribune that despite the challenges, "I will always be grateful for my choice of broadcasting as a career. This is a great way to earn a living!"

She said: "I continue to admire women in the broadcasting industry. They are pioneers in breaking down stereotypes. I hope they can encourage the changes that broadcasting now desperately needs."

When part-time presenters Julie DiCaro and Maggie Hendricks were fired from the WSCR-AM 670 sports station last year, as part of Entercom's pandemic-related layoffs, the move left The Score without female presenters.

However, before that, DiCarlo had become one of the most resounding critics of gender discrimination against women in the media.

DiCaro joined The Score as a freelancer in 2015 and later won a personal late night performance and weekly performance with Hendricks. But she told the Tribune that she felt that this station was a difficult environment for women to succeed. She said that she was not invited to participate in the spring training activities at the station, nor was she provided the opportunity to fill the vacancies of the male hosts during the day when they were on vacation.

She also said that she was harassed by Internet trolls or people who interfered with the radio's phone lines. Although she expressed concerns about her safety, she said that the radio let her fight alone, which is an ongoing battle.

Now a writer on the Deadspin website, DiCaro criticized the sports conversation industry in her book "Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America" ​​published in March.

"I felt like the luckiest woman on the planet when I entered the radio," she wrote, "but I felt disillusioned and sad when I left."

After former Cox Media Group executive Rachel Williamson succeeded de Castro at the end of 2019, he was appointed regional president and Chicago marketing manager. Months later, Entercom (now Audacy) began to lay off employees.

An Audacy representative said in April that since Williamson took over, women have been appointed and promoted to online and off-air jobs, including regional brand manager Marci Braun and sales director Sara McMurray. A few days later, the company also issued a statement stating that “providing a working environment where employees of all genders, races and backgrounds can thrive is a top priority.”

In January, Leila Rahimi (Leila Rahimi) worked at the station for a few months, and started co-hosting a lunch program with Dan Bernstein, which became the radio’s first female regular working day host.

She is still the only woman in The Score lineup.

Former Tribune reporter Steve Johnson contributed.