The 'Cow's come home, even though he never really left town.

Erich "Mancow" Muller is returning to the Chicago radio airwaves. As of Monday, he'll join all-talk WLS 890-AM as morning-midday host from 9 to 11, replacing Jerry Agar.

Mancow went off the air in Chicago when his contract expired with WKQX 101.1-FM in July 2006, although he continued to do his syndicated show from here and run it on his mancow.com Web site. It's believed he'll continue to do that more freewheeling program, but will devote himself to WLS-AM's more conservative talk format with his new 9-to-11 show.

Mancow came to Chicago in 1994 and did a dozen good years of daring and successful morning programming on rock stations, the last eight with 'KQX, but like many well-paid radio figures in recent years he found himself downsized by the industry. He developed a reputation for political commentary along the way on the Fox News Channel and locally on WTTW Channel 11's "Chicago Tonight." With Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity already on WLS-AM, it was the first to seize on those talents - and Mancow's availability.

"This will bring lots of energy to the station," said Mike Fowler, president and general manager of WLS-AM. "It's a younger version of Rush, with some Roe Conn thrown in."