Feder: The Mix taps Chris Petlak to replace Eric Ferguson in mornings

Chris Petlak, a northwest suburban native who's been co-hosting afternoons at WTMX 101.9-FM since 2020, is moving to mornings, the Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary station announced today.

Starting Monday, he'll join regular contributors Nikki Chuminatto, Brian Paruch and Violeta Podrumedic and executive producer John Swanson on the show, which airs from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Petlak fills a vacancy that's been open since October when Radio Hall of Famer and morning kingpin Eric Ferguson stepped down after 25 years in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations and multiple lawsuits by former co-workers.

"As our new host, Chris brings a unique skillset, sensibility, and set of experience to The Morning Mix," Jeff England, vice president and market manager of Hubbard Radio Chicago, said in a statement. "We're excited about Chris leading our morning efforts with world class content creation, impactful to our listeners, advertisers and community."

Petlak, who grew up in Mount Prospect and graduated from Prospect High School, began his career as a promotion assistant and social media manager at Hubbard Radio Chicago in 2008. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue standup comedy. He also created, wrote, produced and starred in "The Jamz," a Netflix sitcom about a fictional Chicago radio station.

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