Longtime Host Wendy Rice to Exit WXRT Chicago

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Wendy Rice

WXRT-FM Chicago will bid farewell to longtime host Wendy Rice as she retires from weekly hosting duties of her Saturday Morning Flashback program. Rice will host her final show on Saturday, June 24 with the show's content devoted to the music and memories of 1978 as a nod to her XRT beginnings. Rice began her career at XRT as an intern in 1978. She later made a stop in Peoria, IL, at WWCT-FM before returning to Chicago and joining the 93XRT air staff in 1982.

"I've been at XRT for 35 years. I have always worked on weekends. "The opportunity to play great music every Saturday has kept me going, along with the support of the loyal listeners who have stayed with us all these years. I am now looking forward to my 'retirement' and to experiencing the novelty of a two-day weekend," said Rice. "I've had a wonderful run at Chicago's Finest Rock. I married the boss (former WXRT Program Director Norm Winer) in 1987, raised three amazing kids, and am now dedicated to my weekday gig as a middle school teacher."

"Wendy is Chicago radio royalty," added WXRT OM/PD Greg Solk. "Her Saturday morning show has been a staple of XRT's programming, and one of the most listened to specialty shows in Chicago radio history. All of us thank Wendy for her years of brilliance both on and off the air."

Beginning Saturday, July 1, Saturday Morning Flashback will be hosted on a rotating basis by two heritage XRT voices, Frank E. Lee and Johnny Mars. The show will run for three hours from 8-11am every Saturday.