Tobias Music Showcases
ay April 11th
Saturd
POSTPONED
A celebration of acoustic instrumental guitar....
2nd Annual Wordless Live featuring
Lee Murdoch
By Rick Kaempfer
MORNING WHIP
T
he Mix Morning show (WTMX,
101.9FM) is now officially called “Eric in
the Morning with Melissa and Whip.”
After an unprecedented run of success in morn-
ing drive in Chicago, everyone knows the star
of the show Eric Ferguson. Most also know
Melissa McGurren, a trusted co-host for many
years. But what in the world is Whip?
He’s the newsman on the show, and yes, he
really goes by the on-air name of Whip. His real
name is Brian Paruch, but early in his career (on
Q-101) he picked up the nickname Whipping
Boy, which was officially shortened to Whip
when he came aboard at the Mix (WTMX
101.9FM) a little over a decade ago, and it stuck.
That’s just his name now.
“99% of my co-workers have called me
world to Eric and (producers) Swany and
Cynthia and (co-host) Melissa, because they
have been here for the long haul. They were
huge before I got there, and if I left tomorrow,
they would still be huge. Swany and Cynthia
work their asses off. Melissa, I think is our
secret weapon. There’s something unique
about her, something super appealing, that is so
central to the show. I think (traffic reporter)
Violetta has also brought a fresh energy to the
show, but it goes without saying that Eric is the
most important reason. He’s one of the most
driven people I’ve ever met. He is so focused
and good at what he does. That template he has
created has evolved when it’s needed to evolve.
It’s as modern as it can get for new fans and
remains comfortable for all of the longtime
fans.”
#######################
ay May 2nd
Saturd
POSTPONED
Acclaimed French/Algerian Acoustic Guitarist
and songwriter and author
Pierre Bensusan
Touring in support of his new Album "Azwan"
- Guitar Player Readers Choice Award Winner.
s
- One of the most unique and brilliant acoustic guitar veteran
in the world music scene today. — L.A. Times
Tickets for all shows
at tobiasmusic.com
and 630-960-2455
Tobias
Music
5013 Fairview Ave
Downers Grove IL 60515
www.TobiasMusic.com
40
16 illinoisentertainer.com may 2020
630-960-2455
L toR: Melissa McGurren, Eric Ferguson, Brian "Whip" Paruch
Whip anyway for the past 10-15 years or so.
Very few call me Brian.”
These days he has a very important role on
the show. When the news is dominated by the
biggest story we’ve ever seen, being the news-
man on the top-rated show in the city sudden-
ly takes on an additional burden. On this par-
ticular show, that’s a difficult balancing act,
because it’s a personality show more than a
news show, and it must remain true to its core
mission.
“It became apparent to all of us pretty
quickly that we can’t be all doom and gloom.
Eric really tries to balance the actual news—the
stuff you can get everywhere else—with the
more lighthearted. We try very hard to make
we sure we don’t get anything wrong, while we
also find the more upbeat elements of the
story.”
But the moment in time we’re living
through isn’t lost on Whip. “Nothing has affect-
ed our daily lives like this,” he admits. “You
have to go back to a World War when
America’s daily life was disrupted more than
this. I want to make sure that at least for my
part, that I have the base of knowledge to be as
up to date as humanly possible in this world
where the facts are so fluid. It may not all come
out on the show, but Eric will often mention
something he heard, and I need to know what
the facts are—they are looking to me for that
information.”
The various incarnations of the Mix
Morning show (which began as the Eric and
Kathy show) will go down in history as one of
the most popular radio shows of all time in
Chicago. There are several reasons for that, and
Whip was very generous when it came time to
assign credit for that success.
“I always say this. I give all the credit in the
One of the secrets to the show’s incredible
long-term success remains a work ethic that is
hard to rival. Everyone on the show goes above
and beyond the call of duty even after the show
ends. “We have been working hard on expand-
ing our digital presence,” Whip says, happy
that their efforts have been noticed. “All of us
make a point of doing videos and posts on
social media. I have a weekly and a monthly
video series that’s on-line called ‘Whip’s Good
News’ (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook,
YouTube), and the girls do their own videos
too. I think they are even better at it than I am.
Eric is obviously all over the place on social
media too. That’s something we take very seri-
ously to help build our on-line and digital pres-
ence. We aren’t just on the radio anymore.
That’s been a big focus of our content director
Jimmy Steele, and we’re lucky to have a great
social media manager Mel D (Melissa Dever).
She’s amazing and does an incredible job.”
Another secret to the show’s continued suc-
cess might just be the commitment of the pro-
motion department. Since the earliest days of
the show, they have invested heavily in bill-
boards around Chicagoland. Whip’s even on
them now.
“Honestly, I never pictured myself on a bill-
board. It was never even a thought, but I must
say that’s what I hear about more than any-
thing else. Kids on my son’s baseball team say,
‘Hey we saw you on the billboard.’”
Not that it gets him any street cred with his
own kids. “Only one of my three kids (ages 12,
8 & 5) really cared at all.”
Every parent can relate to that. Eric in the
morning with Melissa and Whip can be heard
every weekday morning on WTMX, 101.9FM.
Look for their additional content on the morn-
ing show’s social media pages.