Media: June 2025 • Swany Leaves 101.9FM The Mix
John “Swany” Swanson
WTMX (The Mix) recently announced that midday personality Lisa Allen was leaving the station. The announcement added “along with three other staffers.”
When I read that, I had a bad feeling, so I called my old friend John “Swany” Swanson, my co-author of The Radio Producer’s Handbook, and asked him if he was one of those three.
He was.
After 29 years of producing the morning show at the Mix, 20 years of which the show was #1 in the market, his position was eliminated. One of the most celebrated and legendary producers in the history of Chicago has been pushed out the door. And not replaced by anyone.
That says a lot about the radio industry today.
Swany didn’t just produce Eric and Kathy’s show; before that, he worked for other radio icons in Chicago, like Jonathon Brandmeier, Steve Cochran, and Kevin Matthews.
Luckily, he was in good spirits when I chatted with him and was willing to give me some highlights. I asked him to give me his take on each of the shows he produced.
Johnny B
“It was nuts. His shows were always a blur. Very intense. But I ended up learning what a great radio show was through him.”
Steve Cochran
“He was great at prep. He would read everything. He came to work with stacks of things to read. He seemed to know a little bit about everything. When the interviewee arrived, he was ready. That’s probably why he did so well at WGN.”
Kevin Matthews
“He was a fun guy. It was mind-blowing to watch him go through his characters.”
Eric & Kathy
“After Kevin’s show, I came on as producer for a Kathy. We didn’t have Eric yet. I listened to the tapes of the people they were considering, and chose Eric, mainly because he was from the local area. And because he had worked for John Landecker, which meant he had a pretty good idea of what a Chicago morning show should be like.
Watching the ratings go up. First into the top ten. Then #1. The trip to the top is the best, but maintaining it is the hard part. We managed to do that for two decades, and it is a pretty satisfying accomplishment. But to tell you the truth, the part I loved most was actually putting the show together. Not knowing for sure what was going to work or what would explode, the unpredictability that would happen along the way, on any given day. That was the part that was exciting. And putting together audio pieces. Writing parody songs. I probably wrote 300 of them over the years. But there was no time for patting yourself on the back because tomorrow was another show.
And then poof, it was gone. The Eric situation was a roller coaster. The highs were very high, but the lows were very low too. I still don’t know what I’m allowed to say about it. Lawsuits were flying, and I was not allowed to comment on any of it. It was a shame the way it had to end. It was terrible going through all of it. I thought for sure I was going to be fired at that time. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I thought, ‘great, my career could be over, and not for anything I did.’”
Luckily, Swany was kept aboard to help guide the new team for the next three years. Apparently, that guidance is no longer needed.
Chris, Nikki and Whip
“I’ve talked to all of them. They will do fine without me. They are great together and should thrive. They’re still learning, but they are genuinely excited to be on the air. I liked all of them.”
Despite the way it ended, Swany has mostly fond memories of his 35 years at the top of the radio game.
“I got to meet some of my favorite people,” he said. “Will Ferrell was always a great interview. David Spade, we connected comedically. The bigger the artist, the kinder they were. Jon Bon Jovi came in a lot. He always came in with no entourage. He just introduced himself as if we had no idea who he was. ‘Hey man, I’m Jon Bon Jovi.’ ‘Yeah, I know.’ Sting was excellent. McCartney was a frenzy, but that was a highlight. I got to go to LA to meet him when Run Devil Run (1999) came out. Somewhere in the world, there are two digital pictures of me and Paul McCartney, arm-in-arm, but I’ve never seen them. I’d love to get my hands on those. Other things I was fortunate to encounter along the way….The changes in technology over the years, the Stanley Cup coming into the studio twice, I got to meet my favorite Chicago Bear, Gary Fencik! And the countless amount of talented people, both on and off the air!”
Then I asked him a question I had to ask my co-author of The Radio Producer’s Handbook.
Is radio producing dead?
“It’s possible,” he admitted. “It’s a finance game right now. They are getting rid of people even if you are doing well. The door may be closing, but it’s not closed all the way yet. Stealing from Dr Seuss and Ron Magers: Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened! It was one hell of a wild and crazy ride!”
“You know what that sounds like to me?” I asked.
“Time for another book?” he replied.
– Rick Kaempfer
