Chris Petlak returning to The Mix as evening host, digital content director

Chris Petlak

There’s big news on the night shift at Chicago’s powerhouse hot adult-contemporary station.

Chris Petlak, who created, wrote, produced and starred in “The Jamz,” a TV sitcom about a fictional Chicago radio station, has been hired as evening personality and director of digital content at WTMX 101.9-FM.

Petlak, who’s also a standup comedian and co-host of the weekly podcast “Not From Here,” will be heard from 7 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday on 101.9 The Mix, starting September 9, according to Jimmy Steal, vice president of brand and content at the Hubbard Radio Chicago station.

101.9 The Mix

It's a homecoming of sorts for Petlak, who previously worked as social media manager at Hubbard Radio Chicago and as a contributor to Eric Ferguson's morning show on The Mix.

As nighttime host he replaces Chris Reese, who was cut in March. In the interim, part-timer Nikki Imbracsio has been filling in on weeknights.

“We’re thrilled to have Chris back at Hubbard Radio Chicago," vice president and market manager Jeff England said in a statement. "Chris will complement our already incredibly strong on air lineup, and bring with him a wealth of digital and entertainment experience to help drive both the quantity and quality of our episodic digital content creation."

In 2016 Petlak played a late-night DJ on Chicago's fictional top-rated radio station in "The Jamz," which he and Chicago actor Jim Kozyra created as a web series on Vimeo and later produced for Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

After several years in Los Angeles, Petlak called it "an honor" to return to Chicago and his former colleagues at The Mix. "Our first stop will be Lou Malnati's, but after that – it's time to get to work," he said.

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, The Mix tied for seventh place in evenings. Overall the station the station ranked second from 6 a.m. to midnight.