Kiss FM’s Angi Taylor to host mornings on new ‘Rock 95 Five’

Angi Taylor

Angi Taylor, who’s been a mainstay of mornings on Top 40 WKSC 103.5-FM since 2008, is about to move up to solo morning host at iHeartMedia Chicago’s brand-new rock station.

Sometime in the coming weeks Taylor will sign off as Christopher “Fred” Frederick’s morning show partner on Kiss FM and shift to WCHI 95.5-FM, which flipped from country music to a rock format September 3.

“The Angi Taylor Show” will air from 5 to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Rock 95.5 Chicago

The new station, branded as “Rock 95 Five,” is in the process of assembling an air staff for middays, afternoons, evenings and weekends — all expected to debut simultaneously with Taylor.

"I’ve been working 22 years for the moment that I could host my very own morning show,” Taylor said in a statement. “I can’t express how much it means to me that my dream is coming true on Chicago’s ‘Rock 95 Five!’ Thank you, iHeartMedia, 103.5 Kiss FM, and all the listeners for letting me into your lives every day.”

Taylor contributed to morning shows on KDWB in Minneapolis and WIOQ in Philadelphia before she joined Kiss FM in 2008 under morning host Kevin “DreX” Buchar. She was held over after Frederick replaced Buchar in 2011, and the show was retitled “Fred and Angi in the Morning.”

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, Kiss FM ranked 11th in mornings among all listeners. It's No. 1 among adults between 18 and 34.

Christopher “Fred” Frederick and Angi Taylor

Breaking up a successful team is never without risk. But iHeartMedia Chicago bosses are counting on Frederick to continue without missing a beat, relying on an ensemble cast that includes Kevin "Rufio" Santiago, Kaelin Roberts and Paulina Roe.

In trading Taylor to their new rocker, iHeartMedia opens with an established name in Chicago whose reputation as edgy and rebellious fits with the format.

Insiders say they're hoping to steal morning listeners from other male-based morning shows, including Erich Mancow Muller on Cumulus Media news/talk WLS 890-AM, Brian Sherman and Steve Tingle on Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV 97.1-FM, and Chicago's two sports/talk stations — Entercom WSCR 670-AM and Good Karma Brands WMVP 1000-AM.

James Howard, regional senior vice president of programming for iHeartMedia Chicago and program director of "Rock 95 Five," said: “Taylor’s love of music and life in Chicago makes her the ideal host to help kickstart any rock fan's day. She is unfiltered, undeniable and her lust for life is contagious, I can’t wait to listen.”