Posted by george a. herbert on January 18, 2011 at 17:43:01:
Move over, Regis: Mix morning host wins guest shot with Kelly
January 18th, 2011 @ 12:00 am
Now that he�s won a coveted spot filling in for Regis Philbin alongside Kelly Ripa on their nationally syndicated show, Eric Ferguson says he finds the whole idea �stunning and scary.�
The top-rated morning personality on WTMX-FM (101.9) learned Monday that he was one of five winners of the show�s �Men of Radio� contest and will appear on Live with Regis & Kelly as guest co-host one day next week.
Ferguson (pictured left) should feel right at home working with Ripa. As one-half of The Eric & Kathy Show on the Bonneville International hot adult-contemporary station, he�s been mixing it up with partner Kathy Hart for the last 15 years. But that doesn�t stop him from worrying.
�Getting the chance to co-host Regis & Kelly is both stunning and scary,� he told me. �Stunning that I actually made the cut � thanks to the voting of our great listeners. And scary that I might not be able to hold my own with Kelly. Have you seen her? She�s in tremendous shape! I have no idea what�s in store for me, but we�re all about to find out.�
Nearly 900,000 votes were cast online for the 10 finalists from markets across the United States and Canada. Each of them submitted a video to argue his case, with Ferguson turning up inside the scoreboard at Wrigley Field and on the ice at the United Center, wearing a Blackhawks jersey with the name �Regis Phil-in.� (Here is the link.)
He also showed up on WGN-Channel 9�s 5pm. newscast last week to �beg and plead� for votes with news anchor Mark Suppelsa, a former contributor to Ferguson�s morning show on the Mix. (Here is the link.) Live with Regis & Kelly airs from 9 to 10am weekdays on Tribune Co.-owned Channel 9.
Ferguson was the only winner Monday from Chicago or the Midwest. The four others were from Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, and Ottawa, Ontario. But Ferguson isn�t the first Chicagoan to fill in for Philbin. In 2009, Pat Tomasulo, sports anchor for Channel 9�s morning show, won a similar contest among local television personalities.
A stunt to find fill-ins for Ripa among �The Women of Radio� last August generated tons of publicity for the show � which is, of course the whole point.
Follow Up: In a surprise announcement Tuesday, Philbin told viewers that he plans to retire after 28 years on the show. �There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain people on camera, especially certain old people,� he joked.