Shows produced by other public radio stations popular with listeners, including "Afropop Worldwide," "Blues Before Sunrise" and "Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland" will also be axed.

According to the Tribune, fans were shocked because they had been expecting music programs to be increased, not the reverse. But Chicago Public Radio decided to devote its frequencies to talk shows.

"It's a slap in the face to Louis Armstrong and Joe Williams," Chicago broadcaster Dave Freeman told the Tribune. "If this were Lincoln, Nebraska, fine. But this is a part of our history in Chicago, a part of who we are."

Torey Malatia, president and general manager of Chicago Public Radio, told the paper that the stations have changed their strategy and hope to "support the artistic community in a more effective way." He added that there would be discussions of music under the new format but said "I don't want to mislead people that there will be sets" of music played on any of the stations.