Chicago radio's hottest couple will be mixing it up in mornings for years to come.

Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, the phenomenally popular morning duo on WTMX-FM (101.9) have agreed to long-term renewals at the modern rock station.

The agreements couldn't come at a better time for Bonneville International Corp., parent company of ''The Mix,'' which just scored big victories in the latest Arbitron quarterly survey. Ferguson and Hart's morning show finished first in two key demographic categories--among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 and adults between the ages of 25 and 54.

Terms of their deals were not disclosed.

But sources said Ferguson signed a five-year contract worth more than $5 million. The deal, negotiated by attorney Barry Meister, puts Ferguson into the highest echelon of Chicago radio talent.

Hart agreed to a four-year deal (for what is believed to be less money than her partner) before she took off on maternity leave last week. She delivered her second child, Annika, on Friday. 

Widely regarded as the antithesis of shock radio, Ferguson and Hart's female-friendly morning show has been the beneficiary of shrewd marketing (including ubiquitous bus cards and billboards), sophisticated production and promotion and seamless interaction with listeners.

Ferguson, who grew up in Downstate Elburn, joined ''The Mix'' in 1996 from KWMX-FM in Denver. He immediated was teamed up with Hart, a native of northwest suburban Crystal Lake, who had signed on the year before. She previously had held on-air jobs in Rockford; Milwaukee; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Phoenix, and Columbus, Ohio. 

Their show ranks fourth among all listeners with a 4.4 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 480,400.

Eric Ferguson, joined The Mix in 1996 and is a Chicago native. He grew up in Elburn (a tiny town in the FAR western suburbs) and graduated from Kaneland High School in 1985. Following high school, Eric attended the University of Iowa and graduated in 1989. It was at Iowa that Eric first was exposed to a life in radio.

Following Iowa, his radio career took him to Allentown, PA (including many all-night excursions to New York City), the Quad-Cities (his first morning job), Rockford (staying only long enough for a cup of coffee), Florida (where he was convinced one night to wrestle an alligator ... a very small, old, slow alligator), Denver (where his neighbor was Gennifer Flowers ... the Secret Service was ALWAYS hanging around), and finally back to Chicago.

When not working the grueling morning show (anybody buying that?), Eric spends time with his new wife Jen (a dentist), and his nine year old step-daughter at their home in Lincoln Park. You can also find Eric and his group of close friends - Keith The Tattooed Insurance Salesman, Bowling Shirt Dave, and Byron the Computer Guy - hanging out at the golf course, in the bleachers at Wrigley, or at many of the bars around town ... usually because THEY'RE paying.

Eric and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Moran welcomed their first children--twins!--Avery Maxine and David Ethan - born 6.26.02