Chicago Tribune Marketing Column.

By Jim Kirk, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 12--INFINITY BROADCASTING GM JUMPS TO EYCHANER CHAIN: When Harvey Wells first joined rock radio station WXRT-FM 93.1 27 years ago, it was a quirky, privately owned entity where executives didn't have to answer to suits in another city worrying about some profit target.

That changed, dramatically, when Infinity Broadcasting bought the station during a wave of massive consolidation that enveloped the industry in the 1990s, not only here but also in other markets.

On Wednesday, Wells announced he's leaving Infinity to operate entrepreneur Fred Eychaner's small, but growing, local …