A couple of weeks after taking a WCCO-AM buyout, former late-night host Dark Star says he'll likely be back on the air with rival KFAN — and predicted ex-KSTP host Tommy Mischke will replace him on the Good Neighbor.

Dark won't host a show of his own; he describes his potential role as "a contributor" to various Fan shows, where he'll talk "baseball, golf, horse racing and boxing." He also hopes to have a community relations position with the station where "I'm going to go to clients and tie the charitable knot between them and KFAN."

KFAN program director Chad Abbott says the station won't comment on someone who is not an employee. Dark says his buyout doesn't have a non-compete, but doesn't formally go into effect for a week or so. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday night, Dark told viewers of Channel 23's "The Sports Show" that WCCO seemed ready to hire Mischke. "I heard it was Monday-Thursday, 10 p.m. to midnight," he says, which would be two hours fewer than Dark's 9 p.m.-1 a.m. show.

WCCO market manager Mick Anselmo hasn't yet returned a message left early Monday. Mischke acknowledges ongoing discussions. "I’ve been talking to WCCO since last November, and I continue to talk to them. There’s no agreement and no contract for any shift."

Should the Mischke-WCCO deal get done, it would be a huge win for both sides. WCCO, which considers itself "Minnesota's station," would grab one of the state's unique voices and excite a portion of the populace that views the station as too stodgy. It would also return Mischke to his logical night-owl slot; the silly songs, profound rambles and rollicking interactions always seemed best savored under a full moon. Bonus: WCCO's clear-channel signal means more Americans can join in the fun.