Steve Dahl

Steve Dahl (born November 20, 1954) an American radio personality currently on the air in Chicago, Illinois, on WCKG radio. Has been on other Chicago radio stations WDAI, WLUP, WLS, and WMVP before signing on to WCKG Radio. Prior to coming to Chicago, Steve began his radio career back in his home state of California at the age of 16. His time in California was spent on the air at several locations. He then moved on to Detroit, Michigan where he tasted his first great success and his show served as the eventual basis for the Howard Stern radio show format.

In 1978 Steve left Detroit to join WDAI Chicago for just under a year until WDAI turned to a Disco format and fired Steve on the eve of Christmas. In 1979 Steve was hired to do the morning show at WLUP where he met overnight newsman Matthew Meier. Shortly there after Steve and Matthew began a crosstalk that eventually led to Steve hiring Garry Meier, Matthew Meier had been a pseudonym, as both sidekick and newsman. Dahl, along with both Mike Veeck of Chicago White Sox promotions and Jeff Scwartz of WLUP promotions, came up with a radio promotion and tie-in to the White Sox, Disco Demolition. Steve had been 'destroying' disco records on the air due to his hatred of the music and they decided to do the same in Comiskey Park's centerfield. On July 12th, 1979 a box filled with disco records was blown up on the field during the intermission of a Chicago White Sox/Detroit Tigers double-header. After the WLUP crew, including Dahl, Meier, Schwartz and Lorelei, station spokeschest, left the field the overfilled stadium's fans began spilling onto the field and over 10,000 people ran about for 20 minutes until Chicago Police came in and quickly dispersed the crowd over the next 10 minutes. Estimates were that the promotion brought over 90,000 people to the game leaving 20,000 outside with no way in surrounding the park and another 20,000 that had forced their way into the 50,000 seat stadium some by climbing the outside of the structure and over the roof. After the rowdiness the field was damaged, bases stolen, center field disco record bonfire and torn up grass forced the White Sox to forfeit the second game to the Tigers. Steve was cornerstone of the legendary radio station WLUP (97.9). Steve Dahl is credited with starting many radio careers in the Chicago area, indluding hiring Kevin Matthews and paving the way for Johnathon Brandmeier. Steve & Garry later moved on to clear channel WLS, but ultimately returned to WLUP where they stayed until Garry quit the show after returning from his honeymoon in 1993. The reasons for the break up have never been completely divulged. Depending on who you ask it was either comments made by Steve either on the air and/or during the wedding and/or the reception for Meier and Cynthia Fircak, Meier's wife, or the meddling of Fircak, asking for a more even money split, in her new husband's career. Cynthia Fircak, commercial real-estate broker, also acted as Meier's agent in 2003, Garry has not worked since. In a recent column in The Chicago Sun Times columnist Robert Feder wrote: "It's the divorce that just keeps on giving: A decade after Steve Dahl and Garry Meier severed their legendary radio partnership, their breakup remains a source of bitterness and anger for them--and continuing fascination for their fans."

After Garry quit in 1993, Steve attmpted to work at the all-sports station, WMVP. This was not the proper place for him and he eventually allowed his contract to lapse in 1994 in order to find a better fit. During this in between time Steve conquered his alcoholism and has been dry ever since 1995.

In 1996 Steve joined WCKG, a very popular Chicago Classic Rock station, to do afternoons as their first non-music show. It is during this time that he performed a legendary show on September 11, 2001. Steve's afternoon show ran four consecutive hours without commericials and served as an island of normalcy in an otherwise chaotic and sickening day. Over the years at WCKG, Steve's show has had numerous personnel changes as is usual in Steve's shows. Steve is currently teamed up with Wendy Snyder and Buzz Kilman, the latter of which was with Steve as a newsman/bluesman on Steve's original radio show, The Breakfast Club on WLUP Chicago. His show is consistenly ranked well due to a hard core group of fans.

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