On Tuesday, Sept. 8, Chicago radio legend Steve Dahl returns to the air with an hourlong daily podcast.
The Stever has been off the air since Dec. 5. Chicago media columnist Phil Rosenthal writes about the circumstances of Dahl's exit here.
Rosenthal describes Dahl's style:
Dahl, 54, has been a seminal figure in the radio business both as a solo performer and as part of a team over the years, including pairings with Garry Meier and Buzz Kilman, his most recent partner.
Seen as an influence on Howard Stern and others, Dahl was among the first to return radio, which had become a time-temperature-song medium, to something approaching theater of the mind. He did not have a classic old-school radio voice, but that was part of bringing a certain "reality" to the air, taking listeners into his world, his head and behind the scenes at the stations where he worked.
He complemented that with song parodies, a cast of characters he invented or impersonated and other comedy bits.
Steve is most famous nationally for his central role in the craziness Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park.
I've been a Steve Dahl fan for years, and when I moved from the Midwest to Knoxville, Tenn., in 2005, his radio show's podcasts were a nice reminder of home. I'm excited that he'll be back on the air as I move back to Chicagoland shortly. In the meantime I've been listening to The Brendan & Pete Show, a podcast by two of Dahl's former crew members.
And if Steve still Google Alerts his name and happens to be reading this: Good luck and welcome back!