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Related Resources • Steve Dahl Profile • Garry Meier Profile • More Profiles of Popular Radio Personalities

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Elsewhere on the Web • Complete Robert Feder Column on Dahl and Meier • Chicago Media Headlines

Chicago is a great Radio town and it should be: it's the third largest Radio market in the United States and a large amount of advertising dollars are available to those stations that bring in the ratings.

Chicagoans also expect a lot from their radio listening and have always supported real Radio personalities. In fact, Chicago has boasted some of the highest-profile and best Radio talent in broadcast history.

Steve Dahl and Garry Meier are two of those people.

Dahl worked at WDAI-FM, twice at WLUP-FM, once at WLUP-AM (now defunct), WLS-AM and FM and now resides at WCKG-FM.

Meier began at WFYR-FM, Chicago in 1973, moved to WYEN-FM from 1974-1977, to overnights at WLUP in 1979 and then that same year was paired up with Steve Dahl at WLUP. He remained with Dahl until 1993 during which time their show went from WLUP to WLS and then back again.

But, in 1993, the successful duo went their separate ways and the parting was anything but friendly. In a recent column in The Chicago Sun Times, 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."

Now, both Dahl and Meier are competing against each other with afternoon programs. Feder reports that during an interview with "Radio & Records", Dahl "placed most of the blame for the 1993 split squarely on Meier and his wife, Cindy."

According to Feder, "Meier, who has rarely spoken publicly about the matter, fired off a scathing response to R&R."

In the "Radio & Records" response from Meier, he accused Dahl of "alcohol-fueled mood swings" and claims "I performed the first half-hour of the show by myself until he could find his way into the building."

Feder reports that Dahl's response to all this was, "It's still nice to know that I can get inside his head so easily."

Radio, especially in a market the size of Chicago, is an ego-driven, competitive and unforgiving business.

Chances are, this is not over, yet.

- Corey Deitz

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