Steve Dahl Off JACK

By Prescott Carlson in News on Dec 5, 2008 6:10PM

Just a little over a year after Steve Dahl made a move to WJMK -- a.k.a. JACK-FM -- after his former home, WCKG, went through a format change, Dahl today announced on the air that he would no longer be continuing at the station. Dahl currently has a contract with the station worth more than $1 million a year, which is set to expire in 2011 -- and Dahl is going to make sure it doesn't run out a day sooner:

"They were saying, 'Well, do a couple of weeks, a farewell.'" Dahl said. "I said, 'It's not a farewell. You guys are taking me off the air. I'm not retiring.' ... "I still have 2 1/2 years left on my deal so, quite frankly, I'm not letting them out of it."

The move isn't exactly surprising, as the ratings for Dahl's show were less than stellar. Dahl has enjoyed a 30+ year career in Chicago radio, his pairing with Garry Meier leaving an indelible impression on the hearts of Chicagoans throughout the late 70s and 80s. Where Dahl will end up is of course not known, but will likely be at his Florida condo twiddling his thumbs as stations aren't exactly scrambling to sign million dollar talent. It's already rumored that WJMK will replace Dahl's show with a stream of WBBM-AM news, apparently to introduce Felicia Middlebrooks to a younger audience. Yeah, that should work out just fine.

Photo of Big Steve Dahl from Dahl's website