Steve Dahl, a Chicago radio fixture for more than 30 years, told his Jack Fm listeners that today would be his last broadcast.
“This is our last show here,” Dahl said this morning on his WJMK-FM 104.3 radio show.
“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.”
Dahl, famous for his song parodies and impressions, is considered a pioneer in talk radio and has been influential for many other radio personalities.
He took an “every guy” approach to life in Chicago and often told stories about his life and family.
The radio industry is feeling the crunch of the economic crisis, and advertisers and digital technology have increasngly splintered the audience.
Dahl writes a column for the Chicago Tribune, and said he can continue to “write for the paper, do some TV things and who knows what else” but says he will stay off the radio for the remainder of his contract.
View video of Steve Dahl announcing his return to morning radio on 104.3 JACK-FM WJMK-FM below.