Steven Robert Dahl was born on 20 November 1954, in Pasadena, California USA, to Carolyn, a homemaker, and Roger Dahl, an electronics parts manufacturer’s representative. He is a radio personality and humorist, best known for hosting “The Steve Dahl Show”.
So just how rich is Steve Dahl? According to sources in early 2017, Dahl has acquired a net worth of over $15 million, his fortune having been earned during his radio career which began in his late teens, while still in school.
Steve Dahl Net Worth $15 Million
Dahl grew up in La Cañada, California. He left school at the age of 16 and worked at a local radio station, getting his GED two years later. In 1976 he began working on a Detroit station WABX-FM, hosting a morning show, which brought him a decent level of popularity that he eventually achieved a 7.2 market share. His net worth started to rise.
Soon, he accepted a position at then-ABC-owned WDAI in Chicago, with a $50,000 salary, the in 1978 he began hosting the “Steve Dahl’s Rude Awakening” show. However, as it failed to achieve ratings and WDAI fired Dahl, changing their formats from rock to disco.
The following year Dahl started to work at WLUP, hosting a morning show with Garry Meier, forming one of the most controversial duos in broadcasting billed as ‘Steve and Garry’. They started to mock WDAI and disco records on air, and went on to create Disco Demolition Night, along with few colleagues and Mike Veeck, son of then Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck. They promoted the event on their radio station between games, asking listeners to bring their disco records to Comiskey Park and set them on fire. More than 50,000 fans showed up, piled up the records on the field and blew them up. The massive riot postponed the second game, which was later declared a forfeit victory for the visiting Detroit Tigers. However, the event brought Dahl astonishing popularity, greatly expanding his fan base, but the station fired him in 1981, for violating community language standards.
Shortly after, he and Meier released a comedy television special called “Greetings from Graceland”, winning an Emmy Award. After briefly hosting a morning television show at WFBN-TV, the duo went on to take over the afternoon shift at WLS., but in 1986 they returned to WLUP.
After Meier’s departure in 1993, Dahl hosted the Sports Talk on WMVP AM. He then started to broadcast an afternoon show on WCKG called “The Steve Dahl Show”, inviting Meier to appear in it on one occasion in 2006. Meier accepted and stayed for the remainder of the show. Their reunion received great media attention.
From 2007 to 2008 Dahl hosted his show at WJMK, and a year later, he started to do daily podcasts from his home studio, launching the Steve Dahl Network in 2011. It has 11 weekly shows which can be downloaded from Dahl’s website and app or from iTunes.
As of 2014, Dahl has hosted “The Steve Dahl Show” on WLS-AM.
Aside from his radio career which enabled him to reach a high level of fame and to establish significant wealth, Dahl has also pursued a career in music, releasing several parodies in the ’80s with his band Teenage Radiation, such as “Do You Think I’m Disco”, which became a national hit. As of 1990 he has recorded and played live performances with a new band called Steve Dahl and the Dahlfins, releasing several albums. Dahl is also credited as a co-writer and back vocal of the song “Your Imagination” by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.
The radio legend has had his fingers in acting as well, appearing in the 1984 cult classic “Grandview, U.S.A.”. He has also appeared in the comedies “Outing Riley” and “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With”. Both his career in music and his involvement in the film industry additionally reinforced Dahl’s popularity, and his net worth as well.
In his private life, Dahl was apparently briefly married to a woman unknown to sources when he was 18. As of 1978, he has been married to Janet Dahl.
