Chicago's Shock Jocks: When They Ruled the Airwaves
Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, Johnny B., Kevin Matthews, Mancow: for two decades Chicago radio was the loudest in America, and much of it ran through one station, The Loop.
For about twenty years, Chicago radio was a contact sport. Morning and afternoon hosts said things nobody else would say on the air, and the city tuned in to hear what they'd do next.
A lot of it ran through one station: WLUP, "The Loop."
Steve Dahl and Garry Meier
Steve Dahl and Garry Meier started working together at The Loop in 1979. Dahl was brash and blunt. Meier was the quick, dry partner. Together they were a ratings machine and a constant source of trouble for management.
That same year came Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park, when a crate of disco records blew up in center field and the second game of the doubleheader was forfeited. See Disco Demolition Night.
Dahl was fired from The Loop in 1981. The pair moved to WLS-FM, then back to The Loop's AM station, where their show got even more outrageous, and even more popular. They were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2013.
Johnny B.
Jonathon Brandmeier arrived at The Loop in 1983 and ran mornings there for 14 years: music, bits, characters and a band. See Johnny B.: where is he now?.
Kevin Matthews
Kevin Matthews joined The Loop in 1987, starting overnights, and built a following with characters like Jim Shorts.
Mancow and the '90s
In the 1990s, Mancow Muller brought a newer, louder style to Chicago mornings, with stunts that made national news. Chicago radio was a training ground for that whole era of hosts.
Before them: Larry Lujack
Chicago's original radio star was Larry Lujack, "Superjock," at WLS in the '60s, '70s and '80s: dry, sarcastic, and deadpan where the shock jocks were loud.
What happened to The Loop
Rock radio faded, the shows moved on, and in 2018 the 97.9 FM frequency was sold and became a Christian music station. The Loop as Chicago knew it was gone.
Why it matters
Shock radio didn't start in Chicago, but Chicago did it as well as anyone. A lot of today's podcast hosts are doing what Dahl, Meier and Johnny B. did on FM 40 years ago.