Dahl hopes fans put their money where his mouth is

Sorry Stever but it won't work. XM satellite radio proved that and had to merge with Sirius with better choices than what you have.

I like my porno for free and my podcasts, thanks for nada.

I will not spend $10 to listen to some lame dude explain his away his poor eating habits. Last night Dahl was on WFLD news with Sirott and he was a joke. Dahl tried to get Bob to acknowledge his weight loss and Bob simply smirked at him. And at that point Dahl lost interest in the interview and just wise-assed the remainder of the interview. Darn, I will miss those awesome phone calls with Billy Dec...even for free it was painful.

I won't be forking over money to support this egomaniacs lavish lifestyle. Who wants to hear this washed up man talk about his country club, his amazing seats at the Blackhawks and White Sox games. The dude would have to pay me to listen to him.

I like the Stever, but with the cost of my meds, I'm not sure I can afford 10 bucks a month to listen to him on the interwebz. However, I would donate a kidney to hear the semi-lovely Melissa Forman for hours a day for realz. Right now I just hear her voice in my head and see her pearly white teeth floating in mid air. That's why I need to spend my money on meds and not the Stever. Do you think he might have some kind of scholarship or public assistance program for people like me?

Whatever happens PLEASE monitor this come August 2nd and beyond. Everyone (okay, "most," everyone) would like to see if "anyone," is willing to pay to hear a podcast. Whether it be Dahl's or not. Then monitor to see if he gets repeat buys. Thanks!

Im paying about 12 bucks a month for Sirius and getting way more channels than one. If 20k are listening for free; guessing 5-10% will subscribe. Good luck with it.

Good luck with that. :(

As a podcaster and genuine fan and supporter of the medium, I am surprised by the move. If Dahl claims to have that high number of daily downloads, he surely should have been able to land a respectable and lucrative sponsor deal. Comedy podcasts dominate iTunes and other MP3 download services. Marc Maron, Adam Carolla, and others have found great success in monetizing their podcast via "live" reads. Same goes for Leo LaPorte, Kevin Pollak (who does have a season pass pay package), and Kevin Smith. I think Steve is going to learn quickly that this is not the way to go. I hope for his sake that he does so before alienating and driving away the fan base he currently does have.

I was looking forward to Steve's return to radio and a revitalization of the influence of his insight and contributions to Chicago's culture. My money would have been on a satellite radio gig. Unfortunately, this 10k listener pod-cast, no matter how 'cutting edge' it might be, will yield little impact. Steve will become less and less of a 'player'. He'd get more 'followers/listeners' if he'd 'narrow-cast' from the top of a soap box at State and Madison. Steve's decision is very disappointing.

Will he be prorating the $20/month for the all dead-air that we have to listen to? When I would listen to him, there were lapses of air time while he was thinking of what to say next. It was so bad, that at times I would switch stations to listen to him, and then wonder if the station was on the air because of the silence.

I'm a longtime Dahl fan but won't be paying to hear him. If he can't sell enough advertising to keep his podcast going I don't see it working. Bye Stever

I have felt guilty enjoying Steve's basement work for free and feel he has the right to charge what he feels to be fair compensation for his talent's. A question arises though, Will he now compensate those who provide content to his show? Buzz could use it, Tom and Keith deserve it or will that valuable content fall by the wayside as they wonder about a one way relationship? If so will we be left with Amanda? I would for one feel short changed paying $9.95/mo knowing that Virginia McCaskey won't be around anymore, or that Tom would no longer avail himself to provide his unique insight into last weeks Bears game. Were they included in Steve's "Big Picture" or will it be $15.95 in six months to cover their unquestionable addition to Steve's Dahlcast. It's too early to know whether Steve has covered all of his bases or that the content will suffer devaluation. I guess the smart thing to do on my part is withhold my bucks until the talent issue is addressed to my satisfaction. Since Steve has NEVER seemed to broadcast on his own without the Morning Zoo around him I wonder if he could provide the real entertainment he thinks he provides without vocal support of outside sources and I'm not talking about Pete or Mary whom I've considered detracting distractions. When the smoke clears I'll make up my mind not guided by blind loyalty but by bang for that buck.

I've listened to Steve's podcasts, but $10/month is expensive. Especially since SiriusXM is $13/month and has many more stations. I think Steve should speak to Howard Stern and get on Howard 101. Bubba the Love Sponge did his show from Tampa, so why can't Steve continue to do his from Chicago?

If he is going to do Podcast Willy, 9.99 seems a bit much. Maybe 5 bucks a month or so would be fair. His fan base is going to get smaller and smaller this way. Its a shame he is dying away while Roe Conn is building. Steve would have been a good fit on Sirius, where he could grow his show but......

I’m a fan, but I really hope this fails. Why? Because I don’t want others to get the idea that charging for content is the way to go. What’s wrong with the current model (we listen for free and you are reimbursed with ad revenue)? To add insult to injury, your loyal fans have to pay and still be bombarded with mortgage company “live reads”? No thanks. And what about new fans? How are you going to introduce new people to your comedy shtick if they have to pay $120 a year for it? I got news for you, it ain’t gonna happen! This just seems a lot like “stick it to the loyal fans”. This was such a disappointing announcement. I was really hoping for a new Randy Michaels WLUP “Classic Jock” station starring Johnny B in the mornings, Kevin Matthews mid-days, and Steve and Garry in the afternoon drive. That would have created a lot of positive buzz (just like your summer time hook-up with Garry a few years ago). I think it’s time to accept the fact you’re no longer a “million dollar man”, take the pay cut, and get back on the (free) radio!!

Asking online subscribers to pay for content they had been receiving free of charge is what has destabilized online newspapers. They gave away their content for years, and when they tried to squeeze a dime out of their "subscribers," they discovered how shallow free subscribers really are. Online outlets that have been successful at generating revenue charged subscribers something for the content from Day One. E.g. Crain's, Wall Street Journal, NYT, and a few others. I don't foresee Mr. Dahl joining that list.

Howard Stern makes half a BILLION dollars on Sirius/XM, and Steve Dahl has to charge $9.99 a month for one daily podcast. No matter who stole whose act, I think we know who was the most successful with it. Sorry Steve, I'm keeping my money with satellite.

Fail. I think that says it all.

A prior comment stated: And what about new fans? How are you going to introduce new people to your comedy shtick if they have to pay $120 a year for it? Even for free Dahl is unable to attract a young audience. Sure, they may have heard about him but he has about as much appeal as Julie Roberts. The end has finally arrived for the fat man (he still a slob).

The big problem is the show sounds like someone putting on a show from their basement. I was listening on a fairly regular basis, but I've been downloading less & less. I don't think it's the $10 a month (that's the cost of a couple beers on a night out), it's that fans were hoping he'd come back and do some kind of "normal" show. His show over the years thrived on conflict - so him now having no conflict with bosses, co-workers etc is good? Plus 10,000 subscribers? How can a guy who once had as big an audience as he had feel at all relevant with 10,000 followers? How is he going to get guests? Or is the plan just to have him sit there and ramble for 90 minutes and get phone calls from people like Amanda P & KV Horne & T Thayer? That's not a real show. This feels nearly as sad as when other radio legends in this town have ended up broadcasting from low-watt suburban stations because they still wanted the attention - and couldn't get it anywhere else.

I used to say DUMP THE FAT MAN! Now I says DUMP THE DOWNLOAD OF THE LESS BUT STILL FAT MAN! Jimmy S. Fort Wayne Ind.

Count me in! I am going to love hearing uncensored Stever finally after 30 plus years. To the people who are complaining about paying $9.95 a month, think about how much you spend at Starbucks, and how long that lasts. Realize that at age 56, Mr. Dahl can't afford to retire, and if we want to hear the uncensored Stever, he can't be on the free radio. People who will pay for Sirius, but not for Steve's podcast are not seeing the big picture. A podcast can be paused, and kept forever.

It's interesting how Steve seems to feel his listeners owe him $10 a month now that he is not being paid by CBS. Without his listeners he never would have made the millions of dollars he made when on the radio. To belittle someone who says he would rather spend $120 of his limited disposable income on his family or something other than listening to Steve just shows how out of touch he really is with a large segment of his audience. Not everyone can afford premium White Sox, Bears and on the glass Blackhawk tickets. Some of us are really just trying to get by. Where is Janet with her Joliat sensibilities?

Even though "Disco Demolition" was a colossally divisive, moronic and environmentally-unfriendly waste of time, you gatta give Dahl props for his current podcasting efforts. We hope it works out for him because that's what the free market is all about--creating one's own niche and working one's own program. Modern "Disco"/dance/house/electronica continues to thrive as evidenced by the nearly 100,000 people who flocked to 63rd and Hayes Drive this past Saturday for the annual Chosen Few Picnic. Fox Chicago was there. This was a MASSIVE, positive, life-affirming event that brought people together to enjoy LOUD, booming dance music! There were no incidents of violence, which is not surprising, given that house music is all about creating a peaceful, uplifting and unifying vibe. Don't be afraid of the boom boom, the relentless beats are here to stay and louder than ever! And again, burning up 1000s of vinyl records is moronic and environmentally-unfriendly waste of time. What did all the angry participants do after the event? Bet they all went home--alone...

Won't work Steve---sorry. Get a regular (free) radio gig while you still have fans. Take the pay cut and realize that you are past your prime. Better yet, try to reconnect with Garry because you have been in a freefall since the 1993 split. Just the facts.

Having been away from Chicago for many years, it was nice to be able to check in with the Stever via his podcast once in a while. I always enjoyed Steve and Garry and Steve after Garry's departure. That being said, I think the $9.95 monthly approach is a big mistake for the following reasons (many already stated here). 1. If Steve gets 500 people to sign up, he'll be lucky. Further, attrition is going to erode that number. 2. If my estimate is correct, he will have hurt his reputation and future marketability. 3. Many current Dahl fans will be turned off by being asked to invest ten dollars a month to keep Steve supported in the lifestyle to which he's become accustomed. 4. Having been off of local, terrestrial radio for a few years, Steve can't afford to lose fans or his reputation as a "draw". I think that could be a fatal blow; one Steve may not recover from. Traditional radio works because advertisers want and need to reach an audience and those dollars pay for talent including the supporting players necessary to create something worth listening to. I hope Steve realizes that trying something new needs to have the right elements for success. Unfortunately, this approach simply doesn't.

I couldn't agree more that Dahl hasn't sounded good since the heyday of the Garry Meier era, and I'm not counting the last two years of the S & G partnership, because the bloom was off the rose at that point. Steve was well into his addictions and Garry had grown tired of it. But I can't give Garry a free pass either because his WGN show isn't much better than the AM 720 shows he and Steve used to make fun of in their prime. Think about this. The worst broadcast career move this city has ever witnesses is Garry backing out of a WLS contract with Roe Conn that by now would have made him about $15 million. While the most embarrassing career move is Dahl believing there is an audience for his basement podcasts when they are priced at $9.95 a month. If he offered to pay people 10 bucks a week to listen to just 5 days of this crap, I'm guessing he would have very few takers. This is what happens when you have a 1/2 dozen untalented employees who are in your house simply to stroke your ego! They both need each other and we all know they aren't sharp enough to realize that!

It's a genius scam if he can pull it off - Steve wants to talk about his golfing and country club lifestyle so he asks poor schleps to pony up money so that he can afford to maintain his country club lifestyle so that you the listener can listen to him ramble about his country club lifestyle.

I'm a long-time fan, back from WDAI on. I agree that content is king, but I hope that Steve rethinks his pricing strategy. Let's consider that for $9.95/month Glenn Beck (I know, different demo) went full-bore internet with a premium GBTV membership including live streaming video shows, podcast access, daily extra content and more. Beck offers a standard offering for $4.95/month with pared down access. I appreciate the Dahlcasts and am not a cheap ass. I try to support the sponsors as much as I can afford. But having been unemployed off and on over the last four years doesn't leave a lot of discretionary income. I wish Steve the best and much success with this high-stakes gamble. My personal situation just won't make subscribing at $9.95 possible.

Wait, Dahl gets credit for Disco Demolition? He was just the dancing monkey. Veeck deserves the credit for that goofy idea. As for $10/month, Dahl's reaction to a complaining fan says it all: a commenter mentioned that she couldn't afford $120 a year for his show. All Steve had to say was that it was just a few cents a day. That's nice, Steve, but those cents add up. In case you haven't noticed, there's a recession going on, and podcasts are hardly a necessity.

I've been a fan of Steve's since the 70's. I was even at Disco Demolition (really!). Despite following him through all his moves in terrestrial radio I never warmed to his podcasts even when they were free. So obviiously I won't be paying for it. I prefer listening to the "real" radio for my radio personalities.

I'll pay the 10 bucks if you promise to PUT TO REST ANY FURTHER DISCO DEMOLITION ANNIVERSARIES. YOU'RE GONNA FORCE US TO HAVE A "DISCO DEMOLITION" DEMOLITION. JUST LET IT GO!!!! I THINK YOU JUICED IT AS MUCH AS YOU COULD STEVER.

I won't be able to listen as I just don't have the money. I can't understand why Steve would be satisfied with a small podcast. There's still a whole lot of talent there, although he no longer seems to be striving to use it all. There doesn't seem to be anyone around him pushing him in the ways he needs to be pushed. If Steve has a manager, whoever that is can't possibly be really trying to further Steve's career. If there is no manager, Steve needs to sign with the hottest as soon as possible. Steve shouldn't be settling for this. He deserves a much, MUCH larger audience, and that audience deserves to hear him. That should be on commercial radio.

I wish Steve all the best, but my gut tells me this venture is doomed. I too was really at DiscoDemolition, and have enjoyed listening to Steve over the years, but I am not going to pay for sometimes uneven content. It's one thing to download a bad free podcast, but quite another to pay to be bored. They don't call him Steve Dull for nothing.

Hey Steve, I thought we had a deal?

who the hell knew he was still alive?

Dahl has been making $1 million per year from CBS doing this crappy little podcast and now he wants to charge his "loyal fans" $9.95 per month for what they could have turned off for free a few days ago. What an ego.

Pennies from the masses not dollars from the classes.

Wow, this reads like a roach motel for Steve haters! Now I too disagree with Steve a podcast is the way to go, & I too won't subscribe. But that's a matter of convenience. I can't sit at a desk giving Steve the attention I give him for 90 minutes a day, or run around with the iPod. Also I wonder how he introduces and/or reintroduces himself to the masses on a podcast. Disco Demolition was 32 years ago. On that night, "32 years ago" was 1947. How would you sell anything 1947 to that crowd at Comiskey Park? That's Steve's challenge here... But Steve is in the marketplace with a product to sell. Let him try it; the worst thing that will happen is in six months he'll have to make adjustments. Chances are if pay per month has been in his craw for a long time, he HAS to take a shot at it. All the best to the Stever; here's hoping he finds the path he needs to be on.

"I don't go to sleep with no whore and I don't wake up with no whore. That's how I live with myself. I don't know how you do it." Martin Sheen quote from the movie, "Wall Street".

I listened to his show after his announcement and he said that he thought that he was worth $20 or $30 a month but that he would try to start at $9.95/month as a favor to his listeners and then possibly raise the price as subscribers get hooked. Steve is always complaining that his golfing and country club lifestyle is costing him too much money so he needs to charge for the podcast as well as hawk his customized official pizza cutter to make ends meet. Steve's appearances on Fox and WTTW have kind of fallen flat and he seems annoyed and perturbed about answering questions about his paywall launch. I tried in vane to convince Steve that a better and more profitable price point would have been to charge $30 or $40 per year for an annual subscription as I think that his current price structure will fall short of its intended subscription goals for the amount of content offered. Having been in many high stakes negotiations I can tell you that Steve is stubborn and probably will not accept prudent advice on his pricing model. This may be a case of Steve cocooning himself in his small inner circle and becoming delusion-ally self confident.

Welcome to the 'D' list: Desparate. 1) Price far exceeds any value. 2) 24/7 satellite radio is less per month. 3) 20,000 daily downloads seems inflated and converting half to paying customers is definitely inflated. 4) His marketplace relevance has eroded. 5) There's nothing fresh about this old act. 6) He won't be able to re-invent in crowded new markets. Take a job as a traffic reporter. THAT would be interesting.

I'll gladly pay ten bucks for the quality that Steve brings to the airwaves, ahem...dsl modem. Does everyone expect him to fund the podcast out of his own pocket for ever? Sure terrestrial radio may be free, provided you're willing to tolerate the one to one ratio of content to commercials. The Dahlcast is a quality product. It's worth it.

really steve you think you're worth $10.00 a month? dream on...i've been listening to garry meier on 'gn and it's pretty clear who was the talent on the show when they were together...dahl used to step on anything garry said that was funny...dahl has always been an egomaniac...quit listening to him when he was free

I know this citizen isn't going to be paying $9.95/month to hear *ANYONE* on a podcast. It's just not worth it based solely in comparison to other content available (free radio, XM/Sirius, other podcasts, my iPod, between-station white noise....)

Long-time listener... Someone (well, multiple someones) with a history and an established fan base needs to test for-pay podcasts, and it may as well be Steve. $9.95/month is probably not the right price point. The opinion of many commenters--"For $3 more, I can get Sirius with loads more channels!"--is indicative of where the market will go. I respect what Stern does, but I've never been a fan. My latest car came with a built-in XM receiver. If Sirius/XM carried a good roster of regional shows and simulcast them nationally (read: some means by which Steve's WCKG show could be heard here in San Diego,) it would have been worth it. XM with Steve or Johnny B. or Kevin, I'd pay $13/month for. But for just a few good, though not spectacular, music channels, even with the ability to hear Rachel Maddow's TV show live, that's worth only $5-$7/month to me. Sirius/XM might indeed be the better route, but nobody can expect to make billions there anymore. Remember, Howard got that deal when the industry was flush. When his deal expires, they won't be willing to give him anything as lucrative, to say nothing of Steve. I hoped that Steve planned to use his podcast numbers to negotiate with stations. "I really have THIS audience, it should justify THAT salary." If he's even pursued that, I guess it hasn't worked. We know that broadcast radio, now owned almost entirely by large corporations, is about zero risk and minimal expenses. Satellite-fed voice-tracking is common outside the largest markets, and salaries are down all over. While I don't think Steve has become Wally Philips, I don't think the suits who program commercial radio now see or care about the difference. The Steve of 20 years ago might have fit in whatever the hell Randy Michaels has planned for the Loop, but the recovered, grown-up Steve of today probably does not. Last fall, I attended a software developer's conference, where one presenter talked about his experience selling iPhone apps in Apple's App Store. He found that TONS of people will download your app for free. There's no risk in it. But once you raise your price to that first $0.99, 90% of your customers disappear. 9 out of 10 people aren't willing to pay a dollar for your app. The same principle will surely apply to Steve's show. However many downloads he's seeing now, they're going to fall way down, no matter what he charges. The trick is finding that peak on the marginal cost curve, where he can balance price and audience size to maximize his revenue. It's sure not $10, but maybe it's $5 or $6? And he probably has some changes to accept in the future. On even the maximized podcast revenue, he may not be able to afford a staff of 5. People are going to have to go. Maybe it even restricts his lifestyle--maybe he's got to let go of the place in Michigan, or the one in Florida? Or he's got to stop going there so often, or paying for the boys to go. No, I think the foreseeable future is "just enough to get by", like it is for most of the rest of us schlubs. Hopefully Steve will see and expect that.

I'll pay for some Steve, and wish him nothing but the best. 10,000 subscribers may be a lofty goal, but I hope he makes it there in due time. Think about all of the superfluous things we pay for these days: Starbucks coffee, iPhone apps that we rarely use, we download three minute songs on iTunes for $1.29 ea., we buy bottled water and pay for air for our tires at the gas station. Twenty-five years ago we would have laughed at the idea of paying for air, water, or Steve Dahl. Times are changing, and the internet is an ever-evolving medium. If your ISP raises its monthly price (and it will), will you quit the internet? If you don't like him, or really can't afford it, don't buy it. I enjoy the daily entertainment that Steve provides. It gets me through my workout, or my dog walk, or my commutes to and from my son's school. Go for it, Stever!

Come on people, the freeloading days are over. The radio sucks because any one worthwhile has been fired. Know why? Because even the radio execs know that radio is dead. There are a ton of free podcasts, but the audio is horrible. I can't listen. DahlCast is in pristine sound. Totally can't tell he's not in some fancy radio studio. Dennis Miller charges for his podcast AND he is on free radio. But I'm not in my car at 9:00 on a week night. Get it? It's a convenience factor. I can listen to the DahlCast anywhere any time. I'm all in!

Steve will be lucky to get 1,000 people to pay for this podcast and that number will only go down over time as folks realize they aren't getting their money's worth. I listened to him for several years but his boring, self-centered drivel no longer did it for me. There will be some foolish uber-fans who follow him but that number won't exceed 1,000. All in all a pretty bad idea, he'll figure that out soon enough.

I relocated out of range of Chicago airwaves 20 years ago and have not heard any radio personality who entertained me like Steve had. His song parodies and characters stayed with me all these years. When I discovered his podcasts I was elated.  He's gone from a bad boy shock jock to a mellowed but still entertainingly funny, still irreverent talent. He and his quirky staff make me laugh every single day. Do I agree with everything they say and do? Of course not, but I do laugh out loud at least once every time I listen, and that sure as heck is worth 50 cents a day.

You suck Feder. Tweet that shit.

Steve based on these comments I would start reducing operating expenses

I'll pay! Steve is entertaining, funny, and yes, still relevant. Yes, it might be time for a new producer, (Mary is a total headache) but I've been listening to Steve since the late 70's, and to me he's the same ol' Steve minus the drugs and booze. Charging for his show doesn't bug me. I save $ for my guilty pleasures, and Steve Dahl is a guilty pleasure that's well worth the approximate .50/day.

Steve, this is a very bad idea. Now, you've decided to charge money? I've been following your career since the early eighties and admittedly I'm listening less and less everyday, but now you've attempted to make a bunch of unfunny interns a cheap alternative to an everyday co-host/partner and you want us to pay for it? I'm sorry but it sucks and if you had a real honest producer, you would know that. Howard Stern had Lady Gaga on his show today and you're going to counter with who? Amanda Puck? W.T.F. this is WORSE THAN EVER!

I'm Dahl-in!!! Real fans know this is the best solution. Steve - when we want him, uncensored ~ can't wait. Plus, filling in on radio for promotion. Bring it Steve, show 'em why we love you.

I have listened to the Stever for free for over 30 years.He has earned the right to get my $9.95 a month.I will gladly pay that to listen to him and the basement crew when it is convenient for me. I haven't listened to the radio since Steve has been podcasting. I love this form of entertainment and I am "all in." I laugh outloud at least once or twice each podcast and $.50 is a mere pittance to pay for great entertainment. Besides-I want Steve to earn the whole house generator!!

I've listened on and off a few times to his podcast and without fail, every time I tune in, Steve is blabbing on about Disco Demolition and how significant an event it was. Give it up already. I have to say as a marketer, Steve made a huge mistake by leaving a gap between his announcement and when customers could start subscribing. He should have locked people in and have been set up to start accepting subscriptions immediately (he had two years to figure this out). If he had done that he could have started banking customers already and would have had a fairly good idea as to how well his business model was going to succeed or not. As it is, listeners have to scramble to register right before 8/1. Also, had I been advising him, I would have suggested that he charge .50 cents per podcast or $40.00 for an annual subscription. The $9.95 per month just sounds prohibitive to many customers and he is going to lose a lot of potential listeners. Also, he made a huge error in his announcement by basically telling his audience that he was going to be essentially offering the same product that has been free for two years only that he was going to start charging for it. He should have done a proper relaunch and announced a new and improved show with added content and more enticing features if he wanted people to start paying. Even if it was going to be essentially the same show, he needed to sell it as a new repackaged product with more content to entice new customers and retain loyal listeners. As it is he sounds lazy, like he doesn't want to trouble himself too much or spend too much time away from the country club and he wants us the listener to foot the bill. The ironic thing is, this idea (with a proper price structure, research and marketing) could have worked and made a lot of money but Steve didn't do his homework, dragged his feet and rushed into a flawed plan. The countdown begins.

Stever - you had two years to come up with a plan to get back on the air. This seems like such a lazy way for you to sit on your semi-fat butt in your basement and collect money from your fans. What an insult to me as a long time listener. You expect to charge me to listen to your pocast for 9.95 a month, so you can enjoy all of your luxuries like your homes in Florida and Michigan, your country club, amazing tickets to the Blackhawks and White Sox games?? How do you expect your fans to not feel animosity listening to you brag about this on your show, when they are funding it. Think again dude!

I bet Steve gets 100 podcast members to sign up. Steve's good at shaming and guilting his family and friends.

Could it be that Karma has finally come to bite Steve in the ass? I think so.

Steve has two problems. The first is Steve is IGNORING everybody telling him that they will not pay $9.95 a month to hear Steve talk about 1) his money 2) his extravegant life style 3) his country club membership 4) his cool ex-football player friends 5) his skybox seats for Bears Games, Sox games 6) how is is no longer a fat pig. And the second problem Steve surronds himself with a group of "yes men" who tell Steve everything he believes is correct and smart and trend setting. WAIT. You PAY all of them. They DEPEND on you to pay them to LIVE. SO they tell you want you want to hear. NOT THE truth. This charging for podcasts experiment will end with Steve in tears sobbing like a sissy girl. And Steve will EVENTUALLY be on WLS-890 AM but NOT getting paid over $1 million a year. He will be on the air for $100K or so. I will listen when he goes on FREE radio because Steve will be DISTRAUGHT about not making $1M a year and that will be funny to listen to.

Why does everyone expect entertainment for free? You pay for cable, to go to the movies, see a band..why not a podcast that amuses and entertains?? I know times are tough..heck..I am broke. But $10 a month for something I truly enjoy is well worth skipping a coffee ONCE OR TWICE a month. Also, Steve is NOT greedy. If anything...he is giving. He employs people!!! And yeah, he could get advertisers and keep it free....but have you heard how incredibly funnier he is when he is uncensored and does WHATEVER he wants??!? Rock on Steve and the DahlCast..I am with you!!!