Who Replaces Dan Bernstein At 670 The Score?

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Love him or hate him, Dan Bernstein and his 29-year career at 670 The Score was impactful and legendary. From his humble beginnings as a Bears beat reporter in May of 1995 to his final show less than two weeks ago, few voices have experienced as much success and earned as much respect as Bernstein’s in the ‘second city.’ Dan Bernstein’s Score career began as Mike Greenberg’s ended, and his voice has echoed throughout the windy city roaring louder and longer than legends named McNeil, Buffone, Boers, and North.  

670 The Score had to make a call, and it was the right one. The brand should have and did part ways with Bernstein following a social media incident where a line was crossed. In response our own Jason Barrett wrote a fine column on how talent should approach interactions on social media, but that isn’t what I’m aiming for today. Isn’t of focusing on the past, the task now for 670 The Score is next person up.

Since Bernstein’s firing, I reached out and spoke with several current and former Audacy employees with ties to the brand and the market. The lone question I asked all was, “Who should replace Dan Bernstein?”  

The Impact Of Boers And Bernstein

For reference, my personal radio career began interning for 670 The Score in August of 2002. A young John Mamola took the morning shift for his internship working for both Murph and Fred in the morning, and Boers and Bernstein in the late morning. Boers and Bernstein program was three years old at the time I began my internship with the CBS Radio brand, but its legacy became one of legend.  

I may have been a co-worker of Dan Bernstein’s for my nearly eight years at 670 The Score, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a fan. I was a big fan of the Boers and Bernstein brand. How couldn’t you be?  

It was the perfect combination of sports conversation, mixed with political satire and goofball humor always striving to have a laugh or two along the way. The program was a ratings juggernaut in a massively competitive daypart, and a successful revenue stream for nearly two decades. As a young broadcaster, Dan and Terry were the standard for how to inform and entertain to a mass audience demanding the very best every day. 

Following Terry Boers retirement, Bernstein’s path on the station took many paths in multiple dayparts with a rotation of co-hosts ranging from Leila Rahimi to Laurence Holmes to his most recent co-host Marshall Harris. 

In asking the question of who replaces Dan Bernstein, it was tough task for the select group I asked for their feedback. The steps he walked are hard to follow, and his shoes will be big to fill. 670 The Score’s program director Mitch Rosen has a tall task to once again shape the future of the radio station meeting the demands of its audience. Here are the top five names which were submitted from the select group. 

Top Five Suggestions For Who Could Replace Dan Bernstein

Leila Rahimi – A Texas native who worked her way up from a reporter and anchor on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas in 2001 to stops in Austin, San Diego, Houston, Philadelphia and eventually Chicago. Leila has worked for the local NBC Sports Chicago before being laid off in 2020, then joining 670 The Score as Dan Bernstein’s co-host in 2021. Rahimi then took a full-time position with NBC 5 in Chicago leading her to depart her full-time role with 670 The Score, but unfortunately her time at NBC 5 in Chicago came to an end in October of 2024.  

Rahimi has a radio background not only in her experience in other markets, but also 670 The Score. She seems like the odds-on favorite to land the position with Marshall Harris. Leile has developed name equity and a strong relationship with The Score’s listening audience over many years and was the fill-in for Bernstein the week following the social media incident.  

Of everyone who provided their feedback, Leila was the only name to surface from everyone who provided their suggestions for the position.  

Jason Goff – Another very familiar name with 670 The Score’s massive following. Jason was a caller as a child to The Score and turned himself into one of the more beloved members of The Score family. Goff has had a number of stints with the station already. He left The Score in 2012 as a producer with Boers & Bernstein to take a full-time on-air role with Audacy’s 92.9 The Game in Atlanta, while also hosting on the Atlanta Hawks radio network. Goff returned to Chicago in 2015 to 670 The Score working alongside Matt Spiegel and then Dan Bernstein, only to be cut from the station in March of 2018.  

Goff currently is hosting his own Full Go Podcast for The Ringer and serves as studio host for Chicago Sports Network’s Bulls game coverage. Last September when Danny Parkins left The Score to take a full-time role with FS1, Goff was rumored to be the leading candidate for the position. In the end a dispute, according to Goff, with Audacy over continuing the podcast with The Ringer was a number of issues that led to Goff choosing not to return for a third time to the station. 

Could time heal wounds and squash previous issues between Audacy and Goff where he could make a splash return to work alongside Marshall Harris? Time will only tell, but it would be a major impactful add if Audacy brought Jason Goff back to his Chicago radio home. 

Mark Grote – Known for his witty humor and impeccable comedic timing, Mark Grote has been a small part of so many “Score Moments” since he joined CBS radio in 2002. Grote has served as a reporter with The Score since officially joining the station from sister station WBBM in 2010 covering World Series, Stanley Cups, and Chicago Bears attempts at quality seasons. Grote has also served as Chicago Cubs pregame and postgame for three seasons, and the sidelines for the Chicago Bears radio network for five seasons before the franchise came to an agreement with Good Karma Brands.  

Internally there has been hopes shared by some that Grote will get more of a look for the position this time as opposed to previously with other roles The Score needed to fill. As a member of The Score team for over 15 years, it will be interesting to see if Grote gets an opportunity to showcase his humor and chemistry with Harris in the timeslot before a final decision is made. 

Adam Hoge – Currently host of the CHGO Bears Podcast for the ALLCITY Network. Hoge did work previously at 670 The Score from 2009 till 2014 in many roles including as a reporter, host, writer and producer. Since departing The Score in 2014, Hoge went on to work several jobs for Tribune broadcasting including WGN television as a sports anchor, and sideline reporter for Northwestern Football games on WGN Radio. Hoge has been with ALLCITY since its inception in March of 2022, and has appeared regularly on The Score since providing his in depth Bears analysis during the NFL calendar.  

Anthony Herron – The Chicago-area native and former Iowa Hawkeye only played a single game in the NFL although being a member of four different franchises. Herron took his football experience and began a broadcasting career beginning with the Big Ten Network in 2008. “Big Ant” as he’s known across Chicago has made stops with ESPN, Pac-12 Network, NBC Sports Network, SiriusXM, and has made a plethora of appearances on The Score over many years. Although never cracking the daytime lineup, Herron has been a fixture on the station and does have a professional football background which could benefit the station as currently there is no ex-athlete on the daytime lineup. 

While these are the top five suggestions, others included current Score fill in host Ramie Makhlouf; Chicago Sun-Times Bulls beat reporter Joe Cowley; former ABC7 Chicago sports anchor Mark Giangreco; SiriusXM host Chris Childers; and current Q101 Chicago radio personality Brian “Sludge” Haddad. 

The Immediate Pressure To Perform Following Bernstein’s Exit

While the options may seem plenty to replace Bernstein at 670 The Score, the pressure to perform will be felt immediately for whomever is chosen. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Bernstein & Harris drew a 9.1 rating in the key demo of men between the ages of 25 and 54. That finished at number one in the market by almost three full rating points, according to the publication. There also will be the pressure from clients as Bernstein yielded several high dollar partners which will now be looking for a new member of The Score team to attach themselves to. 

Marshall Harris was right in saying “no one host is bigger than the station and the institution itself” on Monday following Bernstein’s exit. Harris may be right, but the decision of who steps in following Bernstein’s exit is a key question there may not be a correct answer to. Love him or hate him, you have to respect the legacy and success of Dan Bernstein’s career at 670 The Score. 

So… who should replace Dan Bernstein? We’ll all find out soon enough. 

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John Mamola

John Mamola is a columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success.  Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.