Dan McNeil was a staple of the Chicago sports radio scene for over 25 years. Between his successful stops at both 670 The Score and ESPN Chicago, McNeil is considered one of the most influential voices in the market, while also being one of the most controversial as well.
Recently, McNeil was a guest on The Stretch podcast featuring Barstool Eddie and White Sox Dave, where he discussed his lengthy resume in the Chicago sports radio market. In a wide-ranging interview that touched on nearly every topic, McNeil noted that his second stint with 670 The Score was one of the worst environments he ever worked in during his tenured career.
“I wound up going back to The Score in 2009 for a second run with (Matt) Spiegel in mid days. That was a pretty comfortable run, that was a good time on our show. That was the worst culture I’ve ever worked at any radio station in my life,” McNeil said. “The Score was an absolute disaster. From a culture standpoint, every show was on an island.”
Furthermore, McNeil explained that he enjoyed working on his show—specifically with co-host Spiegel, and producers Jay Zawaski, Nick Shepkowski, and Dave Miska. However, he also noted that there was a conflict with The Score’s morning show at the time, which was hosted by Mike Mulligan and former co-host Brian Hanley.
“The Morning Show wanted nothing to do with us. I should say ‘Mully’ (Mike Mulligan) wanted nothing to do with any of the rest of us,” said McNeil. “Didn’t want to do transitions at nine o’clock for ten minutes. He took offense to me making a joke about him being a ‘Eurofile.’”
In addition, the former Score host said that Mulligan once threatened to quit over having to do transition programming between shows. McNeil also mentioned the cultural shift that former Score personality Dan Bernstein was beginning to create, especially in relation to the evolving political landscape.
“Terry (Boers) wasn’t around very often. ‘Bernsey’ (Dan Bernstein), he was really putting his signature on the radio station right around 2011-2012,” McNeil noted. “I think Penn State had a lot to do with that. The old frat house became something different. It became a think tank.”
Ultimately, McNeil left The Score in 2014 over a contract dispute but returned for a third time in 2018. However, he was fired from The Score in 2020 after posting and then deleting sexist and misogynist comments about ESPN reporter Maria Taylor. McNeil stated that he regrets how his career came to a close at a radio station that he helped launch in 1992.
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