How 'Steve & DC' Reunited For Big T-Town Comeback Of Beloved Morning Show

TUSCALOOSA, AL — "It’s like a bad marriage, where they don’t talk after they are off the air," longtime Tuscaloosa radio host Steve Shannon grumbled about other personalities he has seen in the business during his time. "We’re different. We enjoy it ... I’ve had partners that have come close. One or two people, who came close ... "

"Oh, really?" chimed in the familiar voice of DC Daniel, in a tone similar to that of a jealous spouse, before he let out a roaring laugh. Even a seemingly routine phone interview with the two men carried the atmosphere of a morning drive-time broadcast, as their chemistry and longtime friendship are more than visible just in how they interact with one another.

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As Townsquare Media announced in September, the pair will soon resurrect the popular "Steve & DC Show" and the dynamic duo took the time to talk with Patch this week about what inspired the decision and what their legions of once-loyal listeners can expect. It will mark a highly-anticipated return to form for a show that once dominated morning airwaves in Tuscaloosa and nearly two-dozen other markets.

Steve & DC Fast Facts

• "Steve & DC" will premiere on Monday, Oct. 4.
• The original incarnation of the show was broadcast from 1991 until 2007.
• The show will broadcast Monday through Friday, from 5 a.m. until 10 a.m.
• The show will be available on the 95.3 The Bear mobile app, which is free to download.
• Talks are in process for a possible replay of the show in the afternoons on other Townsquare Media stations.

The Steve & DC Show first debuted in 1991, after the longtime friends were both hired at a local radio station in St. Louis. This would eventually lead to a syndication deal and widespread popularity for the show until 2007, when Shannon moved back to Alabama and began working for 95.3 The Bear — one of the many local stations owned by Townsquare Media.

Discussions to bring back the morning show have been in the works for a couple of years, they said, and following the promotion of popular on-air radio personality Meg Dowdy, who had been Shannon's co-host on his morning show, the opportunity opened up for Daniel to fill the void with a voice many in Tuscaloosa will recognize.

"That opened the door and I started getting calls from corporate folks and they were excited about it, which made me get excited," Shannon said. According to Townsquare Media, Daniel comes to the company after working as brand manager and content coordinator for Gulf South Communications in Dothan.

But doubling back to Shannon's point regarding the pair's chemistry, Daniel agreed that he had worked with numerous other personalities and even found professional success after Steve & DC. However, he said he never found that ineffable on-air connection with anyone else like he had with his old college buddy.

"I also think the other thing is, if we’re in here and we’re trying to make each other laugh and with genuine stuff we find funny, it’s like being in a restaurant and you hear that table cutting up and laughing and you're saying 'I wish I was over with that group,'" Shannon said. "It’s contagious."

When asked about expectations for the big relaunch, both men said it will be an enjoyable evolution, but also organic and honest — ideals they believe are slowly being eroded and cast aside in broadcast radio.

"A lost art is a great way to put it," Daniel said with respect to radio morning shows. "I do think, the only bad thing about radio as an industry is we are our own worst enemies at times. They look at it, with Spotify and competition areas ... But [the public] can get the music on Spotify and get the music on Apple Music. There are some groups in this business trying to take away the personality, but Townsquare — they really have taken the opposite view that talent is what separates us from Spotify."

The brand certainly has no shortage of local talent, as Townsquare owns and operates eight radio stations just in the Tuscaloosa market — including 95.3 The Bear. In an effort to further innovate how it delivers its content to the public, Townsquare also launched The Tuscaloosa Thread — a free digital news outlet — in the summer of 2020.

Daniel and Shannon also both cited Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa Market President David DuBose as playing a crucial role in the show's rebirth. While the willingness on the part of the hosts to jump back in the game together never wavered once talks began, they said it was DuBose and others who lobbied so hard behind the scenes on the show's behalf.

"We're tickled we were able to re-unite Steve and DC, especially here in Tuscaloosa — the birthplace of the original show," DuBose said in a statement to Patch. "This would not be possible without the support of our clients and the listeners in Tuscaloosa and west Alabama. I must also thank Bill Wilson, CEO of Townsquare, RVP Todd Lawley and COO of Townsquare Erik Hellum."

While the excitement around the office is palpable for the return of "Steve & DC," it will not come without its obvious challenges, both physically and with regards to the ever-change media ecosystem and its myriad competing platforms for users to consume content. While both men will admit they are not the young bucks they were when the show debuted three decades ago, they also think their combined years of experience will provide an advantage in tandem with their easy-going dynamic.

It's their honest approach to the job, though, that truly makes Steve & DC confident that the show will be a resounding success ... even on its bad days.

"It's hard, we’re going to start live at 5 a.m.," Shannon pointed out. "The thing is, though, we feel comfortable enough with the show that, if we feel like hell that day or didn’t get much sleep, then we’re probably just going to lead with that and tell people. Those tend to be the best shows ...

"Honestly, I think it's that older/wiser thing," he added. "I think there is a chance the show could be better than it ever was. We’ve learned so much and hopefully we know what mistakes not to make, so we hope it's a show that brings back a lot of memories, but that also has some things they’ve never heard. We’ve got so much bad news in the world today, I’d really like our show to be a distraction from it."

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