Chicago’s 670 The Score sports radio station has seen a lot of drama over the years. The most recent example of that came with the March firing of long-tenured host Dan Bernstein following his threats against a social media critic who questioned the veracity of his fish pictures. But that’s far from the first time there have been challenges there, as former station host Dan McNeil pointed out on a Barstool Chicago podcast Friday.
McNeil was let go from his third run at 670 The Score in 2020. That move came after he made a social media comment questioning if an outfit Maria Taylor wore on ESPN’s Monday Night Football was more appropriate for that role or for an adult film awards ceremony. But he’s frequently come up in recent discussions around the station, including with Bernstein’s firing.
On that front, McNeil told social media followers after Bernstein’s firing “It’s a mistake to think any unrest at 670 The Score delights me.” He cited his time with the station and the positive feelings he still has towards it. But while McNeil still cares about that station, that hasn’t stopped him from airing past grievances at times. He did that in notable fashion in a wide-ranging conversation with Barstool Chicago’s Barstool Eddie and White Sox Dave on their The Stretch podcast Friday:
Here are a few key comments McNeil made in that conversation on his second (2009-2014) run at the station, via Barrett Media:
“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. …The Score was an absolute disaster. From a culture standpoint, every show was on an island.
“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. 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 Europhile. …Terry (Boers) wasn’t around very often. ‘Bernsey’ (Dan Bernstein), he was really putting his signature on the radio station right around 2011-2012. I think Penn State had a lot to do with that. The old frat house became something different. It became a think tank.”
McNeil would ultimately leave the station in 2014 over a contract dispute before returning in 2018. And there certainly can be debates about his own role in those tensions. As many Chicago sports media observers noted when he was pushed out in 2020, McNeil’s time at 670 The Score had a lot of ups and downs. It also often involved clashes with others, including colleagues and critics.
But it is interesting to hear McNeil so bluntly spotlight the station’s internal tensions during his second run. It’s also notable to hear him discuss the reluctance of its various shows and personalities to work together.
Of course, internal divisions at a media company are certainly not unique. Those have been something noted on even a larger scale at companies such as ESPN at times. Still, this level of perceived “on an island” isolation seems far from ideal. And it’s significant to hear McNeil say that about his second 670 The Score stint.