Originally posted Thursday, May 9, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Jeff Dauler is not saying anything about his sudden departure as morning host Thursday from Star 94.1, probably because his severance agreement limits his ability to do so.
But his wife Callie, in an Instagram Story video this evening, is playing emissary, providing both her perspective and a bit of his as well.
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Based her commentary, it's clear Jeff was not happy with whatever change in direction the show had taken, especially after new program director Ron Roberts took over last year. Callie, who works with HLN host Robin Meade, was in Nashville for work when Jeff called her with the news.
He told Callie: “I’m so relieved.” Callie cried but later said she, too, felt relieved: “I am so glad we can move on to something that is a better fit. This was such a cluster of a couple of years!”
“Did I think that Star was his forever home?” she added. “Absolutely not. We’ve known that for awhile. You don’t know when a door opens where it’s going to lead and you hope it will be something great. It doesn’t always turn out that way.”
Callie said she started a blog and podcast and became a self-described "lifestyle influencer" to earn extra income so her husband wouldn't feel so much pressure to keep his job if he didn't want to stay.
But she said the firing was still a surprise and it was “heartbreaking” that the station had been planning this while she and Jeff were dealing emotionally with a miscarriage earlier this year. (She added that they are trying to get pregnant again this week.)
“There were things put in motion for Jeff to not be on that show anymore,” Callie said, getting tearful. “That cuts really deep... That part really hurts... That will take a minute to get over.”
She said Jeff knew moving to Star from the Bert Show was a big risk in 2016, the same year they got married. He knew if the ratings didn’t improve enough, he’d be the first on the chopping block. “You’re responsible when something goes wrong or it doesn’t work. It’s just how things go.”
As a result, Callie said when he first started the show, he was "going crazy. He was working all the time, not sleeping. Just had way too much on his plate. We then re-evaluated... We did not want this to be our life... Let's not spend 24/7 stressing and getting upset over work. Life is too short."
But she said she knows Jeff is talented and driven and other opportunities will open up for him.
“I have never been more proud of my husband than I am today,” she said. “He was so calm when he called me. ‘Callie: look at how great things in life are. This all fell together so perfectly.’”
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