Alison Steele (born Ceil Loman; January 26, 1937 – September 27, 1995) was an American radio personality who was also known by her air name, The Nightbird.

Her show featured progressive rock and artists associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, combined with listeners' calls and Steele's own unique brand of mellow DJ patter, peppered with poetry and mysticism.

[1] Steele developed her career by working for various New York City television and radio stations, eventually becoming a production assistant and associate producer.

[4] At the age of 19, she married Steele[1] and got her first taste of radio broadcasting with their husband and wife music show, Ted and the Redhead.

[2] In 1966, the newly launched station, WNEW-FM sought to distinguish itself from its competitors by establishing an all-female disc jockey lineup.

[8][6] On January 1, 1968, WNEW placed Steele in the overnight "graveyard shift" which granted her more creative freedom, leading her to develop her on-air personality and rapport with her listeners.

[1] She thought of a new air name, based on gender ("bird" being slang for a girl) and her night owl hours of work, and chose The Nightbird.

[11] She was a supporter and promoter of prog-rock bands like Yes, Genesis, Renaissance and the Moody Blues,[1] as well as hippie favorites like Santana and the Grateful Dead.

[10] Her show was a major success for its timeslot,[10] and when DJ John Zacherle left for another job in June 1971, WNEW sought to maximize her exposure by placing her in his 10pm to 2am shift, six nights a week.

From 1982 to 1984, she was the announcer for the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow, and was the producer, writer, and correspondent for Limelight on CNN.

[1] For a number of years, Steele was also the disc jockey for the pop/rock in-flight audio entertainment channel on board Trans World Airlines.

[2] Steele did frequent charity work and was a member of the board of the New York City chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation.

[1] Fellow New York disc jockey Jo Maeder said of Steele: "She was the one who really blazed a trail for all women in radio.