Articles: Casey Kasem Counts Down His 25 Years On The Radio

[Mike]

I did some digging, and I haven't seen this posted anywhere...here is an article from Billboard marking 25 years of Casey counting down the hits in their July 8, 1995 issue:

americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1995/BB-1995-07-08.pdf#page=77

I post this here mainly for a couple of interesting figures of the time mentioned in it. They're CT40-specific, thus why it's in this forum:

-Apparently Casey had renewed his contract with WW1 in 1993; it originally was to run at least into 2000.
-Casey's four shows - Casey's Top 40, Casey's Countdown, Casey's Hot 20, and Casey's Biggest Hits - had a combined affiliate count given as approximately 443 stations.

The rest is pretty much retrospective. Next to this article is a longer one focusing on Norm Pattiz, as well.

[Mike]

Radio & Records also covered this milestone, in much longer detail. Despite the different magazine dates, I'd wager that both of these issues were available at about the same time - remember, the 6/30/95 chart would have been used for a countdown dated July 8:

americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1995/RR-1995-06-30.pdf#page=56

This is virtually all retrospective though. It does confirm that 2000 was to be the endpoint of his WW1 contract, however.

Also notable are the specific logos for Casey's Hot 20 and Casey's Countdown on that page. Have there been any other pages where those have been posted to already?

Next to Casey's article is a piece focusing on Tom Rounds (and AT40 by extension). Notably, he returned to produce the show for those final months after ABC had had it pulled here in the States. (Not much of a stretch for him to do, given his role as President of their overseas distributor Radio Express.)

[dukelightning]

There is a definite mistake in that article. They said the first LDD was from a woman to her husband in the military while stationed in Germany. The stationed in Germany part is correct but it was from a guy to his girlfriend. They were of course not married either. Found out by reading this that Casey took 3 consecutive days to record the 3 countdowns he was doing in the mid 90s and beyond.

[mkarns]

Jul 9, 2017 23:29:11 GMT -5 Mike said:

Radio & Records also covered this milestone, in much longer detail. Despite the different magazine dates, I'd wager that both of these issues were available at about the same time - remember, the 6/30/95 chart would have been used for a countdown dated July 8:

americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1995/RR-1995-06-30.pdf#page=56

This is virtually all retrospective though. It does confirm that 2000 was to be the endpoint of his WW1 contract, however.

Apparently something changed over the next couple of years or there was some loophole he could exploit, as in 1998, after he and Don Bustany regained the rights to the American Top 40 name he was able to decamp for AMFM (now Premiere) when Westwood One wouldn't let him resurrect the older show's title, and prevailed legally over WW1's objections.

It should be noted that Norm Pattiz, a longtime friend of Casey's who probably more than anyone brought him to Westwood One, was no longer running that network by 1998; if he were still doing so I bet he would have allowed the name change and done whatever else was needed to keep Casey aboard.

[ackh70]

I'm pretty sure there was some loopholes in that contract. Or else why would WW1 stop producing their shows after March 21st, 1998. Bottom line is the star is always the key component for any successful program. Or at least it was in the 20th century.

[Mike]

Jul 10, 2017 11:34:09 GMT -5 mkarns said:

Apparently something changed over the next couple of years or there was some loophole he could exploit, as in 1998, after he and Don Bustany regained the rights to the American Top 40 name he was able to decamp for AMFM (now Premiere) when Westwood One wouldn't let him resurrect the older show's title, and prevailed legally over WW1's objections.

I'm guessing it was always in the contract, though it's not like there'd ever have been any real reason to bring it up in an article; who could have predicted the circumstances that came to pass in early 1998 ahead of time?

[Deleted]

Casey and Don got the rights back in 1998 when ABC did nothing with the show for 3 years.

IIRC, the loophole was if advertising revenue fell below a certain amount he could get exercise the out clause in in his contract. It did and he did.

[adam31]

Articles were an interesting read, thanks! I find it peculiar that Casey's original contract with WW1 ran for 4 years (1989-1993), then as WW1 was going through the tough times described in the 1st article, that they extended him for 7 more!

I always wondered why AT40 shut down about 7 months after ABC pulled the show in the USA. Now I know it was to satisfy international contracts.

[Dale Latimer]

In the Radio & Records piece it was mentioned that Casey called Roberta Flack in 1972 after the success of "The First Time Ever..." and that the call aired, apparently on AT40. Has that show been remastered/aired?

dL

[Mike]

Jul 21, 2017 9:54:24 GMT -5 Dale Latimer said:

In the Radio & Records piece it was mentioned that Casey called Roberta Flack in 1972 after the success of "The First Time Ever..." and that the call aired, apparently on AT40. Has that show been remastered/aired?

dL

It says he called to congratulate her for having the year's #1 song. That would make it the Top 80 of 1972 - and surprise surprise, it's the one and only year-end show that has yet to air even in part.

[dth1971]

Well, Casey wanted WW1 to change the Casey's Top 40 name to AT40 by Spring or Summer 1998, but WW1 refused.

[Deleted]

True and while hindsight being 20/20 they probably should have, I see WW1’s position also. If you’ve had some level of success with a show for 9 years by this point, do you really want to change the name of it? It is t like WW1 thought he’d leave or even be able to with that contract out.

[adam31]

I think after Norm Pattiz left WW1 no one understood the contract and that Casey could exercise the loophole. Reminds me of the buffoon decisions made by ABC from 1988-1994