Where's 1979?

[analog80s70s]

From time to time I realize that my now becoming extensive AT40 collection is completely devoid of anything from 1979. I believe that in 1979 the 70s show went to a 4 hour format due to the length of singles exceeding the old 3 minute limit. However most stations airing the 70s show do it in the standard 3 hour time block.

But why not at least air songs 30 - 01 or something?

What's the deal? Will we ever get AT40 shows from 1979?

[mayberrymiles]

I would suggest to Premier that they include the Oct-Dec 1978 shows and 1979 shows in the rotation and give stations the option of skipping hour #1. A year or so ago, they played the July, 1979 program featuring the Top 40 Disco songs (a four hour show). I remember checking on several stations that weekend, and at least one played the first hour (I think it was WHNN).

I think making the first hour optional is preferrable to trying to squeeze a four hour program into 3 hours as they tried one time.

[jdelachjr2002]

WBBG in Youngstown also played all four hours of the 1979 Disco special.

[mrjukebox]

"AT40" expanded to four hours on 10/7/78-In fact,the anniversary is this Wednesday.

[mrjukebox]

Premiere should definitely air those four-hour shows that started on 10/7/78 & ended on 12/29/79-It makes sense to complete the decade.

[analog80s70s]

I've got the disco show - now how 'bout the rest? Really - that's a pretty heavy musical/stylistic/cultural gap - almost 15 months.

[Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever]

From what I see, many radio stations are "set in their ways" and would find it difficult to adjust between 3 and 4 hour shows. They probably load the show onto a computer, estimating that the show will be exactly 3 hours. If a 4 hour show appeared, the last hour would probably be omitted, leaving everyone in the dark about the top 10-12 songs for that week.

As far as Premiere is concerned, the radio stations are the customers for AT40, not the individual fans. The stations would be more concerned with the views of individual fans and they should be urged to request that Premiere offer the 4 hour shows.

[analog80s70s]

Good point, but it would be just as easy to eliminate the first hour - songs 40 - 31. This has been done in the past, for example the disco special show did this since it was 4 hours, but played on stations airing AT40 the 70s with only a 3 hour time slot.

[Big Red Machine]

Why doesn't Premiere include 1979 as part of the 80s package. Since there is no 1989, it's still a decade.

[analog80s70s]

That's my vote - a 4 hour show - let it be part of the 80s show. Of course that will never happen. But if you consider that 1980 is far from "80s music", why not? When was the "Disco Sucks" event in Chicago? That was sort of the line in the sand signaling the demise of Disco. Just looked it up: July 12, 1979. What a great year to have a set of AT40 shows for. What a shame.

[mrjukebox]

Steve Dahl was doing morning drive at Chicago's WLUP-FM at the time of the anti-disco rally at Comiskey Park-He recorded an amusing parody of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy"? called "Do You Think I'm Disco"?-This record actually made the Billboard "Hot 100".

[mkarns]

To me, the effective line of demarcation between decades, chartwise, is "My Sharona" spending six weeks at #1 in August-September 1979, just because that seems to spell the end of disco's dominance, which was really the last 70s-centered music trend. Late 1979 countdowns are nearly indistinguishable from 1980 or most of 1981 (lots of MOR ballads, soft-rock and country pop, some rock, a few new wave tracks, and a relatively small amount of dance-oriented music), so that would make sense musically. But due to the number technicality, it probably won't happen.

Though I should note that sometimes decade-based formats don't stick strictly to the numerical years; for a while SXM 9, the "90s" station, was playing some songs from as late as 2002!