Giving Away # 1

[BrettVW]

Is it just me, or has Casey been getting worse at worse at keeping the suspense on the # 1 tease??

The last several weeks has gone "coming up...the number one song in the USA, it's by the Goo Goo Dolls...."

I know it's been tough, as you can't really find any similarities between Kelly Clarkson and the Goo Goo Dolls for a good teaser, but the last few weeks I have actually muted my radio for the # 1 tease so I could have that last little bit of suspense during the final extra.

I don't remember it being this obvious in the past, but maybe it was. I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed. Also, don't give away next week's # 1!! I purposely don't look at the chart until after I listen to Casey.

[Deleted]

it doesn't bother me, he did this years ago saying early in the show(I am talking 70's/80's here) we have a brand new #1 song, also Dees does it all the time so maybe I am just used to it now.

[Hervard]

BrettVW said:

I have actually muted my radio for the # 1 tease so I could have that last little bit of suspense during the final extra.

I do that regardless, since, based on the clues he gives, it's easy to figure out what's number one. For instance, back in 1999, when Phil Collins was bouncing in and out of the number one spot, it was always a question of him or the Backstreet Boys (or, near the end of his number one fluctuation, 'N Sync). So when Casey teased the #1 song, he'd say "it's by a band, group, quintet, etc.) if it were by either of those bands while he'd say "it's by a man or Englishman, or artist" and that left no surprise. So, yeah, I muted the radio during the tease as well.

[Scott Lakefield]

BrettVW said:

I don't remember it being this obvious in the past, but maybe it was. I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed. Also, don't give away next week's # 1!! I purposely don't look at the chart until after I listen to Casey.

Actually, if you go WAY back, in the early days of AT40, Casey would say throughout the show "We're counting down to a brand-new number one song."

[BrettVW]

That was better though because you still didn't know what it was gonna be. Any song in the Top 10 could logically jump to number one.

Nowadays, especially with Hot AC & AC, when a song moves to # 1, it's been at 2 for a while and a "big jump" to number 1 is from 3.

[Scott Lakefield]

Very good point, Brett. I was listening to the 2/5 AT20 show on the way to work this morning, and when Casey teased the #1 song, as has been said above, he said it was by the Goo Goo Dolls. And that's when it really struck me...there's too much show left to kill the suspense at that point. Especially on stations that air the optional extra segment, you've got two songs there before the #1 song, which you already know what it is. Seems to me a big chance of people tuning out upwards of 15 minutes early.

[Deleted]

except those same people might like to hear what old songs are played next

[BrettVW]

The "problem" with Dees' show is that # 1 has its very own segment. So, after the second to last segment, there is only one song left going into that last commercial. I have always liked AT40/AT20's style of going into the last commercial with 2 songs left, and even though the new placement of the optional extra is weird, it's growing on me because it is one more song with that little bit of suspense in it.

AT10 is different as # 2 is played in the segment before #1 , but that is ok because the countdown portion of that show is somewhat secondary.

With the slower charts, (dare I say) I think Casey should simply eliminate the tease to number one by just saying...."Coming up..the number one song in the USA" Now, granted, he can still tell his full story once he gets there, but I think this way it is guaranteed you will not know.

Also (and I believe this is how he does it) when # 1 changes, only saying "Coming up, the brand new number one" if the previous week's number one has dropped to 3 or lower and has already been played.

Just my two cents.

[Deleted]

he could also run down #1's on the other charts leading in to the #1 song also, like he did regularly on the old AT40 show.

[Michael1973]

That's true. After all, the staff must have trouble coming up with new stories for Casey to tell when songs linger at #1 for 3-4 months at a time!

[Scott Lakefield]

When they'd occasionally run out of stories on those songs that stayed at #1 forever, they did sometimes do the other #1s as the "story" for #1 and do a story for #2 instead. I'm talking about AT20 here, by the way.

[BrettVW]

I even remember Casey doing that during AT40 in the summer of 2003 when Kelly Clarkson's Miss Independent spent lots of weeks at number one. I don't know why, I just remember that show because I was driving at the time.

[Deleted]

I remember that too, but I remember the way it was intros kinda sucked in comparison to how I heard it done back in the 70's and 80's

[Scott Lakefield]

Funny...I just finished AT10 for 2/12-13 today...and Casey did just what we've been talking about before Los Lonely Boys' Song at #1, "Heaven."

[BrettVW]

I was listening and talking with a good friend during the show this morning who was also listening, and I told her that I was muting the radio and she would keep listening and tell me if he gave it away.

Sure enough....it was an obvious giveaway again this week.