March 1998

[BrettVW]

Since I was still young and not following Casey and the shows in March of 1998, I was just wondering what stations did during those final weeks.

I know there were 3 or 4 Casey-less weeks, the final two being the weeks when all Casey references were removed from the shows.

Did stations still advertise the show as Casey's show? How many stations added Casey's new AT40 and AT20 on 3/28, picking up as if nothing had happened?

I have never heard any of those final shows- but I know from reading Rob's book that the jingles were changed and the show was not Casey's anymore...as WW1 still had not decided what was going to happen with the show. Just wondering what the affiliates did at that time.

Thanks!

[Matt Cameron]

I was in Augusta Ga at the time, and the station there picked up AT40 on 03/28 like nothing had happened. They still ran promos saying "Casey's Top 40" during the Casey-less weeks, including the old "you've found 'em, Casey's Top 40 on..." spot.
I remember the first time I heard the "Top Forty Countdown!" jingle to start the second Casey-less show, I was scared to death, I hadn't heard anything about the pending rebirth of AT40, and I thought Casey had either quit or been forced out. Boy, when I heard that AT40 jingle on 03/28, I think that was the closest I could ever come to doing a cartwheel. How wonderful to hear that phrase "American Top 40" coming from Casey again after so many years. I never thought I"d live to hear it again.

[Deleted]

I wasnt worried, but that was simply because the website that was illegaly printing the CT40 chart every week(Pop Music Archives or whatever it was) had a news item on their site saying AT40 was returning. No, my station didnt change anything leading up to it, but that was more of they never played any commercials or anything then anyway. And to answer how many stations switched to AT40, I believe the answer is nearly every single one that had AT40. WW1 stopped producing a show the same week AT40 started back up.

[Matt Cameron]

I remember on the Sunday that Casey's last AT40 aired (Jan 2004), the radio station in Augusta played a promo that said "American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, brought to you by...". I had a lot going on in my life at that point and hadn't seen any news items referring to Casey ceasing to do AT40. Needless to say I was glad to hear Casey's voice when the countdown started, but I felt melancholy knowing that I was listening to his last show (on AT40, at least). I always resisted listening to one of his AC countdowns, because I was afraid that might mean I'd have to admit I was getting older and fell into the AC/HAC demo, which I certainly do. But I started listening to them, just so I'd be able to hear CK. I'm an old fart and very resistant to change.

[Jeffster]

liberaljag said:

I hadn't heard anything about the pending rebirth of AT40, and I thought Casey had either quit or been forced out.

I thought he might have died or been seriously ill. At the time, I knew very little of the history of AT40, and that he had left ABC in 1988 without saying anything on his broadcast. So it never ocurred to me that he could be just leaving for another network. I frantically searched the internet for any story I could find about what happened to him. Finally I found a small blurb on the "street talk" page of the Radio & Records website and I was relieved. I was a bit disappointed though, because to me I thought Casey bringing back American Top 40 would kind of make it so no one even remembered Shadoe hosted it for seven years, which is pretty much exactly what did happen.

[Matt Cameron]

It's a good bet that no one remembers at least 4 of the years Shadoe hosted, because of all the affiliate defections. I can't remember when AT40 left my market for good, but it had to be around late 91 or so. Had no trouble finding Casey or Dees anywhere, though.

[Deleted]

92 and most of 93 I have no knowledge of(past old shows I had before they got thrown out by those intrusive house renters) but when I moved to Titusville in Dec. 93, AT40 was on XL 106.7 our of Orlando, I listened until it ceased US Distributorship.

[Deleted]

funny thing about Dees that I have mentioned before, until 1999 I dont believe Dees was ever on in Jax. Yet, he was the #1 most listened to countdown show in the world I think.

[Matt Cameron]

I lived about an hour south of you, Paul, in Palatka, and I can remember getting Dees' countdown on a Daytona-based radio station.
Doesn't it seem like a national phenomenon now that all the countdown shows seem to have been moved to either 6 or 7 in the morning? I was in Augusta until 2004 and they moved AT40 to 6:00am there on Sundays, and Dees' countdown to 6:00am on Saturdays, and when I came to south Florida AT10 was also on at 6:00am, until the station here dropped it. I miss those late morning start times I got used to growing up.

[BrettVW]

As I said in a previous post, 8:00am-Noon/9:00am-Noon is the new "desired" timeslots. Shows running from Noon-4pm or 10am-2pn are simply unheard of.

It is just commonplace now for starts anytime between 5-7am or after 8pm. Although 5am *is* pushing it (but there are stations that start the shows that early)

[Matt Cameron]

Wouldn't mind the after 8pm start time myself. Those 6am starts get harder to make as I get older.

[Deleted]

liberaljag said:

I lived about an hour south of you, Paul, in Palatka, and I can remember getting Dees' countdown on a Daytona-based radio station.
Doesn't it seem like a national phenomenon now that all the countdown shows seem to have been moved to either 6 or 7 in the morning? I was in Augusta until 2004 and they moved AT40 to 6:00am there on Sundays, and Dees' countdown to 6:00am on Saturdays, and when I came to south Florida AT10 was also on at 6:00am, until the station here dropped it. I miss those late morning start times I got used to growing up.

Yeah, Dees was on 99.9 Kiss FM in 1994 & 95, I didn't count that as Jacksonville because it depended on where you were in Jax whether you could pick up the station or not. Dees started on that station airing at 6am on Saturday mornings and Casey on Sundays at 9am. A couple of months later, Casey was replaced altogether and Des was airing both Saturday and Sunday at 6am I believe.

Actually, didnt AT10 in Miami start at 5:30am?

[Deleted]

BrettVW said:

As I said in a previous post, 8:00am-Noon/9:00am-Noon is the new "desired" timeslots. Shows running from Noon-4pm or 10am-2pn are simply unheard of.

Not to totally, you can hear AT40 Saturday afternoons at 2 from a station in TN on the net, and AT10 I believe comes out of Atlanta at 3pm over the net also.

[JLBass]

I remember 1992 to 1995 as somewhat of a blur since Memphis didn't carry either AT40 or CT40 but only Rick Dees. I simply forgot that AT40 had dropped their use of the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and imagined that AT40 in 1993 was still using it and playing a mostly rap oriented countdown. Not until I read Rob's book did I find out what happened.

By 1997, 107.5 was broadcasting CT40 but I was usually at work whenever the show was on so I didn't hear it too much. In fact, when I did hear AT40 shows later the next year, they sounded so much like CT40 that I thought only the name had changed. Not until I started trading, 3 years ago, and hearing some of the old shows did I notice any difference, although I did tape the year ends every year.

[Scott Lakefield]

Probably the one email I can remember pretty much verbatim over the years is the one I got somewhere around mid- to late-February of 1998 from Rob Durkee. Basically, it went like this:

"Are you sitting down?"

[Then he left a lot of blank space, so I'd have to make sure I was seated and then scroll down.]

"American Top 40 is coming back."

[More blank space so I'd again have to scroll down.]

"With Casey Kasem as host."

Then Rob proceeded with the details...that Casey was jumping the WW1 ship for AMFM, and bringing back the AT40 name, the ownership of which reverted back to Casey and Don Bustany due to the show having been out of production for 3 years (that was apparently their agreement with ABC).

I have but one regret regarding the events of March 1998. That Casey didn't maintain ownership of the AT40 brand once he got it back. My guess is that were that the case, "American Top 40 With Ryan Seacrest" would merely be a figment of someone's imagination.