Casey's Top 40 disappearing from large markets

[cafy1000]

It seemed like in the later WW1 years, Casey's Top 40 tended to be heard much less on big market radio stations. CT 40 disappeared from WHTZ in November, 1994, and from what I read, the show also disappeared from markets like Chicago and Detroit as well. Any thoughts as to why big market stations did not want CT 40 as much? In general, I wonder if big market stations tended to not want syndicated countdowns in general?

[Mike]

Speaking just with regards to Z100 - maybe it's just me, but it seems like that station really carried itself with a superiorist "we're better than all of you" attitude, to the point that carrying any syndicated countdown at all would have been considered "beneath" them. They also seemed really, really invested in their own opinion of the way they thought CHR in general was going to go - and a lot of this can be pinned on their PD at the time, Steve Kingston.

[cafy1000]

I completely agree. When they dropped Casey, they ran Rick Dees on Saturdays at 5am for a short time and then nothing. They ran Hitlist with Elvis and Elliot but that felt more like an extension of their morning show. Remember how when they brought back Casey (on AT 40), they omitted the yearend specials? I hated that. I got the feeling they were strong armed into playing AT 40 and omitting the yearend shows was their protest.

[MEF]

Casey's Top 40 run ended in Detroit at the end of 1992 when 99.5 the Fox was in the process of changing from a Top 40 CHR station to WOW FM, news/talk station (which failed in 5 months!) Once, 99.5 flipped formats, Detroit did not have a true CHR / Top 40 station. Thankfully, WW1 created Casey's Countdown, so WKQI a hot AC station picked up the show in April 1993.

[Mike]

I believe the situation was much the same in Chicago, as after Z95 (WYTZ) flipped back to being WLS-FM in October 1991, there was only WBBM, which I'm seeing was a CHR/Rhythmic until October 2008. Unless there's one I'm overlooking, there wouldn't really be a Mainstream CHR there again until WKSC in 2001.

[mkarns]

Jan 16, 2022 22:41:24 GMT -5 MEF said:

Casey's Top 40 run ended in Detroit at the end of 1992 when 99.5 the Fox was in the process of changing from a Top 40 CHR station to WOW FM, news/talk station (which failed in 5 months!) Once, 99.5 flipped formats, Detroit did not have a true CHR / Top 40 station. Thankfully, WW1 created Casey's Countdown, so WKQI a hot AC station picked up the show in April 1993.

In Washington DC, CT40 disappeared in early 1992 when then-CHR WAVA went to a religious based format. Later local stations picked up Casey's AC/Hot AC shows, on Westwood One and/or AM/FM, but contract issues prevented his CT40/AT40 shows from airing on CHR when that returned to the area. Locally we didn't get AT40 again until Ryan Seacrest took over.

[Adrian]

I suspect that the overall reason for CT40 being dropped from larger markets was because there was a 'cool' factor working against Casey at that time. WHTZ for instance, was slowing leaning toward alternative from around 1993, and Casey wasn't considered hip enough for their programming. Not helped by the fact that many CHR stations were switching formats due to the doldrums of the format then and so there was greater competition to grab whatever CHR audience there was left. By the time another station picked up the show, Casey was probably considered too "old" for the format and Rick Dees became the hip guy. For instance, in Atlanta, when WAPW (Power 99) switched to alternative in 1992, it took a while before former rival WSTR (Star 94.5) picked up CT40 in 1994 and it was only briefly before they dropped Casey for Rick. Every large market has somewhat different reasons for not continuing or picking up CT40 but I think the general consensus was that Casey was deemed too old for the format by then, especially when you have Rick Dees as the competitor.

If you want proof, look at what happened to Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 in 2004 when Ryan Seacrest took over AT40. Rick was now the "old" guy and stations started dropping his show.

Smaller CHR markets do not have to prove their 'coolness' factor as much in part because of less competition on the dial and in part because their music tend to lean adult in order to serve a wider audience (i.e., not just to teens).

[Mike]

Jan 18, 2022 12:41:13 GMT -5 Adrian said:

If you want proof, look at what happened to Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 in 2004 when Ryan Seacrest took over AT40. Rick was now the "old" guy and stations started dropping his show.

This also had behind-the-scenes maneuvering going on with it - Seacrest was Rick's designated fill-in guy for the morning show during 2003, then Clear Channel would opt to pull the plug on Rick Dees in the Morning in December, then Rick suddenly left KIIS in February 2004. Premiere would continue to distribute the Weekly Top 40 through 2004, likely to satisfy the existing contract - but it was clear that their priority was their designated golden boy, so to speak.

[johnnywest]

KS-104 in Denver dropped CT40 in January 1997. He never had another current Top 40 show in that market again although you could just barely pick up KKMG out of Pueblo which aired CT40 and later AT40.

And in Phoenix, Y95 aired CT40 until the spring of 1994 when they flipped to jazz. After that, Casey could only be heard on his AC or hot AC show.

[dth1971]

Jan 16, 2022 23:09:03 GMT -5 Mike said:

I believe the situation was much the same in Chicago, as after Z95 (WYTZ) flipped back to being WLS-FM in October 1991, there was only WBBM, which I'm seeing was a CHR/Rhythmic until October 2008. Unless there's one I'm overlooking, there wouldn't really be a Mainstream CHR there again until WKSC in 2001.

WBBM B-96 Chicago dropped Casey's Top 40 in July 1983. Lucky you could still hear CT40 via WBUS 99.9 FM Kankakee, Illinois until it was dropped in September 1996 when WBUS went Spanish.

[BrettVW]

Keep in mind too that in the 70s and 80s Casey was only hosting one show. If you had Casey in your market, it was AT40. As formats splintered and Casey's appeal turned more to an older crowd, the AC and Hot AC shows, originally seen as an alternate option for stations, became Casey's primary audience and eventually helped him stay on the air as long as he did!

[shadster]

Yeah, I think it was the 'age' appeal or lack there of.

However as i recall, WHTZ DID bring Casey back. I certainly remember hearing Casey on Z-100 via webstream back in the late 90's. an that would of had to have been 1998/1999, maybe even early 2000's as I didnt have a 'puter capable of listening to 'stream's till that time. And i definitely remember trying to hear the year end show of At40 Top 100 of 2000 from Z100, but by that time they were geo-blocking the stream. However again, they buried the show at Sunday night (aka monday morning), was it 2am-6am??? Or 1am-5am?? So no one would ever listen (it was definitely after midnight sunday nite).

An yes DC fell victim to the near demise of CHR radio, as CT40 road along on WAVA till it totally flipped Christian in Feb '92, at which time DC was left w/ no CHR. Baltimore had lost CHR and Casey the year before when B-104 flipped to Variety-104. Casey only returned w/ his 'other show's. Im assuming Casey's Countdown was on WASH FM?? Certainly it AT-10/20-AC was on WASH. The AT-20-HAC show was on WINC an B-101.5 which were rim shot stations to DC. When CHR returned to B'more in '97 on 102.7 XYV, they also picked up Rick Dee's.

The only stations you could hear Casey's Top 40 on after WAVA's demise were Mix106.3 in Easton MD (another rimshot), an The Rock station WQCM 96.7 in Hagerstown. However that changed in 1994 when Z-104 picked up CT40, but even Z104 at its original Frequency 103.9 couldnt come in downtown. Z104 flipped to whatever format was on 104.1 (former Xtra 104) at the start of 1995, thus ending Casey's run, i'll say "near" Washington. WQCM had dropped the show in '93 an Mix1063 dropped it in '94 i believe. After that your only option to hear Casey was Q-94 down in Richmond. That station had picked up Casey somewhere in the late 70's/early 80s an kept it all the way up thru the Seacrest era to only just recently having AT40 depart that station an jump over to 103.7 now.

Z-104 format would get dusted off an reborn again in 1996 but they picked up Rick Dee's a year later in '97 (not that anyone would notice Rick Dee's was on Z104 as they aired it Sat. 5-9am), only to lose Rick to WIHT when they came into fruition in 2001. once Seacrest hit the air on AT40, Rick was bumped to sunday nights on WIHT 10pm-2am just until the contract ended which had to have been somewhere in late november '04 or Dec. Last show i recorded off WIHT was 11/1/04. I know for sure WIHT wasnt airing Rick in late December, so no year ender.

I did listen to an record AT40 off Q-101 WQPO out of Harrisonburg in 1998 an 1999. I dont know when this station was airing AT40 or if they had CT40 beforehand. But Q-101 deosnt really come in within the 'dc' area. The only place you can really pick it up is in Centreville, which is where i use to park my car an record the show. Q-101 however switched to AT-20 in the year 2000, which really made no sense to me, they were still technically a CHR. Even to this day they're still technically a CHR. Today they run Carson Daly's Daily Download countdown, CHR 4 hr version. I know they also aired Rick Dee's HotAC version for awhile

[Mike]

Feb 3, 2022 19:36:36 GMT -5 shadster said:

I certainly remember hearing Casey on Z-100 via webstream back in the late 90's. an that would of had to have been 1998/1999, maybe even early 2000's as I didnt have a 'puter capable of listening to 'stream's till that time.

Had to be 1999 at the earliest, as they don't have a single station mention anywhere in 1998. (ETA: Casey reads them on 3/20/99.)

Feb 3, 2022 19:36:36 GMT -5 shadster said:

Last show i recorded off WIHT was 11/1/04.

11/6? (That's what your listing links to, and 11/1 wouldn't be a show date...)

Feb 3, 2022 19:36:36 GMT -5 shadster said:

I did listen to an record AT40 off Q-101 WQPO out of Harrisonburg in 1998 an 1999. I dont know when this station was airing AT40 or if they had CT40 beforehand.

Can't answer the CT40 part with certainty, but it's certainly possible - their first AT40 mention is 5/23/98. (The latter is true of two Michigan stations, WUPM in Ironwood and Yes FM WYSS in Sault Ste. Marie - the former of which also got a mention on Casey's last CT40 on 2/21. Roanoke's K92 was also read during that same CT40; their first AT40 read after that is 4/25.)

[shadster]

is it 11/6? perhaps my website needs some tinkering. Typo im sure.

K'92 in Roanoke definitely had Casey. I think they even carried Casey & Shadoe for time, but thats way down in southwest VA.


Norfolk VA?? I cant ever recall Casey being on Norfolk. Z-104 always had Dee's, even in the 80's. 97 Star (WGH)?? maybe? I know they carried Hit Music USA

[Mike]

I come up with four Virginia stations in checking through 1998 and the 1999 shows where I've noted the stations - Q101 Harrisonburg, K92 Roanoke, Q94 Richmond, and 92.7 Abingdon. (Sidebar: The last one, it sounded like he was saying "Avington", and that's what I have for every mention - only now have I found the correct spelling. )

WGH? Probably just AT40 in whichever form - meaning Casey until he left, then Shadoe. I'm seeing a bit of an off-and-on history for them - AT40 would leave them for WNVZ in mid-1982, but would return in 1986 when 97 was WRSR (a short-lived name probably intended to reflect their 97 Star billing), and stayed on there...I'm guessing until WGH flipped to Country in 1990. (Latest mention I have for them is 8/26/89, but I don't have complete records like Shadoe Fan does - I'm missing a few weeks in later 1989, and don't currently have stations noted for 90-94 save for a few assorted weeks.)