American Gold
Encyclopedia
The Classic Countdown is a syndicated weekly, four-hour, hit-packed, oldies
countdown program which was written, produced and hosted by Radio Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Dick Bartley
. It is flagshipped
at WCBS-FM
in New York City
and is syndicated across the country by United Stations Radio Networks
and internationally via Radio Express
.
Twenty featured songs from a particular season — often, from the 1970s
— are featured and played countdown-style, from No. 20 to No. 1. The Billboard
Hot 100
chart is the standard for this ranking. In addition, on the first weekend of every month, the show has a "yearbook special" highlighting the top hits of a given year.
and American Country Countdown
, although Casey Kasem
(who created those shows) was never involved in the creation of Gold (Kasem had left ABC by the time Bartley had joined in 1991).
There were a few minor differences in American Gold and the current Classic Countdown. Most notably, the countdowns were shorter, with 10 to 15 songs, as opposed to the standard 20 on the current incarnation. The featured songs usually followed a category; a featured band is usually the focus, but occasionally Bartley makes an exception for a special holiday. For bands or categories with fewer hits, Bartley will split the show in two: the first half having a theme, and the second featuring the top hits of a particular three-month span (e.g. fall of 1974 or winter of 1969-70); the current incarnation does not use themes except in a few special circumstances.
Prior to 2007, Bartley conducted a contest known as "The Quiz Man" where listeners could win prizes. Said contest was discontinued. Bartley announced his departure from ABC effective March 31, 2009 (Tom Kent
has been named as Bartley's successor, and Kent will not be taking over this particular show); his last American Gold show, a 1975 Yearbook, was released to stations March 28. The show was relaunched under its current name when Bartley joined the United Stations Radio Networks
on April 1 of that year. The American Gold Web page, now discontinued, apparently considered the two shows to be the same. However, ABC likely still holds rights to the "American Gold" name, which originates with ABC's former subsidiary Watermark Inc.
(similarly, Bob Kingsley
had to change the name of his countdown show from American Country Countdown
to Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40
when Kingsley left ABC for what is now Dial Global
in 2006, and Casey Kasem
, upon leaving ABC, changed the name of his show from American Top 40
to Casey's Top 40
from 1988 to 1998 before buying back the AT40 name).
When the show moved to United Stations in 2009, the newly rechristened program began focusing on a particular year or season and is featuring exactly 20 countdown songs each week. In addition to this national show, a local Sunday Night Countdown will air on WCBS-FM
. The WCBS version of the show features two top-20 lists, one of which will usually (though not always) match the syndicated top-20 list, and the other which will be either 10 years after or 10 years before the syndicated list. For example, if the first two hours are from January 1975, then the second two hours would be from January 1985, but if the first two hours are from January 1976, then the second two hours would be from January 1966.
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
countdown program which was written, produced and hosted by Radio Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley, a popular American radio disc jockey since 21 June 1969, hosts several popular syndicated radio shows of the oldies/classic hits genre, including the current Classic Countdown since 1991 and the Saturday night call-in request show Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits since 1982...
. It is flagshipped
Flagship station
In broadcasting, a flagship is the broadcast which originates a television network, or a particular radio show or TV show, primarily in the United States and Canada. This includes both direct network feeds and broadcast syndication, but generally not backhauls...
at WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and is syndicated across the country by United Stations Radio Networks
United Stations Radio Networks
United Stations Radio Networks is a radio network providing a wide range of programs and programming services for radio stations across the US and elsewhere...
and internationally via Radio Express
Radio Express
Radio Express is an independent radio syndication company based in Burbank, California, whose main focus is in markets outside the USA. The company was founded by Tom Rounds, one of the creators of American Top 40...
.
Twenty featured songs from a particular season — often, from the 1970s
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
— are featured and played countdown-style, from No. 20 to No. 1. The Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart is the standard for this ranking. In addition, on the first weekend of every month, the show has a "yearbook special" highlighting the top hits of a given year.
History
Though Bartley had hosted national radio shows since 1982, it was not until 1991 that he launched a countdown show. It was originally named American Gold. The concept of American Gold is loosely based upon the formats of other ABC shows, American Top 40American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
and American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
, although Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
(who created those shows) was never involved in the creation of Gold (Kasem had left ABC by the time Bartley had joined in 1991).
There were a few minor differences in American Gold and the current Classic Countdown. Most notably, the countdowns were shorter, with 10 to 15 songs, as opposed to the standard 20 on the current incarnation. The featured songs usually followed a category; a featured band is usually the focus, but occasionally Bartley makes an exception for a special holiday. For bands or categories with fewer hits, Bartley will split the show in two: the first half having a theme, and the second featuring the top hits of a particular three-month span (e.g. fall of 1974 or winter of 1969-70); the current incarnation does not use themes except in a few special circumstances.
Prior to 2007, Bartley conducted a contest known as "The Quiz Man" where listeners could win prizes. Said contest was discontinued. Bartley announced his departure from ABC effective March 31, 2009 (Tom Kent
Tom Kent
Tom Kent ,is an American radio personality. As the head of the Tom Kent Radio Network, he hosts 105 hours of classic hits programming each week, which, as of February 2, 2009, is distributed through Cumulus Media Networks.-Biography:Prior to becoming syndicated, Kent worked on the air and in...
has been named as Bartley's successor, and Kent will not be taking over this particular show); his last American Gold show, a 1975 Yearbook, was released to stations March 28. The show was relaunched under its current name when Bartley joined the United Stations Radio Networks
United Stations Radio Networks
United Stations Radio Networks is a radio network providing a wide range of programs and programming services for radio stations across the US and elsewhere...
on April 1 of that year. The American Gold Web page, now discontinued, apparently considered the two shows to be the same. However, ABC likely still holds rights to the "American Gold" name, which originates with ABC's former subsidiary Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc. was a radio syndication company that was founded in 1969 by Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Watermark's best known programs were American Top 40 and its spinoff American Country Countdown. Both shows were created by Casey Kasem and Don Bustany....
(similarly, Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley is an American country music radio personality and host of the nationally syndicated programs "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40" and "Bob Kingsley with Today's Hit Makers."...
had to change the name of his countdown show from American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
to Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40
Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40
Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 is an American country music radio countdown show hosted by former American Country Countdown host Bob Kingsley. The show is produced by Kingsley's KCCS Productions and distributed by Dial Global. It uses the Mediabase Country Singles chart as its source...
when Kingsley left ABC for what is now Dial Global
Dial Global
Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
in 2006, and Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, upon leaving ABC, changed the name of his show from American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
to Casey's Top 40
Casey's Top 40
Casey's Top 40 was a CHR/Pop music countdown that was hosted by Casey Kasem and distributed by Westwood One from 1989-1998. Kasem joined Westwood One when he was unable to reach an agreement with ABC Radio Networks in 1988, who was the distributor of American Top 40 at the time.-Similarities...
from 1988 to 1998 before buying back the AT40 name).
When the show moved to United Stations in 2009, the newly rechristened program began focusing on a particular year or season and is featuring exactly 20 countdown songs each week. In addition to this national show, a local Sunday Night Countdown will air on WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
. The WCBS version of the show features two top-20 lists, one of which will usually (though not always) match the syndicated top-20 list, and the other which will be either 10 years after or 10 years before the syndicated list. For example, if the first two hours are from January 1975, then the second two hours would be from January 1985, but if the first two hours are from January 1976, then the second two hours would be from January 1966.