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Programming & Music
This essay, My Appointment (Listening) Book Through The Years, was written by Sean Ross for Radio-Info.com's Programming & Music column.
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My Appointment (Listening) Book Through The Years
An Instant Request from Ron Gerber, host of KFAI Minneapolis’ Friday night “Crap From The Past.” He asks about “favorite music specialty shows of all time. I’d like to hear your thoughts on ‘American Top 40’ and its mid-’80s imitators (Rick Dees, Scott Shannon, ‘Countdown America’), Barry Scott’s ‘Lost 45s,’ Dick Bartley and Cindy Barton’s shows, ‘Open House Party,’ Westwood One’s ‘Future Hits’ from the late ’80s, Dr. Demento, ‘King Biscuit,’ the glorious weirdness of WFMU [New York], and whatever else you currently enjoy.”
It was interesting that most of the shows on Ron’s list had indeed been appointment listening for me at some point in my radio geekdom. For the most point, I always hoped my travels would take me to a market when a station wasn’t in special programming. But even for me, there were appointment shows.
Usually, they met one specific need—songs that weren’t otherwise on the radio, preferably unknown to me, and available with less hunting than during the week’s regular listening. It wasn’t just syndicated shows. It was the Top 30 countdowns on CKLW Detroit or WKBW Buffalo, N.Y., or various “Make It Or Break It” features. And even then there was a penchant toward exotica; Dick Bartley’s Saturday night oldies show was playing too many hits. Jim Heddle’s short-lived Saturday night show on WAAM Ann Arbor, Mich., in the early ’80s taught me more records. And while that exact reference will likely elude most readers, many have their own likely equivalent.
A lot of my specialty show/appointment listening was heavily influenced by location. I listened to Herb Kent and the late Richard Pegue for R&B Oldies when I was in Chicago. I listen to Felix Hernandez (WBGO/WRKS) and Hal Jackson (WBLS) now that I’m back in New York. “Open House Party” is still a show I associate with being out of town on the weekends, although I only have to be about 15 miles east of home to hear it now.
Most of my appointment listening fell aside at various points once a category of music became accessible—I started working in the industry and didn’t have to wait until Sunday to hear brand new songs, for instance. Or adult life intruded and there wasn’t three hours to sit around on Sunday and wait for the British charts, especially when the British hits were available 24/7 (and not much different from their U.S. counterparts). That said, radio boosters will be happy to know that there are still a half dozen shows I might check out over the course of the weekend, including “Crap From The Past,” even though I could just go hunting for, say, new or old British hits on You Tube. Having somebody else do the legwork still helps.
That full list of my current specialty show listening, by the way, is going to have to wait for part two of this column—it’s too prone to possible sins of omission, and the list has been growing because so many of our readers host their own shows. (Even on this list, I’m sure I’m leaving some out.) But here are some thoughts on Ron’s list and a few other key shows over the years. And I’m eager to hear about your appointment listening.
And now, Ron, here’s your Instant Request:
“American Top 40” – The Casey Kasem version wasn’t my first exposure to national charts, or to records that weren’t being played in the market, but it was an easy way to follow both. Even for those readers who didn’t go as far as creating their own charts as teenagers, “AT40” is probably responsible in some way for many being in the business. It stopped being a regular listen once I was in the business and had long heard any song that might chart. (That was probably also the reason I never became a huge follower of other Top 40 countdowns in the ’80s; I liked hearing Scott Shannon and John Lander, but I was more interested in hearing them on their regular jobs.)
“American Country Countdown” – A big part of my Country discovery phase in the late ’70s. Made a comeback for a while in the early ’90s when I was programming R&B Oldies and didn’t have the same access to new Country music.
“The Robert W. Morgan Special of the Week” – As more of a Top 40 than Rock radio person during the late ’70s/early ’80s, I gravitated toward this short-lived artist spotlight special. One of the first long-form shows with more trivia on a given artist than “AT40.” And with my education in the business only beginning at that time, I had only a vague sense that Morgan was famous for anything else.
“Dr. Demento” – Discovered during a still-fertile time for novelty songs and recorded comedy, when it was pretty much the only place to hear comedy on the radio. Every now and then I would meet somebody who I didn’t think shared my sense of humor and they’d drop a reference to “roly poly fish heads” and I’d have to reconsider them. I’d long lost access to “Demento” by the time it left broadcast radio, but I was sorry to see it go.
“Rodney on the ROQ” – On my own volition, I probably wouldn’t have listened to Rodney Bingenheimer on KROQ Los Angeles in the early ’80s. But friends with better taste did, and I spent many years trying to hunt down some of the songs heard there that were too goofy for even the usual KROQ format.
“The Countdown With Walt Love” – Walt “Baby” Love was my boss/mentor at R&R and an on-air hero because of WXLO (99X) New York. For a while, “The Countdown” shared a writer/producer with Dr. Demento, but there was a lot of riffage in this R&B countdown and a lot of the appeal was that it didn’t have the scripted-within-an-inch-of-its-life feel of other syndication.
The BBC World Service Countdown – A truncated version of the top 40 survey that ran on BBC1—it ran a half-hour and played no more than 6-7 songs out of the top 20. But in the early ’80s, an exceptional time for the U.K. charts, it was the only place to regularly hear British-only hits.
“Future Hits” – Its attraction for me was also the brief feature where Joel Denver counted down the British top five, even though all you got was snippets of the hits (and even those could be songs that were American hits, too).
“Lost 45s” – Barry Scott’s still-running show would have been a regular Sunday night listen for me if I had been in Boston at the time. When it came along in the mid-’80s, the pop ’70s were still in exile and the idea that anybody would want to play them again was unthinkable. And I do stream the much-deeper-than-what’s-on-the-broadcast-radio version when I have the time.
The real BBC Top 40 countdown. Taped by a really good friend in the early ’90s. Then I listened again in the late ’90s/early ’00s when I could stream it. Has fallen by the way partially because they’ve adjusted the format and play fewer of the 40 songs, also because there seems to be more overlap with our charts now. Recently, though, it’s been supplanted by Richard Todd’s “Classic Retro Countdown”—same chart from this day in say, 1971—on Atlantic Oldies 2NG.
“Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” – Proof that everybody makes the move from music to news at some point. It did become a regular Sunday morning listen. Since then, it’s moved to Saturday morning in my area, up against two other appointment shows. And while I could download it as a podcast, I’m still not caught up on the podcast of the CBC’s advertising history show, “The Age Of Persuasion.”
What’s your appointment listening? E-mail me or leave a comment.
This article is part of the August 4 Ross On Radio newsletter on radio programming trends and history. To see today’s other Ross On Radio stories, follow the links below:
Radio’s Best & Worst
First Listen: KTWI (Twister 93.3) Omaha, Neb.’s Very New Country
About the Writer
Sean Ross, one of the radio and music industry’s most widely respected writers and programming analysts, is the author of the newsletter Ross On Radio, an extension of his long-running column of the same name.
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I want to put my two cents in for “Larry Allen’s All-Request Saturday Night” on WMMQ, Lansing, Michigan. When I was in high school and college, and afterward too, Larry definitely expanded my musical interests into a much wider realm. You never knew what would be requested, whether it would be light-and-upbeat fare like the Stones’ cover of “I’m a King Bee” and Tom Waits’ “The Piano Has Been Drinking,” or a turn to heavy metal deep cuts like early Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep. And once each summer he’d hang up the wind chimes and light the incense for a “Psychedelic Saturday Night” that went far beyond “White Rabbit” and “White Bird.” I left town and haven’t listened lately, but Larry’s apparently still going strong after 25+ years.
In my youth, appointment listening was “Rock Over London” with Graham Dean and “The Doctor Demento Show”. Coincidently, both were aired back to back on WMMR in Philadelphia. At the time, the London show was one of a few outlets to hear the latest New Wave releases from the likes of Kate Bush, Thomas Dolby, Eurythmics, etc. The comedy/novelty songs are what attracted me most to Doctor Demento, but his show was also the first place where I heard music by Sparks (I Predict), Laurie Anderson (O Superman) and even the Ramones (Teenage Lobotomy). Locally, WMMR also had “Guerrilla Theatre” hosted by Michael Tearson. This program was probably the very last breath of free-form radio on the legendary Rock station, with an emphasis on new music (lots of New Wave, some AOR), but occasionally some psychedelic 60s stuff (Lothar and the Hand People come to mind). On the BBC World Service, I regularly tuned in through the short wave static to hear John Peel’s 30 minute program and Paul Burnett’s "The Vintage Chart Show". In the late 90’s, while living in Los Angeles, I never missed Hal Lifson’s “Radio A Go-Go” on KIEV. Lifson’s day job was handling the careers of people like Nancy Sinatra, Burt Ward and Ron Dante (The Archies). Musically, Lifson’s show went relatively deep (lots of cool stiffs) and he usually had live guests for some very in-depth interviews. Lifson didn’t have the best radio voice, but I really liked his taste in music. Rodney On The Roq (KROQ) was another longtime favorite. Rodney Bingenhiemer still has a good set of ears for new music. BTW, if you know where to look, you can see me in the documentary “Mayor of the Sunset Strip”, an amazing film about Rodney’s career. On the talk radio front in L.A., there use to be a handful of unique weekend shows on KFI, including the very funny April Winchell and a pre-syndicated Phil Hendrie. More recently, I highly enjoyed WABC’s “Saturday Night Oldies” with Mark Simone, in the earlier years of the show, it ran for three hours filled with lots of music, PAMS jingles and classic WABC reverb! In my career, I’ve hosted quite a few of my own weekly new music programs, partly inspired by some of the above and I hope I’ve inspired others.
I would even tape shows and listen to the later (early DVR?) -Of course AT40..who knew it was research for my adult life. -Doctor Demento -Anyone remember Ask The Professor? Rochester NY WHFM ran that early(and i mean early) Sunday mornings. (still going..on podcast..and i guess a few stations) -Does just a normal DJ show count? I was addicted to Barskey at WHFM in Rochester at night. Did the message board, just the answer to questions, and the Barskey School of 99 Showbiz careers! Loved his show. -Now I have podcasts that I can't live without! (too many if you ask me...i need more time in the day)
Loved Dr. Demento too! I still enjoy the reruns of AT40 from the 70s also. The original "Solid Gold Saturday Night" with Dick Bartley always sounded great. "Rock Over London" would play stuff that was so far ahead the US charts. I remember hearing a new Peter Gabriel song "Sledgehammer." Murray the K had a nostalgia show that I always thought wasn't bad called "Soundtrack of the 60's" Most of all Casey Kasem was big time appointment listening overall.
For me it was Dr Dimento! But times have changed and radio must adatp. I would contend that in the old world people had to adapt to broadcasters schedule. You'd need to be home by 8pm to catch that favorite TV show for example, but now thanks to time shifting capabilities the world has changed and been more accommodating to consumer's schedules. The DVR did this for radio and http://DAR.fm is doing it for radio. Radio fans can now get their fave voices and shows on a schedule that suits them. Other media types (print and video) are adapting to consumer's schedule and radio must do it as well. Here's a list of the top shows organized by categories: http://dar.fm/top_talk.php Here's a list of the top stations/shows by region: http://dar.fm/top_listings.php
In the 70s, my formative years, I listened to the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Always gave me the willies, but that was THE must listen to radio from back then. Hasn't ever been topped, but I do like Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me nowadays. Car Talk is always fun for me too. Along with Wiretap... a lot of NPR stuff I guess. But Radio Mystery Theater has never been topped.
Sorry so late in getting to this wonderful column (I have a rare week off to catch up on my reading & e-mails) but here are my thoughts: AT40 with Casey Kasem blew my mind as a child in the '70s because the concept of my favorite records being ranked was wonderful and appealed to my rigid sense of order. Shortly after hearing an AT40 in the fall of '73 with "Half Breed" being #1, and immediately following WABC's New Year's Eve countdown, I penned my first personal chart on January 3, 1974 (an obsession that would consume me until 1999). As many have have noted, Dr. Demento was also instrumental in my musical education beginning in 1978. I still have an aircheck of the show in which Demento unwraped Barnes and Barnes' "Fish Heads" and played it for the first time (it was a cassette). Within a couple of weeks, I asked my best friend who lived in LA to find me the single and I was so proud to own that novelty classic on Lumania Records! My chart was always littered with novelty singles but now there were even more. Later in life, I came to love "Rock Over London" and "Future Hits" (I even produced a one-hour parody of the latter), getting a jump on releases well before my friends. From a regional standpoint, WSPK in Poughkeepsie used to reserve Monday nights for a show that was, in effect, three hours of the DJ playing every single out-of-the-box record that came into the studio (1979-80). Between that priceless exposure and the good folks at Colony Records personally playing all the new releases reviewed in Billboard every week for me - several of which I would buy - I considered myself the most educated amateur pop music fan in the country, and my personal chart reflected this with 150 titles listed each week. If anyone remembers that WSPK (later K-104) show or what it was called, I'd be forever grateful. I have tons of airchecks but almost always recorded just the tunes and only minimal jock content.
CKLW's Big 30 Countdown...7pm on Tuesdays with Tom Shannon. I couldn't even hear it all because the night pattern didn't favor me, but I enjoyed what I could hear...and they even threw in a "CKLW.....Golden" (sung) at :27 and :57. WOWO in Ft. Wayne used to air the religious show "Sillouhette" if I'm not mistaken, with Brother John Rydgren. An interesting mix of contemporary music and edgy spiritual insights. One episode featured a hippie's version of the creation story ("after God fixed the lighting problem"). 10:30pm Sunday nights. I listened to shortwave..and the BBC World Service aired a half hour of "Records Round the World". Don't remember day and time, or hosts. Robert W. Morgan Special of the Week The Evolution of Rock (produced by CHUM as I recall). CKLW ran 3 hours every Sunday night for awhile. It featured one year, as opposed to Bill Drake's History of Rock and Roll (also appointment listening). CKLW in the 1979 and 1980...Tom Shannon, Fridays at 10am, "Music of the 60s". WMEE Ft. Wayne, "The Continuous History of Rock and Roll" (not related to the Drake project). Sunday nights Reelin' In the Years, which I babysat at WBYR, Fort Wayne In the Studio Various incarnations of "Dial-A-Hit" Saturday nights on WGRR, Cincinnati (later WSAI and WDJO) WGRR, Cincinnati a couple of years in the late 90s between Christmas and New Years with "The Songs You Haven't Heard in Years/Inventory Clearance Weekend"..they played songs not normally played, and gave away miscellaneous prizes. The Lost Lennon Tapes (later The Beatle Years) Little Steven's Underground Garage American Top 40 first run, and now with the 70s and 80s replays. Brad Lovett
