Today marks the 56th anniversary of one of the most influential moments in radio history: the premiere of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 on July 4, 1970. The groundbreaking countdown show originally launched on just seven stations, among them Los Angeles-area KDEO (now KECR) in El Cajon, and quickly transformed the way music was presented on air. With its smooth pacing, heartfelt storytelling, and unforgettable long-distance dedications, it became a beloved weekly ritual and cultural touchstone for generations of listeners.To honor this milestone, iHeartRadio has introduced a special Classic American Top 40 channel on its app, featuring nonstop broadcasts of Casey Kasem’s original 1970s and 1980s episodes. Fans can once again enjoy the warmth of his iconic voice and the timeless magic that made the show a radio legend.
On that historic Independence Day in 1970, Casey Kasem introduced American Top 40 with the promise to count down “the best-selling and most-played songs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico.” The first episode, based on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending July 11, 1970, featured Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” at No. 1. Kasem’s unique blend of music, trivia, and heartfelt segments like Long Distance Dedications quickly captured listeners’ hearts. His “teaser/bio” format, inspired by a discarded music magazine he found in a studio trash bin, brought songs to life with stories about artists and their hits, making the show a weekly ritual for music fans.
Created by Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs, American Top 40 grew from its modest debut to a global phenomenon, airing on over 500 stations by the early 1980s, including the Armed Forces Radio Network. Initially using Billboard’s Hot 100 as its source, the show later adopted airplay-based charts from Radio & Records and Mediabase. Kasem hosted from 1970 to 1988, with Shadoe Stevens taking over until 1995. Kasem returned in 1998, hosting until 2003, when Ryan Seacrest assumed the role, continuing to this day with formats for Contemporary Hit Radio and Hot Adult Contemporary stations.
Casey Kasem, born Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932, in Detroit, Michigan, to Lebanese immigrant parents, built one of the most enduring careers in American broadcasting and entertainment. He began in radio during his high school and college years at Wayne State University, served as a disc jockey with the Armed Forces Radio Service in Korea after being drafted in 1952, and then honed his craft at stations across the U.S., including Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. In the 1960s, he developed his signature style of incorporating artist biographies and trivia into his broadcasts. His breakthrough came on July 4, 1970, when he co-created and launched American Top 40, the iconic weekly countdown show that blended chart hits with heartfelt storytelling, long-distance dedications, and his warm, reassuring delivery—ending each episode with the famous sign-off, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” The program became a cultural phenomenon, which he hosted until 1988, briefly returned with Casey’s Top 40, and revived again in 1998. Parallel to his radio success, Kasem enjoyed a prolific voice-acting career, most famously as the original voice of Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo franchise starting in 1969 (a role he reprised for decades), as well as Robin in Super Friends and numerous other animated characters. A pioneer who helped define modern radio countdown formats and left an indelible mark on pop culture, Kasem retired in 2009 and passed away on June 15, 2014, at age 82.
The show’s appeal lay not just in its music but in Kasem’s humanity. His warm delivery and knack for storytelling, especially during Long Distance Dedications, connected listeners worldwide. Despite challenges, like rock stations dropping the show in the 1970s due to the rise of disco, American Top 40 remained a staple, adapting to changing musical tastes.
Today, iHeartRadio’s Classic American Top 40 channel offers a nostalgic journey, playing full-length episodes from 1970 to 1988 without commercials. Available on the iHeartRadio app, it’s a fitting tribute to Kasem, a National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee who passed away in 2014. As fans tune in, they celebrate 56 years of a show that remains the gold standard for music countdowns, keeping Casey Kasem’s legacy alive.
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