Specialty programming in Chicago @ 4th of July? Internet: Classic American Top40 Casey Kasem Tribute
Posted by WYTZZ95FM on June 30, 2024, 5:18 pm
I don't know if anyone is doing anything in Chicago. I have heard nothing so far. Specialty programming is overall gone for years now. Like B96 counting down the best dance hits of all time, or Flashback Weekends. Z95 airing specialty mixes or special programming carried nationwide. A to Z libraries. All #1 weekends. Along with April Fools Day, those are long gone as the talent pool has been watered down and the hard drives are working overtime.
It isn't Chicago specific, but iHeart is streaming a holiday tribute to Casey Kasey all week long for the 4th of July. Every year end countdown (Top 100, 80 etc, whatever they ran that year). 1970 - 1987. Right now they are on 1970 and I am listening to songs almost as old as me. A bunch of songs that you will not hear on FM radio anymore or perhaps, 88.7 ME-TV FM. You could still hear Elvis and the Beatles influence in 1970 along with AC staples like Anne Murray and the Carpenters, along with studio bands like Edison Lighthouse and a ton of Urban hits. When is the last time you heard Patches by Clarence "Strokin'" Clemons? I really like the years 77 - 81 which should roll around by Tuesday. I also dig the 86 - 87 countdowns as Casey's sound and the music had changed by then.
Fire it up on your iHeart app. Or on your Google or Amazon iOT devices "Play Classic American Top 40". It is commercial free.
Never knew B96 once did a best dance hits of all time countdown. I do recall Flashback Weekends, where the mixmasters would play WBMX-era house, disco and other classic dance. There was a time in 1996 where B96 briefly played music from 1992 and earlier due to a transmitter error. It was mentioned in an 08/30/1996 issue of Radio & Records. Speaking of trade magazines on World Radio History, according to the 4/05/1996 issue of Network 40 (a since defunct radio/music trade magazine) Kiss FM in Los Angeles did something similar during the April Fools weekend where they did their Top 300 Dance Songs of all time. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-08-30.pdf https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-Network-40/96/Network-40-1996-04-05.pdf
I remember WGCI doing commercial free mixes all-day Labor Day in 2000. Also, Kiss FM 103.5 once did a 90s flashback night (playing B96-era music) sometime in 2003 (?) (can’t remember the year). Also, I don’t remember if it fell on a holiday.
I thought 94.7 WLS-FM aired vintage reruns of Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" many years ago, specifically the ones from the 1970s on Sunday mornings.
As for 97.1 FM The Drive, they did "A to Z" annually around the holidays, featuring some 2,000 songs in alphabetical order by song title. I don't think they did one last year though. The Drive is doing something called "Firecracker Four-Play" from 6A-7P (CT) on Thursday, coinciding with the 4th of July itself.
Re: Specialty programming in Chicago @ 4th of July? Internet: Classic American Top40 Casey Kasem Tribute
on June 30, 2024, 5:18 pm