Are countdown shows relevant?

[the golden boy]

I didn't want to bring this up in the Weekly Top 40 thread since I would rather for this to have a topic of its own. In your opinion, do countdown shows still serve a purpose? In an age of iPods, Pandora and other online and Smartphone apps, people want to hear their favorite songs. How well they do on the charts isn't much of a concern to them. Do people really care if "Teenage Dream", "Just the Way You Are" or "Dynamite" is the #1 song on charts?

 

[anthonydt06]

I don't know about other markets, but in San Antonio our countdown shows air on weekend mornings when the least amount of people are actually listening to the radio. There are so many syndicated countdown shows that no one really identifies to them the way they used to identify with AT40 with Casey Kasem.

Personally, I think countdown shows are only good in the early portions as lesser played songs are aired. The top 10 songs are usually the 10 most overplayed songs of the week.

 

[atlantaboy]

I always thought stations mainly aired countdown shows to give their main airstaff Satuday/Sunday morning off - and yeah most people are sleeping when the countdown shows play songs #40-20 etc.

I think it's always been like that though - don't think IPods have changed anything - I don't think less people care what's #1 now than they did in the 80s or 90s

Most of the people who actually pay attention are probably kids and people that are really into radio

 

[MassMusicMan]

Keep in mind that most stations are staffed by people who's job is to read an index card. That's it. That's all they contribute to the music. There's no utility to what most local jocks do.

Countdown shows are national-caliber presentations with full writing staffs and recognized celebrities at the mic. People don't live and die by charts (they never did), but it's still fun to take 4 hours on the weekend and dedicate them to presenting the hits with a special purpose. They're a change to the routine of weekday radio. That's the whole point. You're playing songs 100 times a week. A countdown show presents them (and other songs) in a different light. This is no different than the "A to Z weekend" on a classic rock/oldies station.

 

[atlantaboy]

^I'd agree with that, except that almost every station airs countdown shows when very few people are listening - if stations really aired AT40, WT40, etc. to give their listeners something interesting to listen to on the weekend (like rock stations do with A-Z weekends, or AC stations do with 80s weekends), seems like they would air the countdown shows in the middle of the day, instead of at 6 a. m.

 

[MassMusicMan]

Now that I can't explain. Many Canadian stations air several countdown shows over the course of a weekend, sometimes in the afternoon, which isn't standard here.

 

[TheBigA]

seems like they would air the countdown shows in the middle of the day, instead of at 6 a. m.

National countdown shows are barter, so the station gives up local spots to air them. It's a question of when you want to give up your spots.

 

[Wildstyle K]

I say that it depends on what it's counting down!

 

[CHRles]

Now that I can't explain. Many Canadian stations air several countdown shows over the course of a weekend, sometimes in the afternoon, which isn't standard here.

That's b/c Canadian stations see these shows as a great way to bypass the restricting Cancon laws. It gives them the option to play more hit music under the guise of specialty shows. That's also part of the reason why Canadian CHRs are more prone to feature several daily countdowns.

 

[the golden boy]

Has there been a push to get rid of the CanCon rules in the Great White North?

 

[Frank72]

When Canadian stations play countdown shows, they still have to make up the cancon somewhere else in the week or day. The rules are: Minimum 35% between 6am-6pm Monday-Friday and 35% Sunday 6am-Saturday Midnight (this was designed so stations don't bury all the cancon in nights) Overnights aren't included.

To answer the question about the government scrapping the rules? Highly unlikely anytime soon. It would be hard to lower or get rid of the rule when big companies keep bribing the government with promises to play even more than 35% in their applications for new licenses. I think they need to dump the rule or make it closer to Australia's rule (which I don't remember exactly off the top of my head). It's lower and format specific if I'm not mistaken.

 

[jsu5381m]

Speaking of which, does the ITunes Download with Alex Luke still syndicated to CHR stations or has that show been discontinued?

 

[Frank72]

Speaking of which, does the ITunes Download with Alex Luke still syndicated to CHR stations or has that show been discontinued?

I'm pretty certain it's done. Funny enough I just received an email selling Rick Dees new nightly countdown. Really? What station would pick that up??!

 

[jsu5381m]

Speaking of which, does the ITunes Download with Alex Luke still syndicated to CHR stations or has that show been discontinued?

I'm pretty certain it's done. Funny enough I just received an email selling Rick Dees new nightly countdown. Really? What station would pick that up??!

Despite being a Premiere Radio Network show, ITunes Download was not broadcast in very many areas.

 

[Silkie]

If they are 60's, 70's, early 80's countdown programs are not only informative but can provide some very good memories...and not so good, but they are all there.