The radio hits countdown, American Top 40, is 40 years old today.
The show has changed a bit over the years. Casey Kasem was the first host. It was three hours long, and was on seven stations that first weekend. The show grew in popularity. Commercial sponsors hopped on board. The number of stations grew. A fourth hour was added to accomodate all those commercials and some added features. I thought the countdown got a little too "talky," but what do I know?
Kasem left, was replaced by Shadoe Stevens, came back, and was replaced by that big pile of nothing known as Ryan Seacrest.
American Top 40 was a Sunday afternoon staple growing up. WILK 980 had the show back then. It wasn't a Sunday without AT 40.
The show was a trend setter. There are countdowns in every format, with a variety of hosts. None has come close to the original.
There's one other anniversary of note this weekend. Harborplace in Baltimore turned 30 on Friday.
According to a Baltimore Sun story, the managers want to bring in tenants attractive to the people who live and work downtown. They love the tourists, but the goal is to make Harborplace a year round attraction.
I used to be a regular visitor, but I got turned off when the Inner Harbor area got too touristy. It was no longer uniquely Baltimore. It had the same stuff that you could find in any other city.
I used to grab a hotel just outside the city. Unfortunately, the "city" now stretches from Washington to the Pennsylvania line. The area has grown tremendously, and I don't like it as much as I once did.
