Premiere Networks’ American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest will begin a year-long celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary this weekend.

Hosted by Casey Kasem, AT40 debuted on the weekend of July 4, 1970 on nine stations. Kasem would host until August 1988 when a contract dispute with then show owners ABC led him to depart and launch the competing “Casey’s Top 40”. Shadoe Stevens would replace Kasem on the original show until January 1995 with ABC dropping it in 1994 and RadioExpress running it for international markets until then. Kasem would acquire the rights to the “American Top 40” brand and partnered with iHeartMedia predecessor AMFM Radio Networks to relaunch the show in March 1998. Kasem would then pass the hosting torch to Seacrest in early 2004.

As part of the anniversary celebration, the show will highlight iconic artists moments and interviews from the show’s archives and include segments from Kasem.

Premiere Networks today announced that this weekend, July 4 and 5, marks the 50^th anniversary of American Top 40 (AT40) – the most famous countdown show in radio history.

As part of a year-long celebration, AT40 host Ryan Seacrest will highlight an iconic artist moment from the show’s archives every weekend, including interviews with the stars and the show’s creator and original host Casey Kasem. Listeners will also have the opportunity to win prizes and one-of-a-kind experiences throughout the year.

“Over the past five decades, American Top 40 has become a cultural touchpoint for millions of people around the globe,” said Julie Talbott, President of Premiere Networks. “Casey Kasem created the gold standard that we carry on today, and we’re so proud of how Ryan has expanded that legacy.  He’s taken the show to new heights over the past 16 years with added reach, engagement and technology, while continuing to drive impressive results for our partners.”

American Top 40 was created by Casey Kasem in 1970. Seacrest debuted as host of the program in January 2004, and continued the tradition of counting down the Top 40 songs and interviewing the biggest stars in entertainment.  The program was also revolutionized with added technology.  Building on the interactive quality of https://www.at40.com/, the audience was allowed to vote for their favorite songs, enter contests for concert flyaways and communicate directly with Seacrest. 

Today, American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest continues to be the number one countdown show in the U.S. and can be heard on nearly 500 radio stations worldwide including markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Singapore, Toronto, Vancouver, Nairobi, Beijing, Cairo, Sydney, Dubai, and many others.  The program attracts blue-chip sponsors, including Procter & Gamble, The Home Depot, Geico, Capital One, and many others.  For more information, please visit www.PremiereNetworks.com.