New Kasem Show Goes Up Against Old One Sunday

Six months ago, Casey Kasem, co-creator and host of “American Top 40,” the nation’s most widely syndicated radio countdown show, left the ABC Radio Network after 18 years at the mike. Shadoe Stevens, Los Angeles radio veteran and celebrity player on “Hollywood Squares,” slipped into Kasem’s seat and resumed the countdown for ABC.

On Sunday, Kasem returns to challenge “America Top 40” with a new countdown show from Westwood One, “Casey’s Top 40 With Casey Kasem,” debuting locally on KPWR-FM (105.9) at 8 a.m.

“It will be interesting to find out which show draws a larger audience,” said Stevens, 42, whose countdown series airs on KIIS-FM (102.7) from 6-10 a.m. Sundays.

Indeed--and not simply because of Kasem’s past association with Stevens’ program. ABC is the nation’s largest radio network; Westwood One is second.

ABC claims that “American Top 40” is not competing with “Casey’s Top 40.” One company official says, in fact, that “American Top 40” is “launching Shadoe Stevens, just like it launched Casey Kasem 18 years ago.”

“That’s just too absurd to believe,” responds Norman Pattiz, chairman of Westwood One. “A countdown show is a countdown show--we do eight of them. Casey Kasem is the element that made that countdown show special.”

Pattiz stepped in last year when ABC and Kasem were unable to agree on terms to a new contract. “When I heard Casey was available, I thought it was a rib,” Pattiz said. “Maybe a friend of mine in the business was calling me to pull my chain. I would have offered Casey anything to bring him to Westwood One.”

As it was, Kasem signed a five-year contract with Westwood One for a reported $17 million.

Tom Cuddy, vice president of entertainment programming for ABC, says that “American Top 40” has gained momentum since switching from Kasem to Stevens.

“Shadoe has been on the air since August, and in that time the amount of ‘American Top 40’ mail has doubled,” he said. “Shadoe integrates a sense of hipness and humor into the show. We’ve never had that before.

“The true judge of a show’s success is to look at how many stations are airing it. Since we’ve made the transition, we have more stations than any other time in the show’s history.”

“American Top 40” currently plays on 487 U.S. radio stations, 1,012 stations worldwide. “Casey’s Top 40” is set to air on 425 stations, including the number one stations in Los Angeles (KPWR-FM), New York (WHTZ-FM) and Chicago (WBBM-FM)--the nation’s top three radio markets.

The shows will be similar in format. Both are four hours long, air every Sunday and feature listener dedications, tantalizing facts about recording artists and a countdown of the Top 40 songs in America as reported by a popular radio industry magazine.

While their shows may be similar, the hosts are distinctively different.

Years ago, Kasem developed a gritty delivery style so that his graveled voice sounds the same whether heard through a costly home stereo or a tinny, three-inch car speaker.

“That crackle is my trademark,” Kasem said, smiling. “I eliminate the highs and lows, the mountains and valleys, in my voice. I’m a storyteller, and if I emphasize a syllable, I want listeners to be able to hear that. I talk to them, not at them.”

“Mine is a different approach,” Stevens said, referring to his expressive manner of delivery. “It has more of an attitude, and a little more color. Where Casey would say, ‘You’re listening to “American Top 40” and we’re counting down to number one,’ I might say, ‘From Hollywood, where the palm trees mambo to a brave new beat every week, we’ll bashfully bend to kiss the hem of the number one song in America.’ ”

Kasem, 56, is relying on his experiences and familiarity with the American public, which helped establish “American Top 40” as a pop-music institution, to push “Casey’s Top 40” quickly up the charts.

“A lot of people have grown up with me,” he said. “I’ve sort of become part of the family.”