American Top 40 - September 4, 2004

[lacrosseboy]

The AT40 chart is both of those, however people are quick to point fingers and say "It's Ryan Seacrest" just like they say "It's Rick Dees." In truth it's neither of those people at all. It's upper-management, something the staff did, or Mediabase. But it simply isn't true to say that Ryan has been keeping a song off or putting a song on that doesn't deserve to be.

Ryan, Casey, Rick, and other syndicated show hosts are given scripts to read off of. They then proceed to read off of it and inject their personality.

[Hervard]

Torin said:

The AT40 chart is both of those, however people are quick to point fingers and say "It's Ryan Seacrest" just like they say "It's Rick Dees."  In truth it's neither of those people at all.  It's upper-management, something the staff did, or Mediabase.  

Precisely.  It was upper-management of Premiere Radio Networks to first of all cut back "AT40 Flashback" to three hours and then, later, nixing the early years.  It wasn't Casey Kasem's decision at all.  For all we know, if it was his choice, the early 80s shows would have stayed and the show would have remained at four hours.

Just like it was due to an error on the staff's part that "My Happy Ending" didn't hit the AT40 chart until it hit the Top Ten on R&R.  Ryan had nothing to do with it and it's not in his power to correct any of those so-called errors even if he wanted to.