We tell stories. We talk about statistics. And in 1978, we added an element of the show that gave it its heartbeat: the long distance dedication.
For the most part, that message hasn't changed a lot over the years - love is still love, and heartbreak is still heartbreak.
Hosting various versions of my countdown program has kept me extremely busy, and I loved every minute of it.
Interestingly, songs used to be short, then they became longer, and now they're getting shorter.
The stories are success stories. The letters from listeners often touch the heart and can be inspiring.
I started radio in 1950 on the Lone Ranger radio program, a dramatic show that emanated from Detroit when I was 18 years old and just beginning college. I did that for a couple of years.
I like the storytelling and reading the letters, the long-distance dedications.
We gave the show away and in return, we received a certain number of minutes per hour for the three-hour show that we could sell to Madison Avenue. One of the first sponsors was MGM Records.
My first commercial was for Miller High Life beer.
'American Top 40' allowed me to be current without my having to force change to keep up with things. The new songs kept us up to date, so every show sounded fresh.
The greatest compliment that anyone can pay me is that after I say something, they remember it. I'll go over a piece of copy until I've gotten the essence of what the writer had in mind - every nuance.
The first syndicating I tried was when two partners and I created a production company in 1952. We wanted to syndicate famous Bible stories and sell them for $25 a show.
