4/30/83 COUNTDOWN AMERICA w/JOHN LEADER: MICHAEL JACKSON (2), GREG KIHN, PRINCE

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60

HI FELLOW COLLECTORS OF PRATICALLY ONE OF A KIND OFFERINGS OF VINTAGE ROCK MUSIC DJ HOSTED NATIONALLY BROADCAST RADIO SHOWS FEATURING MUSIC FROM THE 60's THROUGH 2000 WHEN DELIVERY BY DIGITAL DOWNLOAD TOOK OVER AND SHOWS WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS 

 IF YOU LOVE GREAT COUNTDOWN SHOWS ALONG WITH SPECIAL THEMES ON EACH SHOW AND VERY RARE INTERVIEWS, AND HOSTED BY ONE OF ROCK'S BEST KNOWN AND RESPECTED DJ'S, YOU WILL LOVE THIS SERIES, THE BEGINNING OF WHICH ARE AMONG THE MOST RARE AND HARDEST TO FIND OF ALL COUNTDOWN SHOWS.

AND, PLEASE DON'T FORGET MY SPECIAL OFFER OF A TWENTY PERCENT DISCOUNT WHEN YOU BUY FIVE ITEMS OR MORE AT ONE TIME FROM MY STORE.  IT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO FOR ALL MY FRIENDS WHO, LIKE I, ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A GREAT DEAL

ALSO, YOU CAN COMBINE THE ABOVE DISCOUNT, SHOULD YOU DESIRE, WITH ONE OR SEVERAL OF KEITH'S KOLLECTABLES WEEKLY HALF AND REDUCED PRICE SPECIALS WHICH YOU CAN FIND ON KEITH'S HOME PAGE AND CHOOSE FROM A MYRIAD OF SHOWS TO WHICH MORE ARE ADDED ALMOST DAILY AND ARE MOST OFTEN ANOTHER COPY OF THE SAME SHOW AVAILABLE FOR FULL PRICE IN THE STORE.  THERE IS ONLY ONE COPY OF EACH REDUCED TITLE SO WHEN IT'S GONE, THAT'S IT.  BUT OF COURSE YOU CAN STILL GET THE FULL PRICED ONE WITH THE 20% DISCOUNT WHEN COMBINED WITH FOUR OTHERS.  

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS FOR YOU TO SAVE A LOT IN MY STORE, EVEN TO THE $2.99 FLAT SHIPPING CHARGE ON EACH ORDER.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS SHOW AND SERIES AND THEN IF YOU DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT RADIO SHOWS, PLEASE READ ON FOR MY HUMBLE 'RADIO SHOWS 101' MINI COURSE ON WHAT EXACTLY ARE RADIO SHOWS AND HOW I GOT INTO THEM DECADES AGO!

Now let's talk about this great series, COUNTDOWN AMERICA WITH JOHN LEADER

The Countdown America series itself started after RKO Broadcasting ceased distribution of its challenger to American Top 40, called Weekly Music Magazine.  John Leader was its host and hosted the show for over two years before Dick Clark took over hosting of the show.

THE LEGENDARY RKO RADIO NETWORK WAS A FORERUNNER IN THE ROCK RADIO SHOW GENRE BEFORE ITS DISSOLUTION IN 1985 BY FEDERAL REGULATORS OVER PRESUMED SCANDALS BY THE BILLING DIVISION AND NOT THE BROADCASTING ENTITY  WHICH WERE NEVER PROVEN.  ITS ASSETS WERE ACQUIRED BY UNITED STATIONS RADIO NETWORK FORMED BY DICK CLARK.

SOME OF THE LATER SHOWS IN THE SERIES, BEGINNING IN THE SPRING OF 1985,ARE  BRANDED WITH THE RKO RADIO NETWORK LOGOS BUT THE CUE SHEET SAYS THE SHOW IS FROM THE UNITED STATIONS RADIO NETWORK.  APPARENTLY THESE FEW SHOWS WERE LITERALYL PART OF THE TRANSITION FROM ONE COMPANY TO THE OTHER!  AN INTERESTING SIDELIGHT FOR SURE!!

THESE SHOWS CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE SHOW PRODUCER'S FAMILY STOCK WHICH HAD BEEN LOVINGLY STORED FOR ALL THESE YEARS IN THE PRODUCER'S FAMILY UNTIL THEY WERE SOLD TO ME BECAUSE OF MY EBAY STORE HAVING A WORLD WIDE PRESENCE AND BEST ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS TO AS MANY COLLECTORS AS CAN CHERISH AND PROTECT THEM FOR POSTERITY.  THAT WAS HIS AND THE FAMILY'S GREATEST WISH IN ALLOWING THEIR SALE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD - TO SHARE THE GENIUS OF THE RKO RADIO NETWORK AND ITS GROUNDBREAKING PROGRAMMING WITH THE WORLD

As for Dick Clark, he had been hosting his own countdown series for the Mutual Broadcasting System called The Dick Clark National Music Survey.  When his contract with Mutual expired in 1985, he took over hosting duties of Countdown America which now was syndicated through his own United Stations Radio Network.

Many changes evolved in Dick's takeover of the show, some good and others not so.  The Top 40 became the Top 30 for example.  It also later became a three hour instead of a four hour show and still later became a top 20 countdown.  John Leader, a true pioneer, created a show model that was never duplicated except by John himself.

That's because John Leader later created another countdown show called Countdown U*S*A on January 11, 1986 and continued as host until year end, another legendary show.  For unclear reasons, Dave Sholin, another great dj, then took over the show.

All John Leader and Dave Sholin shows are very rare and masterpieces in the countdown era.

THE SHOW CAME ON THREE (INITIALLY) AND LATER FOUR LPS IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION, PLAYED ONLY ON THE DATE OF THE ORIGINAL NETWORK BROADCAST WITH MOST THEN DESTROYED SINCE THEY COULD NEVER BE AIRED AGAIN DUE TO THE TIME LIMITED NATIONAL COMMERCIALS ON THE PROGRAM. THIS MEANS THAT VERY FEW OF EACH SHOW SURVIVED TO THE PRESENT DAY.

THE SHOW IS A TREASURE AND BELONGS IN YOUR SPECIAL COLLECTION!

THIS SHOW AIRED OVER THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 30, 1983

BELIEVE ME, YOU WILL EVEN ENJOY THE VINTAGE NATIONAL COMMERCIALS ON EACH SHOW.  IT IS AMAZING HOW EVEN THE COMMERCIALS FROM 40 PLUS YEARS AGO BRING BACK MEMORIES AFTER ALL THESE YEARS WHEN WE HATED THEM SO MUCH BACK THEN.

ON THIS SHOW YOU WILL HEAR GEMS LIKE CHEWELS, SUZUKI, HUBBA BUBBA GUM, DOUBLEMINT GUM, L'EGGS, CADBURY BARS, FOXTEX, UNIVERSAL PICTURES, AND MORE

 SO WHAT ARE THE BIG QUESTIONS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT RADIO SHOWS? 

 LET ME TELL YOU BUT FIRST....

Allow me tell you my own personal story of discovering the wonder of radio shows.

  I discovered radio shows quite by accident while reading one of my favorite (long since departed) magazines called "Discoveries" (It was later bought by the same company that publishes "Goldmine" which I personally always considered a lesser publication, but that is another story.

  This was before ebay became the driving force in radio show sales (and everything else) in the later 1990's.

 I was especially attracted in "Discoveries" to a two page (or more) spread in each issue by a guy called "The Old Hippie". 

 Let me tell you, the Old Hippie had it all.  He was a real pioneer.  Way before anyone knew what radio shows even were let alone that they could be bought as rarities, he had the market cornered.

Most shows that he advertised were way beyond my budget but I drooled over those pages every issue and once in awhile I could afford one or two. 

 Now, I have attempted in my own humble way to take on the mantle of "The Old Hippie".  I have listed over 11,000 unique radio shows of all genres for you all to drool over, and most at prices, hopefully, that collectors can better afford!  I want to make available to collectors what I could not afford and especially in these days of higher prices and lesser availability.

Radio shows are harder and harder to find in quantity and the prices for the ones still out there just go higher and higher as they disappear from the market.  However, because of my large presence on eBay, I am often contacted with selling offers, some of which I take advantage of and some I have to pass on because of the prices. I have found that by buying in bulk, even when many or most of the shows are lesser known but still amazing shows, I can offer the best prices on all titles.

  NOW, EXACTLY WHAT IS A RADIO SHOW? 

 WHY COLLECT THEM?  

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? 

 Well, those are good questions, especially if you have never known of them.  

Radio Shows are syndicated productions by one of several large and small distributors who supply broadcast product to radio stations normally during weekends when the usual air personalities have a break.  

Many air on Saturday or Sunday mornings, afternoons or evenings or less often during overnight segments.

  They often feature some of the best known voices for their genre from across the country thus the Dick Clark's and Casey Kasem's and Rick Dees and Dick Bartley and so many others.  

People collect them for various reasons. 

 Some just collect the series because they like it and want them all.  

Some collect their favorite artists or genre of music.  Rather than an album by the artist or a compilation downloaded through iTunes or wherever, they have a unique presentation of their favorite artist or music not available anywhere else and always with dj comments which were very entertaining. 

 Some collect interviews with their favorite artists as most shows had interview segments. 

 Some collect commercials especially old car commercials but certainly not limited to only those. 

 AND, these shows are in limited quantity. 

 They were pressed just for affiliate stations in the United States.

  Many have just a few still in circulation.  

Some of the more popular shows may have as few as a couple hundred of each week's show pressed but think about it.  A couple hundred for some 200 million Americans and millions of overseas collectors who look for unique presentations of their favorite artists or form of music is about as rare as rare can be. 

This show itself was only ever sent to the top 175 Metro markets. Smaller markets had to take the satellite feed once it became available.  So at the very most there were only 175 copies of each show EVER.   How do you compute rareness.  175 copies for the whole United States market and 25 years ago or more means that could possibly not be ANY more of these shows and at the very most there are 175.    

   How many survived as did the ones I have is anyone's guess. 

This is because most stations just threw these away after network broadcast since they could not be aired again because of the dated commercial content and most stations had limited storage space. (Believe me I know; I worked at one for over seven glorious years as the night time dj, daytime producer, and station operator!) 

 So it is likely that very few still exist and they are increasingly hard to find  

They were first distributed on reel to reel tape or on lp, later on CD and even later (after 2000 for most shows) on CDR.  Now they are not available at all to collectors since they are distributed by digital download much like you get your music from iTunes. 

These shows become rarer and rarer every day because the people who buy them hold on to them. 

 The shows that you get now and hold on to will never decrease in value and only increase.  

 I have prided myself since the start to provide the best and fairest cost with a  guarantee that you will be happy or I refund your money.  I sell them for near what I bought them for.  I give volume discounts and discount postage always.  As the postal service increases their rates, my shipping rates over the years have decreased.

  And, I have one of the biggest radio show libraries in the world consisting of over fifteen thousand unique shows, so many that I don't even know all that I have and am sometimes amazed when I go to look for one show and find another that I did not realize I had. 

 Finally, it is Americana at its best. 

 Whether the show be from the 60's or 2000's, rock, countdown, oldies, country, classical, religious, jazz or big band, it is unique and home grown.

  And you just can't find them anywhere. 

 Even record stores that still exist will rarely have any.   Radio shows are wonderful representations of the real golden age of music radio. 

 And every  one you buy is  an original, not a copy, not a remake - all are limited editions in the hundreds at most and most, like this special show,  much less.  Once you get hooked, like me, it is a love affair for life!  Welcome to the Club!

       Remember, when you buy this show, not only will you own the tunes but also interspersed between songs is fascinating commentary on the artists and songs that only Dick Bartley and the gang can provide.  

Also, keep in mind that this and all the oldies shows are not just about the music - the music can be found anywhere.  It is the mixture of great music and great announcing that makes it so entertaining. 

 As well, it is a piece of radio history.  You just aren't going to find these shows anymore.  Think of what they will be worth in a few years!  (IF you wanted to sell.) 

 I am selling to share with other music lovers what I was able to get at a reasonable price.  

   As always, I charge only shipping on the first show you buy for U.S. buyers  and for my international friends,  so the more you buy the more money you will save. 

 Good Luck and God Bless You.