iTunes Radio Show Tackles New Wave of 21st Century

Casey Kasem, step aside: The 21st century brings forth a new wave of radio, one that even artists can never say again: "suckers never play me."

The iTunes Download show debuts this weekend nationwide and features a three-hour countdown program hosted by iTunes Director of Music Programming Alex Luke. The program will air on Top 40 radio stations each Saturday or Sunday and will play a selection of the 30 most downloaded songs "in America," according to Premiere Radio Networks.

Originating from Los Angeles, the syndicated radio program will include interviews of high-profile music artists, a celebrity playlist compiled by various entertainers, and iMixes that listeners create in the Apple iTunes Store.

"The iTunes charts have become the first indicator, each week, of what millions of music fans are buying," said Luke. "Radio is where more music buyers first hear what they want to buy and iTunes is the place they go to do it -- now we're connecting the two."

Premiere Radio Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio affiliations and reaches over 190 million listeners weekly.

The show also has a companion Web site, www.theiTunesdownload.com, for each week's chart and additional information. (Note: the site may be under construction or is set to launch this weekend.)

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