Posted: Monday, July 13, 2009 12:00 am
People love lists.
You find them everywhere - in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet.
Best and worst dressed. Sexiest celebrities. Favorite restaurants. Etc.
Nobody made more out of a list than the great Casey Kasem, who retired this past week from hosting "America Top 20" and "America Top 10."
Most of us remember when the "King of Countdowns" listed the country's 40 most popular songs, which he began doing in 1970. He stopped doing "40" in 2004. "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest succeeded him.
Kasem also was famous for his voiceovers, including Shaggy from the "Scooby Doo" cartoons.
And, oh, what a voice he had!
Like butter, some would say. Silky smooth and quite distinctive. You never heard an "umm" or a "like" or any other kind of pause from him. He did it effortlessly and professionally.
He not only counted down the songs, but he fed us little-known facts about the artists and - this was my favorite part - shared letters from listeners. It was good radio.
Kasem, 77, won't disappear, especially for those with subscriptions to Sirius or XM satellite radio. They replay remastered versions of his countdowns from the 1970s and '80s.
I found myself listening to one from the 1980s on a drive back from a visit to my parents in Grand Island. It made me smile as I remembered where I was and what I was doing at the time.
Kasem always had a knack for making people smile.
And listen.
Across the remote
* There was a time when Nebraska football fans could choose from of a variety of broadcasters calling Husker games.
Among them was the great Joe Patrick, who passed away last month in Branson, Mo., at age 84.
In addition to Husker football, Patrick also called Creighton basketball, Omaha Knights hockey and more.
I remember him best for his Sunday bowling show on KETV, "Bowling at Leisure," shot at the former Leisure Lanes in Omaha. It was a big deal when I was a kid.
Patrick's son, Dan, runs Danny's Downtown Deli at 10th and O streets. As you can imagine, he was extremely proud of his papa. Nebraska lost a great one in Patrick. He will be missed.
* When NET Radio dropped live Metropolitan Opera broadcasts a while back, listeners had to go elsewhere for their aria fixes.
A reader called to say KVNO (90.7 FM), the public station in Omaha, has stellar opera programming heard on Saturday afternoons, beginning at noon.
The station currently is airing Los Angeles Opera productions through Aug. 8. San Francisco Opera (Aug. 15-Oct. 17) and Houston Grand Opera (Oct. 24-Nov. 28) will follow before Met broadcasts resume in December.
Reception can be an issue because KVNO transmits at low power, but you also can listen online at www.kvno.org.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.