Kasem Gives Way to Seacrest

The voice of “American Top 40” is about to change.
Premiere Radio Networks has picked young TV celeb Ryan Seacrest as the new host of AT40, replacing the venerable Casey Kasem. The latter will continue as host of another countdown show on Premiere.
Seacrest, 28, takes over in mid-January. He will conduct the show from his studio at Hollywood and Highland; it is also home to a new daily TV show he’ll host. Seacrest hosted the second season of “American Idol” and is a correspondent for “The Tonight Show.”
Kasem, 71, has signed a new contract with Premiere Radio Networks and will host two version of “American Top 20” for hot adult contemporary and AC stations.
According to Premiere, terms of the deal will not be disclosed. In its announcement, Kasem was quoted as saying, “I’ve been working with Premiere over the last several months to find a way for me to be with my audience in every market in the nation without having to compete with myself by being on both contemporary hit radio stations with ‘American Top 40’ and adult contemporary stations with ‘American Top 20.’ With this new contract, I’ll be counting down the hits for my listeners into the next decade.”