History
The program is hosted by William Ryan III, and counts down the top twenty Christian songs. Each countdown also includes special features like Artist interviews, stories behind the songs, and interactive features like the Future Fan Favorite. Occasionally, the program would also feature weekly special programmings, such as a countdown for the top twenty songs for the year, an annual Christmas program, and tribute shows.
20TCM was created by Jon Rivers (who also hosted Powerline which was produced by the Southern Baptist Convention) in 1985 while he was on his way into work where he hosted the morning show on KLTY-FM in Dallas/Fort Worth. It was around 2:30 in the morning while driving in where Rivers clearly heard Jesus speak to him to start a weekly countdown show called, "20 The Countdown Magazine."
There was already a big show called American Top 40 hosted by Casey Kasem that was counting down mainstream songs but nothing for Christian music at the time (although Christian Countdown USA first hosted by Jim Channell a.k.a “Captain Whammo,” and later Bob Souer, predates the debut of 20TCM by a few months). Rivers felt like Christian music is as good as anything and there are always at least 20 great Christian songs you can count down. And so... 20 the Countdown Magazine began!
Rivers did most of the writing and production himself at first, chasing after the FedEx truck late at night to make sure cassette tapes of the show made it out to radio stations all over the world in time! Technology has surely changed since then, but the heart behind the show has not.
In 2019, Jon Rivers announced his retirement and the new host of the show William Ryan III. Rivers did his farewell show on September 7, 2019 along with the new host. Dozens of Christian Artists also were heard on the farewell show congratulating Rivers on his retirement and welcoming Ryan as the new host of the show.
In 2021, the show became a listener-supported, non-profit program and is a recognized 501(c)3 organization of IRS code. The show is offered free of charge to affiliates.
Rigdon Osmond Dees III, best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the 1976 satirical novelty song "Disco Duck".
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacrest and presented as an adjunct to his weekday radio program, On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
Countdown was a weekly Australian music television program that was broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987. It was created by Executive Producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist Ian "Molly" Meldrum. Countdown was produced at the studios of the ABC in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea. It was screened Sunday night from 6:00pm to 7:00.
CIOO-FM is a Canadian hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, broadcasting at 100.1 FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The station uses the on-air brand name Move 100. It was originally owned by Toronto based CHUM Limited until the company's buy-out by CTVglobemedia in 2007, and then Bell Media in 2011. CIOO's studios are located at the intersection of Russell and Agricola Streets in Halifax, with its transmitter located on Washmill Lake Drive in Clayton Park.
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals. Mediabase charts and airplay data are used on many popular radio countdown shows and televised music awards programs. Music charts are published in both domestic and international trade publications and newspapers worldwide. Mediabase is a division of iHeartMedia.
K-Love is a contemporary Christian music radio programming service in the United States operated by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF). The network is one of three formats produced by the Educational Media Foundation, the other two being K-Love Classics and Air1. As of June 2019, the network's programming is simulcast on over 520 FM stations and translators in 48 U.S. states, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. As of 2018, K-Love and its sister network Air1 reportedly had a weekly cumulative audience of about 20 million listeners.
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC, is a weekly internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 40 country songs of the previous week, from No. 40 to No. 1, according to the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The program premiered in 1973 and as of January 2006 is hosted by Kix Brooks.
Christian country music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music. Christian country music is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of both Gospel music and Country music.
Radio & Records (R&R) was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister trade to Billboard, until its final issue in 2009.
BPM is a current-based electronic dance music channel offered by Sirius XM Radio, operating on XM channel 51, Sirius channel 51 and Dish Network channel 6051. DirecTV carried this channel on channel 859 until February 9, 2010. BPM can be heard on channel 51 for both services and Dish Network 6051 BPM features Geronimo, the Program Director, on weekdays 7-10am, Rida Naser on weekdays 10am-2pm, Ben Harvey on weekdays 2-6pm, Danny Valentino on Saturdays 10am-3pm and Sundays 12-5pm, Mallory Lynne on Saturdays 3-6pm and Sundays 5-9pm and Liquid Todd on weeknights 6-11pm.
The 20 was a weekly television show that aired on the VH1 cable television network in the United States. The long-running series began in 1994 as the VH1 Top 10 Countdown, part of VH1's "Music First" re-branding effort. Over the years a variety of hosts counted down the top ten or twenty music videos of the week. The order of countdown was originally decided by a mix of record sales, radio airplay, video spins, message board posts, and conventional mail. The series finale aired unexpectedly without any ceremony on November 28, 2015, with the last number one on the show belonging to Drake's "Hotline Bling".
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey presently hosting the morning show for WCBS-FM in New York City as well as Scott Shannon Presents America's Greatest Hits which is syndicated nationally with United Stations Radio Networks and Audacy. He previously worked for WHTZ, WPLJ, The True Oldies Channel, and The Sean Hannity Show.
Casey's Top 40 was a syndicated radio music program that was distributed by the Westwood One radio network. The show was a vehicle for former American Top 40 host and co-creator Casey Kasem and ran for over nine years. Like Kasem's prior show, Casey's Top 40 aired on weekends, emanated from Hollywood, California, and was a countdown of the 40 biggest hits of the week on the popular music chart.
Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 is an internationally syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide. It is distributed domestically by Compass Media Networks and internationally by Radio Express. It is also heard on Dees's official website for listeners in the United States only.
American Top 20 was the name given to two weekly spinoffs of the music countdown program American Top 40. They were both hosted by Casey Kasem for Premiere Networks and premiered on the weekend of March 28, 1998, the same weekend Kasem returned to host American Top 40.
Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 with Fitz is an American country music radio countdown show created by former American Country Countdown host Bob Kingsley, who hosted the show from its January 2006 debut until shortly before his death in 2019. Currently hosted by Fitz, the program is distributed by Skyview Networks and produced as a joint venture between Hubbard Broadcasting and KCCS Productions, the holding company operated by Kingsley's widow. It uses the Mediabase Country Singles chart as its source.
Kutonen (Sixth) is a Finnish general entertainment channel that replaced the music-video oriented The Voice TV in September 2012. Kutonen is very closely related to its Danish counterpart 6'eren, sharing its visual branding and much programming with it, as well as having close strategic connections to other brands owned and operated by SBS in other European countries.
Count Down TV is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. It is presented by three CGI-animated hosts.
Sirius XM Hits 1 is a Top 40 radio station on Sirius XM Radio channel 2 and Dish Network channels 6002 and 099-02. Like most Sirius XM stations, it plays no commercials. The channel was formerly known as US-1 until 2004. The name is a take-off of VH1, whose name was originally an abbreviation of "Video Hits 1". Vh1 Satellite Radio once existed on XM but the channel was discontinued prior to the merger.
The Hot 25 Countdown is a weekly Australian Christian music radio program.
