Hooray For the 80s (September 17, 2004)

Just as MTV phased out the fun rock and pop on the radio in favor of boring corporate pop in the late 90s, MTV phased out the sleepy 70's adult love songs I never cared about in favor of fun new wave synth rock from acts such as The Cars, Devo, The Police, Cyndi Lauper, Janet Jackson (who didn't need to flash a breast back then to sell records), Flock of Seagulls, just don't let me get into naming the 100's of acts that were prominent enough to shape the sound of 80s radio.

(read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Back in the '80s, Todd Pettengill is saying, "I remember people listening to the radio and saying, 'This music is so forgettable.' Now it's totally the opposite. People look back and say this music was amazing."

He's got a point. No one beats up on the '80s they way they beat up on, say, the '70s, with flashy disco, soft love songs, heavy rock, and awful annoying pop defining the decade of bell bottoms.

With Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, the Police, rap, new wave and punk, the decade in retrospect created some mighty lively radio.

That makes a new retro radio show called "Saturday Night at the '80s" a very logical thing, and Pettengill, who grew up in the '80s, a very logical host.

The show, syndicated by ABC Radio, launches nationwide the weekend of Sept. 25.

"The goal, obviously, is to make it fun," says Pettengill. "We'll be music-intensive," he says. "We'll probably average about 10 songs an hour. But we'll also have clips from the '80s - comedy, movies, TV shows, events people will remember."

He'll also do fresh interviews with artists from the era, like John Mellencamp, who he recently snagged on a 'PLJ visit.

The show will cover most anything about the 80s except, say, gangsta rap, which started polluting the airwaves in the late 80s.

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE 80s with Todd Pettengill...Launching September 25th...212-735 1700 http://abcradio.com/sn80/demo.html