By David Hormell
A digital streaming station dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of one of country radio’s most beloved voices, Bob Kingsley, has come to fruition — courtesy of iHeartRadio.
Introducing Bob Kingsley’s Countdown Classics, a digital streaming station dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of Kingsley, a National Radio Hall of Fame and Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee who passed away in 2019. He would have turned 86 on Thursday.
The channel features classic episodes of Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 as they originally aired, serving as a digital time capsule for longtime fans and a new generation alike. The station is the result of a partnership between iHeartRadio, the Kingsley Estate, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. And, it follows a recent similar move created by iHeartRadio for Weekly Top 40 classic episodes from the 1980s and 1990s, hosted by Rick Dees. It also comes following the widespread success of classic American Top 40 episodes from the 1970s and 1980s hosted by Casey Kasem, distributed to radio stations across the U.S. by Premiere Networks.
Kingsley began his broadcasting career in Iceland, where he worked as an announcer on Armed Forces Radio while serving in the U.S. Air Force. That experience, paired with a deep love and appreciation for country music, led him to stations including KFOX, KGBS, KFI, and KLAC in Los Angeles. In 1974, he signed on as producer of American Country Countdown with Don Bowman, later taking over as host and executive producer from 1978 to 2005. Short-form features America’s Music Makers with Bob Kingsley and Country Hit Makers with Bob Kingsley aired from 1988 to 2006. From 2006 until his death in 2019, Kingsley hosted and produced Country Top 40 with Bob Kingsley, which continues today, hosted by Fitz.
Bob’s widow Nan Kingsley said, “I am so pleased that Bob’s Country Top 40 programs will be available to a generation of listeners with the help of our friends at iHeartRadio. What a wonderful birthday present to honor him. Bob wanted the countdown show to represent the best of Country music, and he worked tirelessly with his team to ensure the highest quality content was produced. I know you’ll hear that dedication when you rediscover these shows.”
President of Programming Operations and Digital Music for iHeartMedia Jon Zellner added, “Bob Kingsley was one of the most recognizable and respected voices in country radio history. His countdowns didn’t just play the biggest country songs of the week – he told the stories behind them and helped deepen the connection between the music and the fans. With this new iHeartRadio station, fans can once again experience the magic of those shows and reconnect with the music and artists and songwriters that shaped country radio.”
— Additional reporting by Adam Jacobson
