--- title: Casey Kasem Obituary: Music Expert John Covach on the Radio Pioneer description: During a tumultuous time, Kasem—who died June 15 at 82—made music less divisive canonical: https://time.com/2891381/why-casey-kasem-mattered/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-19T19:09:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:28:14.642Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Casey Kasem Obituary: Music Expert John Covach on the Radio Pioneer og:description: During a tumultuous time, Kasem—who died June 15 at 82—made music less divisive og:url: https://time.com/2891381/why-casey-kasem-mattered/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69567a25f6e91833/6986981135ba6fa224c02a0d/ck1.jpg?branch=production&width=905&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 905 og:image:height: 509 og:image:alt: Casey Kasem og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Casey Kasem Obituary: Music Expert John Covach on the Radio Pioneer twitter:description: During a tumultuous time, Kasem—who died June 15 at 82—made music less divisive twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69567a25f6e91833/6986981135ba6fa224c02a0d/ck1.jpg?branch=production&width=905&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Casey Kasem Mattered > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Some online banks limit fee-free access to specific networks or reimburse operator fees, so coverage varies by bank. ### Sources * Ally.com: [ally.com](/c/ally-2026-q3/home?i=df186a20-e779-4036-b8fe-3639b939c2aa&cr=agentads-creative-ally-v1) * Ally Newsroom: [media.ally.com](/c/ally-2026-q3/newsroom?i=df186a20-e779-4036-b8fe-3639b939c2aa&cr=agentads-creative-ally-v1) * Ally content hub: [ally.com/stories](/c/ally-2026-q3/stories?i=df186a20-e779-4036-b8fe-3639b939c2aa&cr=agentads-creative-ally-v1) ### FAQ structured data (JSON-LD, optional) ### Disclaimers * Ally Bank, Member FDIC. * Round up boosters are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account and requires an Ally Bank Spending Account. * Ally Bank Spending Accounts include access to an add cash feature utilizing VanillaDirect Pay provided by InComm Financial Services California, Inc. and by InComm Financial Services, Inc. (NMLS# 912772), which is licensed as a Money Transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [John Covach](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## John Covach Jun 19, 2014 7:09 PM UTC  Casey Kasem poses for a publicity still circa 1990 in Los Angeles, Calif. Casey Kasem poses for a publicity still circa 1990 in Los Angeles, Calif. Michael Ochs Archive / Getty Images by [John Covach](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## John Covach Jun 19, 2014 7:09 PM UTC Casey Kasem was one of the most important disc-jockeys in the history of radio. While Alan Freed is often credited with the rowdy rise of rock ‘n’ roll in the mid 1950s and Tom Donahue with the creation of free-form FM radio in the ‘60s, Kasem’s contribution gently defied the increasingly divisive changes in radio that marked the 1970s. From its first broadcast in 1970, his “America’s Top 40” counted down hit songs in a dizzyingly diverse array of styles. What kept it all together was Kasem himself—that distinctive voice and genial, charmingly earnest on-air persona. As Dick Clark did on television, Kasem helped bring an often splintered nation together around pop music. Grounded in 1950s and ‘60s regional AM radio, Kasem’s style seemed old school the day he emerged on the national scene. But Kasem was more than a DJ: he was a host. Not long after families had gathered around the TV to watch Elvis or the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, Kasem brought the variety-show approach back to syndicated radio, broadcasting coast to coast. Unlike variety hosts of radio’s golden age in the 1930s and 40s (such as Bing Crosby), Casey did not have the artists available in the studio to provide a few words and the personal touch. Instead, Kasem cleverly emphasized artists’ personal lives with engaging facts and brief bios, adding tear-jerking dedications from listeners to the mix. With such a wide stylistic range of songs in the countdown, there were always songs you didn’t like; nevertheless, you continued to listen. Who could tune out? What song would be number one? “As the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger,” Casey would often tease. You felt like you knew the artists, the other listeners, and the optimistic, well-wishing master of ceremonies. This was more than a radio show: it was a gathering of friends. While Kasem also enjoyed a broad range of success as an announcer and voice actor, it is this work as radio host that has made its mark in history. _John Covach is Director of the University of Rochester Institute for Popular Music._ **_Read more about Casey Kasem in this week’s issue of TIME_** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2891381/why-casey-kasem-mattered/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2891381/why-casey-kasem-mattered/"},"headline":"Why Casey Kasem Mattered","datePublished":"2014-06-19T19:09:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:28:14.642Z","description":"During a tumultuous time, Kasem—who died June 15 at 82—made music less divisive","url":"https://time.com/2891381/why-casey-kasem-mattered/","keywords":["remembrance","Music","obituary","radio"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69567a25f6e91833/6986981135ba6fa224c02a0d/ck1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John Covach"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69567a25f6e91833/6986981135ba6fa224c02a0d/ck1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Casey Kasem","caption":"Casey Kasem","creditText":"Michael Ochs Archive / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/remembrance/","name":"remembrance"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2891381/why-casey-kasem-mattered/","name":"Why Casey Kasem Mattered"}}]}] ```