Call it cognitive dissonance, but I was never a huge fan of the Long Distance Dedication on "American Top 40." Admittedly, there are good reasons to have that feature:
- It gives people a way to reach out to others close to them in a public forum.
- It gives airplay to songs that move a lot of listeners, especially if they're going through situations identical or similar to those in the letters read on-air.
- It adds a dose of humanity to the program, reminding listeners that a countdown show can be more than just a listing of the latest hits.
Despite those arguments in its favor, however, I'm still not a huge fan. When I tuned into "American Top 40" throughout the '80s, I wanted to know how songs ranked on the Billboard chart and to hear new music as it debuted. When a Long Distance Dedication came on, I often thought, "This must be a thrill for the letter writer and the person to whom (s)he's dedicating the song, but this is an unnecessary break in the action for those of us who tuned in to hear the week's 40 biggest hits."
I still think, "This is why soft rock stations have request and dedication shows, typically at night. Those are the proper venues for people pouring their hearts out through a song."
