Thanks to Ken Anthony, and the R&R folks for doing a great job covering the 20th anniversary of Classic Rock. We have both articles posted on our web page that pays tribute to the format's milestone.

But the most interesting reading is the "Stories" supplied by broadcasters who were around in the early years. We heard from an incredible group of professionals, some of whom you read about in the trades every week, but some who we haven't heard from in years. It was great reading the reminisces of Tom Yates, Jay Hoker, Herb McCord, and other luminaries who were believers early on.

If you haven't read them yet, they are a fascinating window into the format's beginnings, and ultimate path to growth and success. From a precarious niche format that I could only get on AM stations in the early '80s, to the mass appeal juggernaut that it's become today, the stories behind Classic Rock are compelling and worth passing on. They are a statement about the difficulty of growing and nurturing formats, the importance of belief and commitment, and they are a lesson to the format creators who will be the architects of HD Radio formats in the coming months and years.

Our thanks to everyone who participated in the format's history, as well as those who helped us celebrate its 20th. We have decided to not only leave our CRXX page up, but build on it, adding articles, success stories, and other resources. As the industry's originators and long-time voice of the format, it's something we should have done long ago.

It was 20 years ago today . . .  OK, that’s too cliché. But in fact, the Classic Rock radio format is celebrating its 20^th anniversary as a powerful force on FM Radio – and beyond. In an era when radio formats come and go with regularity, Classic Rock has established itself as the most successful new format in the past two decades.