With 37 continuous years on the air, this was the longest-running weekly popular music showcase TV program in the world. The BBC's Top of the Pops (1964) broke that record in 2001, when it entered its 38th year on air.
Like many similar shows of the same period, many early episodes no longer exist.
The show was canceled in 1989 because of declining ratings because by the late 1980s American Bandstands format which had been hugely popular from the 1950s thru 1970s was seen as outdated but the show was hugely popular in the 1950s thru late 1970s but by the early 80s the show started to decline in ratings because Audiences had moved on to cable TV especially MTV which offered a flashier more modern way to experience music and MTV changed everything teens now watched music videos which were more exciting and visually appealing than watching kids dance in a studio so the show was canceled in 1989.