We have finalized the changeover to make what was the Hit Music Top 40 our main chart — as we converted the Super Sixty to reflect that system. It is still a 60-position listing with Hitbounds, a SURESHOT, and other special designations as needed — but the chart rankings are based on the methodology that was used for the "second flavor" of Total Popular Music, which has become our primary radio programming format offering. The "original flavor" is still available for radio stations that prefer it, but will not be published online.

As we have completed the conversion, the separate Hit Music Top 40 will no longer be published — as it, in effect, has become the NEW Hit Music Super Sixty. For the sake of consistency, for the first week of the change-over, the "last week" positions were from the previous week's Hit Music listing, including where necessary unpublished numbers, as had been shown on a "Prototype" for the new system, the week before it replaced the original one.

For those new to TPM, the original Super Sixty formula since its inception had been point-based, with points awarded for both position and performance on our component charts. Only recently, since our new affiliation with ChartWatch Data Services® (CWDS) have we had access to total airplay data at our components, allowing us to accurately construct a chart based primarily on overall airplay. We initially adapted this to the Hit Music listing, with full expectations of having "two flavors" of Total Popular Music permanently available.

Recent economic conditions, however, have forced a reduction in original staffing plans, necessitating a reconsideration of where to best focus our efforts. More important, reaction from the radio industry has been overwhelmingly in support of making the newer "second flavor" Hit Music formula our primary offering. If it were financially feasible to sufficiently staff our operation, we would definitely do that anyway. But we would likely continue offering the original formula as a secondary listing. That, unfortunately, is not now possible.

We have now finalized the acquisition by TotalPopularMusic.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mark Harris Broadcast Consulting (MHBC), of CWDS. This affords us possibilities for program consulting to radio — as well as providing the general public with an online Hit Music publication — not previously possible. The principal of CWDS, who created its exclusive system, has become a part owner of TPM and an adviser/consultant. No monetary exchange was involved in this acquisition.

TotalPopularMusic.com was launched in September 2007, primarily to promote MHBC's new Total Popular Music format, a "Mass Appeal" approach to programming popular music, undoing much of the fragmentation of the genre that has occurred in recent years with "specialized niches" adopted by most of the radio industry. As our online presence evolved, our Website grew with added features.

We also began promoting our existence and concept to the general public as we've sought to create a demand for what we offer. Radio people are notorious for acceding to a groundswell of demand from existing and potential audiences. More recently, since the demise of Radio & Records, we have also been attempting to be one of many to help fill the gap. One such step has been increasing our daily radio & media news coverage on the TPM NewsPage.

Now that we are using CWDS-compiled airplay data, we have made some changes in our designations on the Super Sixty. Rather than RED for "Major Increases," that crimson highlighter is now applied to titles earning 400 or more new airings.  GOLD  for "Significant Increases" is replaced by the explanation "100-399 new plays."

As we say goodbye to the "All American Playlist" brand, we also retire the bullet, which has been featured on the Sixty since it's online debut, more than two years ago, even before we registered the domain TotalPopularMusic.com in September 2007. (We experimented and developed our product at a "free site" for several months before obtaining our own "dot-com" domain. There may be as many as a dozen people in the whole world that actually remember it!)

Replacing the HOT bullet is which we have lovingly referred to as the "TPM Blinky" when we used it to designate "Hottest Hitbounds," which we no longer do. However, it is not a direct replacement for the HOT bullet, as its meaning is somewhat different. Songs gaining 800 or more new airings on the Sixty receive the designator, in addition to a RED "this week" number highlighter.

Another thing we might mention is that as the Super Sixty goes through its new evolution, our Daily Dozen is now based exclusively on CWDS airplay data, as opposed to reflecting daily updates to the points-based version of the Sixty previously published. We made that switch July 15.

The changes will also mean an end to the Hitbound review in the Chart Chat column. Why? Because we no longer assign ranks to the Hitbounds. That is actually a return to our earliest days when those up-and-comers with Super Sixty potential had no numerical position. This means a behind-the-scenes look at unpublished numbers will no longer be a part of this column.

We for the first time have a set number of Hitbound titles each week — as we "adopt" the "Future Fifteen" concept from the Hit Music listing, and assign a "relative number" to each song, one through fifteen. However, when referring to the "last week" position after the title ascends into the Sixty, only an "HB" designation will be listed, as was the case in our earlier days.

On a related note, we eliminated the designation "Component Charts" — but not those listings themselves. As our Super Sixty became airplay-based, the three format listings are no longer used to estalish points for the Sixty. The former Component Charts are now called "Official TPM Playlists," which is what they actually are. MHBC offers program consulting for those three formats, in addition to Total Popular Music.

One more change. We have eliminated the Friday Night Preview Edition of Chart Chat, as it had existed. We now present a "Top 20 Now" update to replace our Friday Night Preview Edition, not as a new edition of Chart Chat, but above the most recent Sunday night weekly column.