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“The Most Unique Countdown Show on the Radio Today” Bids Farewell With Popular Year-End Music Special the Weekend of December 27th 
 
LOS ANGELES, CA – November 6, 2025 — Benztown, a global leader in radio imaging, voiceover, programming, podcasting and jingles, announces that award-winning radio personality and music exec Rick Nuhn, writer and host of the internationally syndicated Saturday countdown show, “Top Ten Now & Then,” and the long-running show’s creative director, programmer, and producer Ron Shapiro are hanging up their headphones after 21 years. “Top Ten Now & Then,” syndicated by Benztown, will end its 21-year run with its final broadcast the weekend of December 27, 2025. The farewell year-end special, “Top 45’s of the Last 45” is immensely popular every year and includes artist interviews and #1 songs of the year.
 
Dave “Chachi” Denes, President, Benztown, said: “We have loved every minute of working with Rick and Ron on this cool countdown show, and having known them for 25 years, they are great friends and two of the very best in the business. We wish them much continued success as they bid farewell to Top Ten Now & Then and begin the next chapters of their storied and amazing careers.”
 
Nuhn and Shapiro commented: “It has truly been a great run and we enjoyed every moment of putting the show together. It just feels like the right time to turn off the mic. We thank our wonderful affiliates and our friends at Benztown from the bottom of our hearts for their support and partnership over the years. We could not have succeeded without you.”
 
Nuhn will continue to consult to the radio and music industries from his hometown of Phoenix, AZ, while Shapiro will continue as VP of Production for Pave Studios.
 
For more information or to air the “Top Ten Now & Then” year-end countdown special on your station, visit: https://benztown.com/program/top-10-now-then/ or contact Masa Patterson, VP of Sales & Operations, Benztown, at 818.8424600 or mp@benztown.com.
 
About Rick Nuhn
 
Rick Nuhn is the host of the syndicated show Top Ten Now And Then that airs in major markets across the country and internationally.
 
He has been a player in the game of music for more than three decades. His “Double Sided” career features extensive playing time in both radio and records. On the radio side, Rick has been a personality, music director, and program director at a wide variety of formats.
 
He began his radio days in Phoenix, Arizona, doing a jazz thing at KXTC, which later changed to a Disco format where Rick was nominated for Billboard’s PD of the Year. Music Director, Program Director, and personality stints at KXAM, KOPA, KZZP, K-15, and KUKQ followed and then Rick headed west from the sun to the beach for the morning drive slot at the legendary KGFJ in Los Angeles.
 
A change was in the works after two years of wake-ups, as Rick began the flip side of his career with Atlantic Records, where he won Rookie of the Year and Promotion Person of the Year Awards, and the R&B Report award, as Regional Promotion Person of the Year. Next was New York City as National Director of Promotion and a Billboard nomination as Promotion Person of the Year. During this stint at East West Records, Rick also won the Gavin Report award as National Promotion Person of the Year.
 
A segue to MJJ Records working for Michael Jackson as the Vice President of Promotion was next and that was followed by a four-year stint at Warner Brother Records where he successfully closed out Phase One. Rick resumed his radio career at Hot 92.3 where he was an air personality and Assistant Music Director. He then joined Concord Music Group/STAX Records as Senior Director of Urban Music, a position he held for 10 years.
 
Rick currently consults to the radio and music industries from his home base of Phoenix.
 
About Ron Shapiro
 
Ron Shapiro is Vice President of Production for Pave Studios. Shapiro caught the radio bug when he was just 7 years old. After his father helped him build a radio station in his bedroom, Ron honed his skills playing radio at home, as well as on his high school and college radio stations.  All that practice helped him land his first “real” radio job with Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40”. From there, Shapiro worked his way up, becoming a Director at ABC/Watermark, the owners of “American Top 40”. Eventually Ron ended up at KIIS-FM Los Angeles as the Production Director, winning numerous awards. Shapiro later became the Program Director of Southern California’s first Trimulcast radio station, Lite 92.7.
 
From 1998-2014 Ron was the Assistant Program Director and Creative Services Director of KHHT Los Angeles, and the Urban Classic Imaging Coordinator for iHeart Media’s National Programming Platforms. Beginning in 2016 he served as Head Of Production for Spotify’s Parcast Network.
 
Over the years Ron has produced radio programs for The Fox Broadcasting Company, United Stations Radio Networks and is also co-owner of the internationally syndicated radio programs “Top Ten Now And Then” and “The Stories Of Classic Rock”.  Shapiro consulted Inter-FM in Tokyo, Japan, Costa Rica’s Beatz 106, and Cabo San Lucas’ Xpat Radio. Ron realizes how fortunate he is to incorporate his hobby into a lifelong passion.