His voice was the product of formative years spent jumping from radio station to station as well as some acting work . Mark Coleman : Casey Kasem was `` tastemaker '' before era of streaming and downloading . He had a huge following, but he never really made it big in the mainstream media ( or even on MTV ) until his death last year at age 50. Coleman says Kasem 's show was accessible ; his voice upbeat , not smarmy . Kasem an iconic voice of common-denominator music during divisive time , he says .
Mark Coleman : Casey Kasem was `` tastemaker '' before era of streaming and downloading . He had a huge following, but he never really made it big in the mainstream media ( or even on MTV ) until his death last year at age 50. Coleman says Kasem 's show was accessible ; his voice upbeat , not smarmy . Kasem an iconic voice of common-denominator music during divisive time , he says .