Classic Television - Special

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve

Original channel

NBC (1972–73)

ABC (1974–present)

Original run

December 31, 1972 – present

Presented by

Dick Clark (1974–2004, 2006–12)

Regis Philbin (2005)

Ryan Seacrest (2006–present)

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve is an annual television special that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. The special broadcasts from New York City's Times Square, and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop event, along with live and pre-recorded musical performances by popular acts from Times Square and Hollywood, respectively.

Its creator and namesake was entertainer Dick Clark, who conceived New Year's Rockin' Eve as a direct competitor to Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians' popular and long-running New Year's Eve broadcasts on CBS from the Waldorf-Astoria. Clark personally felt Lombardo's big band music skewed too old and did not appeal well to younger viewers, leading to his show putting a focus on pop music. The first two editions, which were hosted by Three Dog Night and George Carlin respectively, and featured Dick Clark assuming the role of Times Square reporter, were broadcast by NBC for 1973 and 1974 respectively. In 1974-75, the program moved to its current home of ABC, and Dick Clark assumed the role of host. Following the death of Guy Lombardo and the decline of the Royal Canadians' special, New Year's Rockin' Eve grew in popularity, and became ingrained in pop culture—even prompting Clark himself to make appearances on other programs in parody of his role. To this day, New Year's Rockin' Eve has remained the most highest rated of the New Year's specials broadcast on the United States' major television networks; its 2012 edition peaked at 22.6 million home viewers – not including viewers watching from public locations which are not measured by Nielsen.

Dick Clark would host the special annually from 1974 through 2004, interrupted only by special coverage of the year 2000 celebrations produced by ABC News—where Clark joined overall host Peter Jennings as a correspondent from Times Square. The complications of a stroke suffered by Clark in December 2004 had a major effect on his role in the special. Clark was replaced as host by Regis Philbin in 2005. Clark would return to the special beginning in 2006, but his participation was affected by a speech impediment that resulted from the stroke. Clark would cede hosting duties to Ryan Seacrest, although he continued to make limited appearances during the special. The death of Dick Clark on April 18, 2012 left Seacrest as the sole host of the special beginning with its 2012–13 edition.