Counting down to the end of summer

"You can never go wrong with anything by the Partridge Family, ABBA, Bay City Rollers, Helen Reddy, Bobby Sherman, or '70s-era Cher." - Barry Scott, host, (left)

If Labor Day isn't the end of summer, it at least begins the countdown of days until beach season comes to a close. No surprise, then, that radio uses the upcoming three-day weekend as an occasion for special programming - offering a range of countdowns you'd expect on New Year's Eve.

Barry Scott, host of "Lost 45s" on WODS-FM (103.3), Sundays, 7-11 p.m., will once again be hosting what may be the region's longest-running countdown. His annual Top 100 rundown of listener requests is now in its 24th year. And although the DJ is still compiling the list of forgotten hits and strange oldies, he anticipates some of the program's regular favorites to be up there.

"You can never go wrong with anything by the Partridge Family, ABBA, Bay City Rollers, Helen Reddy, Bobby Sherman, or '70s-era Cher," says Scott, who uses interview clips from many of the artists to introduce the songs.

Saluting the season, WROR-FM (105.7) will begin playing its "Top 500 Summer Songs of the '60s, '70s, and '80s," at 3 p.m. tomorrow. The list, which should carry the oldies station through Monday afternoon, is based on listener suggestions, says program director Ken West.

He says that artists like the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett are perennials expected to make the list, which is in its third year. Along with the national songs there will almost certainly be two of the Tom Doyle song parodies from the "Loren and Wally Show." "Escape to the Cape" and "The Bourne Bridge Song" are constant listener favorites, says West.

Five hundred songs just about fit a weekend: WFNX-FM (101.7) is also doing a Top 500, starting tomorrow at 3 p.m. The songs - alternative or modern rock - will be a combination of listener requests and in-house programming, says program director Keith Dakin. The only guarantee, he says, is that the list won't echo previous years. "We are actually calling the countdown 'The WFNX Big 500 that doesn't have "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at No. 1,' " he says.

WCRB-FM (99.5) will kick off its countdown tomorrow at 3 p.m. as well, but only plans on playing 100 top requests, or what the station is calling "Boston's Top 100 Classical Pieces of All Time," during the three-day weekend. "Classical pieces can be pretty lengthy," explains Mark Edwards, the station's director of programming. Listeners can vote for their favorites at www.wcrb.com.

Two stations are just about giving their program directors the weekend off. Both WBOS-FM (92.9) and WBCN-FM (104.1) are asking listeners to take the reins, with iPod-like "my playlist" programming. WBOS, which kicks off its special tomorrow at 5 p.m., is inviting listeners to submit five songs they want to hear, but will take fewer or more, via its website at www.myradio929.com. The station is also soliciting playlists from local celebrities, says WBOS program director Dana Marshall. WBCN is asking for eight-song playlists on its site (www.wbcn.com - click on "my playlist") and offering listeners who submit suggestions the chance to introduce their sets on the air.

Finally, WZLX-FM (100.7) is viewing Labor Day as the gateway to fall. From 3 p.m. tomorrow until midnight Monday (excluding Sunday morning's interview, blues, and Beatles specialty programs), the station will be playing blocks by its top-50 rock guitarists, as determined by the staff and by listener requests. These classic-rock guitar blocks kick off a monthlong tribute to Led Zeppelin, which the station is calling "Zeptember."