He's at a loss over his 'Lost 45s' success

What will Barry Scott be spinning in 25 years? It could be a tune by Hannah Montana or something from the soundtrack to "High School Musical." It may be a '70s song like Cher's "Dark Lady" or Rupert Holmes's "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," the likes of which he now plays each week on "The Lost 45s," which airs Sunday nights from 7 to 11 on WODS-FM (103.3). Or it could be a tune not even recorded yet.

Whichever, says Scott, it will be "a record you thought you'd never hear again." Celebrating 25 years of hosting "The Lost 45s" this month, Scott has built a career spinning songs and artists that made the Top 40 in their heyday but somehow drifted out of the realm of even oldies programming.

"Take an American pop music history lesson," Scott exhorts his listeners. In reviving songs like "Billy Don't Be a Hero" by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, Scott himself has become a bit of pop music history. With "The Lost 45s" show, the 500-plus interviews archived online, and his "Lost 45s" compilation CDs, Scott has turned a quirky musical niche into an institution.

It hasn't been an easy path. Scott first conceived of the show while a student at Emerson College. "You had to propose something that was different from the mainstream," recalls Scott. In the fall of 1982, he remembers, "nobody was playing music from the '70s, and that was the music I'd grown up with."

Others may deride Scott's core catalog - pop from 1965 through '84 - as campy, but it is music that the DJ has always loved. "The years between age 11 and college are your formative music years," he says. "These songs were aimed at 12- and 13-year-old kids."

By the time Scott had graduated from Emerson in 1985, he had already gotten national press, notably for his first "Lost 45s" Top 100, featuring the DeFranco Family's "Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat" at No. 1. That landed him a job at WZLX-FM (100.7), doing promotion and marketing - and hosting "Lost 45s."

But stations change, as do formats, and over the years Scott has had to find new homes. "I'm lucky in that for most of the time, I've been on Sunday nights," he says. Listeners may no longer be able to find the now-defunct "Eagle" WEGQ-FM (93.7), but Sunday evenings, they can always find Scott.

Over the years, stations have learned his value. "Barry, wherever he has brought the 'Lost 45s' show, has in every case delivered higher ratings year after year than the show it replaced on each station," says Greg Strassell. Now a senior vice president for CBS Radio, Strassell first hired Scott in 1992, when he was the head of "Mix" WBMX-FM (98.5). Strassell then took the show over to other stations, including - for the past six years - WODS. "This is truly one of the most prepared and unique shows in local radio, " he says.

This summer, Mayor Tom Menino even issued a proclamation recognizing Scott's 25 years with the show. (It can be read online at lost45.com). The host would rather focus on such celebrations than on his July arrest by the Provincetown police, following a noise complaint at a party where Scott was DJ. Scott, who was injured in the arrest, has filed to have all charges dropped, calling them "frivolous."

While the case awaits its next court date, Scott prefers to talk about his show and the personal touch that his years of experience bring. He decided in 1989 to start adding interviews to his show, saying, "Anyone can play the songs." He has since done more than 500 interviews.

"I want to set the period, a sonic showcase of everything that occurred in that era: TV, movie clips, news clips. When you have an interview with Sheena Easton and she has behind-the-scenes information when she was involved with Prince or you talk to the Captain & Tennille, and they're still happily married, you learn."

Spinning the dial

David Ginsburg has stepped down from his post as program director at WBOS-FM (92.9). Ginsburg had been at the station for more than seven years, working his way up from promotion assistant, and was program director for a year. "It was just time for me to move on," he said in an e-mail. "This has been a tremendous experience, and I leave with no regrets." Ginsburg was the seventh PD at the station in the past 10 years. . . . Chris Hillman is staying at WAAF-FM (107.3). The host of the 5:30-10 a.m. weekday "Hill-Man Morning Show" and the station have announced a new five-year deal continuing an 18-year relationship.