On December 31, 1972, a young television host and producer reported live from Times Square in New York City as an excited crowd counted down till midnight and the ball dropped to ring in 1973. Across the country near Los Angeles, some of the year’s top bands performed their hits for the TV audience. Fifty-two years ago this month, American viewers saw the first annual installment of the tradition that would become known as Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, although in that first year the broadcast hadn’t yet landed on its now-familiar name.
HISTORY’s Moment in Media: A New Tradition is Born: Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve
