We’ve always had programs with the latest video clips on RTP, but nothing like the program that debuted in the early 90s and was on the air for over two decades, Top+. It became an early Sunday afternoon classic and was quite successful among teenagers, as we still didn’t have music channels at our disposal.
It was in 1991 that RTP reached an agreement with the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa, to have a program broadcasting the national top sellers. Accustomed to broadcasting this type of program on Saturdays, it was decided that this time it would be broadcast on Sundays after lunchtime, thus capturing the family at home and the target audience, which was young teenagers who could get to know better the new trends and choose which disc to buy.
Top+ had several producers, Miragem, Edipim and Valentim de Carvalho, with an even greater number of presenters: Catarina Furtado (1991-1992), João Vaz (1991-1993), Sofia Louro, Susana Oliveira, Margarida André and Lara Maia ( 1994-1996), Elisabete Caixeiro, Carla Caldeira, Pedro Ribeiro (1997-2001), Rita Seguro (1997-2000), Maria João Simões (2000-2002), José Carlos Malato and Ana Lamy (2002), Francisco Mendes and Isabel Figueira (2002-2012) (information taken from http://topdisco.blogspot.pt).
The ones I remember most at the head of the program were Catarina Furtado, Carla Caldeira and Pedro Ribeiro, they were the ones who most marked the program and were linked to the essence of what RTP wanted for Top+. In terms of songs at number one on the top, there’s one that comes to mind right away, Enigma’s “Return to Innocence”, where the music video with things going “backwards” stayed in our memory and even led some of us to buy the disc.
Another 2 champions were 2 summer hits, “O Bicho” do Iran Costa and “Milla” do Netinho, they had several weeks at the top of the table and we already knew that we would catch up with that videoclip in the end. The compilation by Filhos da Madrugada was also successful, and over time the program began to evolve and include top singles and top compilations, in addition to small reports and interviews, or even live performances towards the end.
It was the AFP in 2013 that decided to put an end to the program, a pity, since not everyone has cable services and thus they are left without a daily program that gave them a unique variety of music, and knowing the sales of our country, since the tops in the stores do not reflect the same top.
I just found out that the TV channel has so many good songs.