These days, he says, he just reports to the studio in Times Square at 9 p.m.
A stroke in 2004 profoundly changed Mr. Clark’s life, as well as his role on “Rockin’ Eve,” which is by far the country’s most popular televised countdown at the tail end of each year. He appears for a few segments around midnight while his protégé Ryan Seacrest runs the show.
But Mr. Clark and his countdown show remain synonymous with New Year’s Eve; this year, for its 40th anniversary, the show he created will take over nearly six hours of the ABC network, its most ever.
The two new hours, from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, are billed as an anniversary party and will include a tribute to Mr. Clark, who turned 82 a month ago. “It’s our way of looking back on 40 years,” said Mark Shapiro, the chief executive of Dick Clark Productions, who added that he hoped the expansion would become permanent.
Asked if the on-air tribute were an indication that this might be Mr. Clark’s last year on “Rockin’ Eve,” Mr. Shapiro said, “That’s a great question, and the only one that knows that answer is Dick himself.”
Later, when asked if this year would indeed be his last, Mr. Clark answered in an e-mail, “I hope not.”
Such speculation has surrounded Mr. Clark ever since he had the stroke a few weeks before New Year’s in 2004. Regis Philbin filled in that year, and Mr. Seacrest stepped in in 2005, the last time the show fell on a Saturday, sharing the hosting duties with Mr. Clark. It was, Mr. Clark says, probably the most memorable of all his New Year’s broadcasts.
“Though I hadn’t conquered language difficulties and walking, it was good to be back at my old stand,” he said.
Mr. Clark has managed to recover somewhat since then, but his speech remains significantly impaired, a consequence of the stroke. Two years ago he missed a couple of numbers in the countdown.
Though some television critics have asserted that Mr. Clark’s appearance on the show since his stroke can be uncomfortable for some viewers, Mr. Shapiro said that “a lot more than not, people truly appreciate the beacon of light that he is.”
Interviews with Mr. Clark are conducted via e-mail because of his speech. He said he presumed that for many viewers, it’s “comforting to see a familiar face who has been there for the past 40 years.”
He added that for viewers who have a physical disability, his appearances “may serve as a source of inspiration.”
Despite Mr. Clark’s health problems, Mr. Shapiro said there was no taped back-up.
“We take our shot, and we go live,” he said. “And Dick wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Mr. Clark’s first nationwide New Year’s Eve broadcast took place in 1972, when he conceived “Rockin’ Eve” as a youthful alternative to Guy Lombardo’s big-band broadcasts on CBS. It was originally shown on NBC and after two years moved to ABC, where it has stayed since.
“Dick has been the mainstay,” said Larry Klein, the show’s producer, who flies to New York from Los Angeles on Christmas Day each year. “What changes around him is the music.”
On Saturday, the 8 p.m. anniversary special will sample four decades of performances. (It cost a “considerable amount of money” for the rights to replay some songs, Mr. Shapiro said.) Then the regular “Rockin’ Eve” — which starts at 10, pauses for the 11 o’clock news and resumes at 11:30 — will feature Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Carlos Santana, Pitbull and Hot Chelle Rae, among others.
“Rockin’ Eve” is typically more popular than the competing countdown shows on NBC, Fox, MTV and other channels. Last year almost 19 million were watching ABC around midnight, according to Nielsen, though that figure surely understates the total audience because it does not count the groups of people who were watching at bars, restaurants and other parties.
The show’s producers go out of their way to praise and protect Mr. Clark. (“As long as he’s able, we want him for the countdown,” Mr. Shapiro said.) But they acknowledge that Mr. Seacrest, 37, is the primary host; they added “With Ryan Seacrest” to the show’s title three years ago. He is the broadcast’s traffic cop in Times Square, tossing to bands and correspondents and to Mr. Clark for the countdown.
“He has the same instinct that Dick had,” said Mr. Klein, who sits comfortably in a control room while Mr. Seacrest freezes outside at Broadway and 44th Street. “He knows when he’s going to be cued; he knows how to transition; he knows when to wrap.”
Mr. Seacrest, who has been in talks with NBC’s “Today” show about a co-anchor role, came on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday to promote the countdown show. Mr. Clark, he said, “very much looks forward to being a part of it,” and added:
“The guy is still the boss. He walks into the room, and you defer. He is Dick Clark.”
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