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“93 KHJ Boss Radio’s 40th Anniversary” excerpts by Bill Mouzis
“Boss Radio” was introduced to Los Angeles at 3 p.m. May 5, 1965, at 930 kilohertz on the AM dial. KHJ had surged past the rock competition- KFWB, KRLA and KBLA - to inaugurate a rule over Southern California radio which extended well into the 1970’s. (So profound was KFWB’s ignominy that it changed to all-news a short time later)
KHJ was the flagship station of the RKO chain programmed by Bill Drake (whose voice was heard on all of the station’s ID’s “and now Ladies and Gentlemen, Robert W. Morgan….or “The Real Don Steele”, etc, etc).
KHJ Radio was strong, shiny, clean, bright and tight - it’s structure was so precise that the disc jockey became just another element in its flawless mix, a resonant, friendly, professional voice blending between music, commercials, and contests: “the Big Kahuna is coming!”, ” here’s another clue in the Batphone Secret Number contest!”, 20/20 News, public service announcements and station identifications and promotions. DJs became just another element, that is, unless he were someone on the order of The Real Don Steele (”Tina Delgado is alive, alive!”) a lady would shriek mysteriously. This of course prompted a shower of exclamation-pointed, high velocity loosely-rhymed outbursts from Steele and/or Robert W. Morgan.
93 KHJ achieved miraculous overnight success in the competitive Los Angeles radio market, and Top 40 was never the same.
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