Last year that KHJ was #1?

[Willits]

Willits: I LOVE Northern California, thanks! Things are going extremely well professionally and personally.

Billy Pearl and Tom Greenleigh took over KRLA on April 1, 1976. They peaked in the January/February Arbitron with a 4.1 to KHJ's 4.0, which stunned just about everyone.
Here's what Claude Hall wrote in Billboard when the book came out in early April:

https://books.google.com/books?id=x...TAA#v=onepage&q=pearl greenleigh krla&f=false


That 4.1 was good enough for 6th place (Beautiful Music KBIG was #1 with a 6.9, Beautiful KJOI second with a 6.2, Talk KABC third with a 5.7, News KNX with a 4.8 and News KFWB with a 4.7), which put KHJ in an uncomfortable 7th. They were 3rd the book before (Oct/Nov 1976).

Billy Pearl almost immediately parlayed the KRLA success into a gig as PD at KIQQ, replacing Bill Drake and Bill Chenault, whose consulting contract had expired. But Billy couldn't make lightning strike twice.

That was an interesting read, and a bonus interview with Buzz Bennett on the same page. I had forgotten he went back to New Orleans. Reading those old Billboards really refreshes one's memory....if you've got the time to look through them.

 

[Wimmmex]

...and they actually beat KHJ from 7 p.m. to midnight (5.1 to 4.7).

Seems that the big TOP 40's stations first started losing the 7PM to Midnight daypart to FM Top 40's...that was the begining of the end. That was the first daypart to get hit.

 

[michael hagerty]

Seems that the big TOP 40's stations first started losing the 7PM to Midnight daypart to FM Top 40's...that was the begining of the end. That was the first daypart to get hit.

Truth be told, KHJ first started to get wobbly when Ron Jacobs left in June of 1969. It went from one PD in four years to a revolving door of guys in charge...Jim O'Brien for just over a year, Ted Atkins for just under two, a few months where Drake lieutenant Bill Watson was interim PD, six months of Paul Drew before Drake left and Drew became RKO National P.D., Sean Conrad for six months...that's five guys in the following four years.

KHJ also lost its dominance in 7-midnight a few times before losing it to KKDJ. In the fall of '70, KHJ trailed Talk KABC and Jazz KBCA-FM and tied R&B KGFJ for third place in the timeslot. In Fall '71, they rebounded to second behind KABC. But in Fall '72, KHJ was tied for sixth, behind KABC, the hit-oriented AOR "Rock n' Stereo" format on KLOS-FM, oldies on KHJ's sister KRTH-FM, a combination of big bands from 7-10 and country from 10-midnight on KFI and album rock on KMET-FM. KHJ's sixth-place was a tie with Jazz KBCA-FM.

 

[davideduardo]

That was an interesting read, and a bonus interview with Buzz Bennett on the same page. I had forgotten he went back to New Orleans. Reading those old Billboards really refreshes one's memory....if you've got the time to look through them.

You will find a more extensive Billboard library (with far fewer missing issues) in a searchable format at http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Billboard-Magazine.htm

Even more interesting are the R&R Issues, although not a complete collection.

 

[TeaPartyDude]

Anyone have a good recollection of the last time KHJ was #1 in the ratings?

Where is KM Richards when we need him?

 

[michael hagerty]

Where is KM Richards when we need him?

His posts say "account closed". But given that the question was answered in the very next post and more than a few of us have put the answer in a larger context, I think we managed.