KHJ vs WABC

[jimwalsh2001]

The whole question is appples and oranges. BTW: WOR-FM (during its Top-40 period), was, if I recall correctly, programmed or consulted by Drake...

 

[therealjm12]

I can tell you about Drake Vs. the establishment in Syracuse. WOLF 1490(1,000/250-directional)went Drake & up against very dominate WNDR 1260 (5KW) and went to town on them. WNDR was very "old school" at the time. A lot of chatter and "old" men behind the mic. Great jingles, though some of them seemed longer than the songs. WOLF hit the airwaves running with 14 in a row, and THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMIN', and tight jocks. It was very exciting at the time. Although, the tiny signal of WOLF never really knocked WNDR totally out of the picture a lot of changes were made in Syracuse radio. It's hard to tell who would have won because 62 WHEN came along and dilluted the top 40 battle even further. Ironically, I am now working for one of the WOLF 1970's era P. D.'s. We get along great, probably because I was so influenced in my early years by WOLF (& CKLW).

 

[mredindc]

What a shame that Ron Jacob's book, KHJ Inside Boss Radio, is not only out-of-print, you can't even get it on Amazon.com (unlike Rick Sklar's Rocking America: An Insider's Story : How the All-Hit Radio Stations Took Over, that can be purchased at Amazon). I count myself extremely fortunate to own one of the first pressings, and have read it cover-to-cover countless times. The 400+ pages make it readily apparent that Ron Jacobs NOT Bill Drake was the engine that drove Boss Radio to success.

Two-thirds of the book consists of Jacobs' memos to the Boss Jocks. None of the memos come from Bill Drake. (A PD at another of the RKO-owned stations that subsequently adopted the "Drake" format told me that any of the memos he received about the format were copies of Jacobs' memos. Nothing was ever authored by Drake.)

Sadly, we know that Rick Sklar is no longer with us. Bill Drake is like the cicadas, emerging only once every 17 years. (That 21st Century version of the Drake format didn't get many -- or any -- stations, did it?) Ron Jacobs is not stuck in the '60s. Ron's in his native Hawaii passionately devoting his time to his Hawaiian music website. Check it out at http://WhoDaGuyHawaii.com. Read the Mission Statement. Jacobs is a deep thinker on many subjects. And, occasionally, Ron talks about the KHJ days on his blog: http://whodaguyhawaiicom.blogspot.com/

To find out more about what Ron is up to now, and hear some of his thoughts on Drake, NY radio, etc., listen to Michael Harrison's (publisher of TALKERS Magazine) podcast interview with Ron at http://www.podjockey.com/podjockeys/jacobs.html

Since the question of who would've come out on top of a head-to-head battle between KHJ and WABC is purely hypothetical, one thing is for certain: The audience would have come out the big winners. Jacobs and his hero, Chuck Blore, have been speculating for years about a battle between Blore's KFWB in its heyday, and KHJ. Blore is on record, stating that Jacobs was “The Boss” at KHJ, as are most insiders who where there, not just bystanders.

Ron has always been gracious in responding to my questions about the Boss Radio years. I'll tip him off to this thread. Maybe we can get him to join the party.

 

[davideduardo]

What a shame that Ron Jacob's book, KHJ Inside Boss Radio, is not only out-of-print, you can't even get it on Amazon.com

I believe the book is still available via Ron's website... it's self-published and I believe Ron can do a print-on-demand order.

http://www.93khj.com/

Two-thirds of the book consists of Jacobs' memos to the Boss Jocks. None of the memos come from Bill Drake. (A PD at another of the RKO-owned stations that subsequently adopted the "Drake" format told me that any of the memos he received about the format were copies of Jacobs' memos. Nothing was ever authored by Drake.)

As I understand it, Drake was the creative force for the concept and the monitor as well as mentor for the indvidual station PDs. Most consultants don't memo the statff, and Drake was an in-house consultant for all practical purposes. TR memoed the jocks at KFRC, not Drake, for example.

To me, it was the chemestry between Drake and his PDs (remember TR was, with Jacobs, one of the Poi Boys in Hawaii when KPOI had 30 shares) that made things work.

And one thing is certain from reading RJ's memos... he listened to the station all the time and caught every good and bad thing. Today, I wonder how many PDs listen enough to their own stations.

 

[LKellerIII]

He would not have been a hit, as there was no growth. He simply did not fit the market or the station and more than Dick Biondi would have fit KHJ. He also did not have RJ as PD, either.
[/quote]

Granted, it's hard to imagine Dick Biondi as a Boss Jock. But in regard to whether or not particular DJ's on-air styles fit certain cities - I'd point out that Biondi was a popular DJ at KRLA for awhile, and created a lot of buzz when he hit LA - partially because his style was so unusual. I think it was 1963 (before Boss Radio), and at least among my teenage peers, Biondi was popular...I have no idea what his ratings were.
Whether he had the legs to make it in LA in the long run, I don't know.

My memory is that Biondi left KRLA after Boss Radio hit the air, so in that atmosphere, every Top 40 jock's longevity was doubtful at that point, unless you were on KHJ.

 

[calguy]

What a shame that Ron Jacob's book, KHJ Inside Boss Radio, is not only out-of-print, you can't even get it on Amazon.com

I believe the book is still available via Ron's website... it's self-published and I believe Ron can do a print-on-demand order.

http://www.93khj.com/

Two-thirds of the book consists of Jacobs' memos to the Boss Jocks. None of the memos come from Bill Drake. (A PD at another of the RKO-owned stations that subsequently adopted the "Drake" format told me that any of the memos he received about the format were copies of Jacobs' memos. Nothing was ever authored by Drake.)

As I understand it, Drake was the creative force for the concept and the monitor as well as mentor for the indvidual station PDs. Most consultants don't memo the statff, and Drake was an in-house consultant for all practical purposes. TR memoed the jocks at KFRC, not Drake, for example.

To me, it was the chemestry between Drake and his PDs (remember TR was, with Jacobs, one of the Poi Boys in Hawaii when KPOI had 30 shares) that made things work.

And one thing is certain from reading RJ's memos... he listened to the station all the time and caught every good and bad thing. Today, I wonder how many PDs listen enough to their own stations.

Your last sentence jumped out at me. I'd have to say that many of today's PD's can't listen to their stations very much as they have too many duties. Many program more than one station, and even more are so short staffed that they're also the MD and in some cases have no APD, so when you take into account meetings and other activities, listening to one's own station is pretty far down the list of things to do. The other problem is that a majority of programmers have little or no on-air experience and can't really tell a jock what he or she is doing wrong. In some cases these PD's rise to VP positions and have to oversee formats they're not familiar with. This can be a disaster when they insist on leaving their mark on all the stations they're responsible for.

 

[davideduardo]

Your last sentence jumped out at me. I'd have to say that many of today's PD's can't listen to their stations very much as they have too many duties. Many program more than one station, and even more are so short staffed that they're also the MD and in some cases have no APD, so when you take into account meetings and other activities, listening to one's own station is pretty far down the list of things to do. The other problem is that a majority of programmers have little or no on-air experience and can't really tell a jock what he or she is doing wrong. In some cases these PD's rise to VP positions and have to oversee formats they're not familiar with. This can be a disaster when they insist on leaving their mark on all the stations they're responsible for.

That brings us to the art of airchecking. In the early days of Top 40, an aircheck was often, "I heard your show yesterday and it was horrible."

Then some really good PDs became coaches and worked on every aspect of a show... with the main objective being to bring out the jock's best qualities and self confidence while working on the things that they did not do as well.

Now, as you say, many PDs are so worried about other things that are part of the business but are not part of the process of making a good station that he or she may ask, "how's your show doing? I've gotta listen in the next few days!"

Oh, and who is training the PD's today, anyway?

 

[michael hagerty]

Tuna - beware of sounding too polished with everything worked out so smooth that you lose a human sound of warmth.



I was listening to a KHJ Charlie Tuna 69 air check on Reelradio the other night, and kept thinking My god - this guy is polished and smooth...but also witty, clever, relaxed sounding, and adult. How old could he have been at the time? 25 tops? Just amazing. He can't have been very old because he still looks youthful almost 40 years later ...though that may be partially because his hair never ages.

This is a fascinating thread. I have nothing intelligent to add here (some would say that's par for my course). But please keep it up, everybody else.

Llew: You were exactly right...Tuna would have been 25 in 1969 (since that aircheck was from February, he may have still been 24). He was born in 1944...and was 23 on arrival at Boss Radio...making him 8 years younger than Steele and 7 younger than Robert W. Until the arrivals of Bobby Ocean (born 1945) and Charlie Van Dyke (born 1948), he may have held the "Baby Boss Jock" title for quite awhile.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[michael hagerty]

It is also about talent. Dan Ingram and Robert W Morgan could interchange cities, both could adapt to format and surroundings. However, I don't think LA could adopt Cousin Brucie but New York City might take to RDS.

Steele, though identified strongly with Boss Radio, would have been an easy fit in New York and at WABC (just listen to his KISN, Portland stuff). Ingram would have worked at KFWB or KRLA, but I don't think he'd have done Boss Radio well. Same with Cousin Brucie...he'd have been okay pre-Boss (like Biondi, who did evenings from 1963-1965 at KRLA), but after '65, it wouldn't have worked in L.A.

Los Angeles is and was a much more trend-driven town...going from Bill Ballance to Sam Riddle to Humble Harve to Billy Pearl to Frasier Smith for favorite night jocks all in the time that Brucie reigned supreme at WABC.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[mredindc]

I believe the book is still available via Ron's website... it's self-published and I believe Ron can do a print-on-demand order.

http://www.93khj.com/

From 93KHJ.com:

And now the book is totally SOLD OUT.

Trust me on this one. Several months ago, I gave Jacobs one of the copies I purchased when they were still being published so he could have a copy.

 

[radioman148]

He would not have been a hit, as there was no growth. He simply did not fit the market or the station and more than Dick Biondi would have fit KHJ.
[/quote]

Dick Biondi did have some success in the LA market on KRLA and is still fondly remembered by many in California.

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

Dick Biondi would have quite well on WABC, WNBC, and into New York City.

 

[radioman148]

Dick Biondi would have quite well on WABC, WNBC, and into New York City.

Gene Taylor former PD & later GM of WLS told the story on a WLS reunion many years ago that after Dick Biondi was fired from WLS he was shortly thereafter suppose to go to work at WABC. However, one of the big ABC executives nixed the idea. According to Taylor the executive said any DJ of an ABC station that gets fired cannot be hired at another ABC station.

 

[LKellerIII]

"Dick Biondi did have some success in the LA market on KRLA and is still fondly remembered by many in California.'

Not to beat my point (and radioman's) to death, but Biondi at KRLA did what a great jock is supposed to do - create buzz, get people talking about him, and create some station loyalty among listeners.

I was the nerd who was into DJs. By and large, my teenage friends were not loyal to any one Top 40 station. In the early 60s, the dial spun between KRLA and KFWB depending upon which station was playing the hit they wanted to hear. When a lame song came on, the dial was spun. When a commercial came on, the dial was spun. When the news came, the dial was spun....or buttons pushed, if we riding around in a car.

That Top 40 roulette increased to 4 stations for glorious short time when KHJ hit town and KBLA came on, then back down to 2 - just KHJ and KRLA, once KFWB went all news, and KBLA became country KBBQ.

My point is, even my friends talked about Biondi. He was loud, weird, and off the wall - I've heard him billed later as "The Wild I-tralian," but I think that might have been in Chicago. I remember Biondi referring to himself at KRLA as "the World's Ugliest and Skinniest Disc Jockey./i] and for awhile - pre KHJ -the dial stayed glued on KRLA during the late evenings.

 

[davideduardo]

Gene Taylor former PD & later GM of WLS told the story on a WLS reunion many years ago that after Dick Biondi was fired from WLS he was shortly thereafter suppose to go to work at WABC. However, one of the big ABC executives nixed the idea. According to Taylor the executive said any DJ of an ABC station that gets fired cannot be hired at another ABC station.

There is obviously more to this story... Biondi did not last long at KRLA. By the early 70's, he had not gone to WABC but was working at a station in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

[radioman148]

Biondi worked at KRLA for 4 months in 1963 preceding his Mutual network radio show.
He returned to KRLA for over 2 years from June 65 through Aug 67 then returned to Chicago to WCFL for 5 years.

 

[calguy]

That brings us to the art of airchecking. In the early days of Top 40, an aircheck was often, "I heard your show yesterday and it was horrible."

Then some really good PDs became coaches and worked on every aspect of a show... with the main objective being to bring out the jock's best qualities and self confidence while working on the things that they did not do as well.

Now, as you say, many PDs are so worried about other things that are part of the business but are not part of the process of making a good station that he or she may ask, "how's your show doing? I've gotta listen in the next few days!"

Oh, and who is training the PD's today, anyway?

You're correct, the best PD's "back in the day" used to be able to take your aircheck apart, and the jock himself for that matter. They could explain to the dj what he or she was doing wrong and how to correct it and make a better show and in turn a better jock. The last thing to do was build up his or her confidence before they left the PD's office so they went out onto the field of play (the control room) to do a better show the next day. That's right, I said the next day. I firmly believe that aircheck sessions are best done after a shift and not right before. I've had PD's do session with me right before a shift and I always did poorly that day. Alas, many PD's don't understand the psychology of how to treat their people and fail this miserably. They're also the ones hot-lining you before you can even turn off your microphone.

Who is training the PD's today? Many current PD’s if lucky learned at the right hand of a good PD from yesteryear, but those being trained today, well who is there to train them when so many of these "blind" are being led by the blind? It’s a problem…

 

[Ultimajock]

Biondi worked at KRLA for 4 months in 1963 preceding his Mutual network radio show.
He returned to KRLA for over 2 years from June 65 through Aug 67 then returned to Chicago to WCFL for 5 years.

...in fact, Biondi's voice is one of those introducing The Beatles on the HOLLYWOOD BOWL album. For the 1965 Capitol recording, KRLA, which co-promoted the concert, got its main air staff, Biondi included, together on the Hollywood Bowl stage (I think Emperor Bob Hudson might have been omitted, since he had a show to do the next morning drive) and had them introduce The Beatles in unison...

...Biondi left WCFL for Myrtle Beach when Larry Lujack was brought over from WLS and handed part of Biondi's old 4-8 PM airshift. Tom Konard, then in WCFL's promotion office, told me Biondi had been pencilled in for the 6-10 airshift but quit instead, muttering something about how WCFL wasn't "big enough for two legends" (Lujack, for his part, had hoped Biondi would have stayed)...

 

[BACKnUSSR]

...in fact, Biondi's voice is one of those introducing The Beatles on the HOLLYWOOD BOWL album. For the 1965 Capitol recording, KRLA, which co-promoted the concert, got its main air staff, Biondi included, together on the Hollywood Bowl stage (I think Emperor Bob Hudson might have been omitted, since he had a show to do the next morning drive) and had them introduce The Beatles in unison...

That was because a KRLA jock, (and later legendary Game Show host) Bob Eubanks, was the concert promoter.

 

[Ultimajock]

...in fact, Biondi's voice is one of those introducing The Beatles on the HOLLYWOOD BOWL album. For the 1965 Capitol recording, KRLA, which co-promoted the concert, got its main air staff, Biondi included, together on the Hollywood Bowl stage (I think Emperor Bob Hudson might have been omitted, since he had a show to do the next morning drive) and had them introduce The Beatles in unison...

That was because a KRLA jock, (and later legendary Game Show host) Bob Eubanks, was the concert promoter.

...Eubanks only put up half the money for the '64 concert; he was reimbursed 50% by KRLA to get the station's call letters on the tickets. KRLA put up 2/3 of the money for the '65 concerts...and Eubanks is a legendarily bad (his producer Chuck Barris' own opinion) and stupid (ROGER & ME) game show host. "Legendary" is more accurately applied when speaking of Bill Cullen or Gene Rayburn. As for Eubanks' "chops" as a top 40 disc jockey, he and Casey Kasem were the weakest jocks on the KRLA schedule in '66, and it wouldn't surprise me if the ratings reflected KHJ making its first hard hit against KHJ in those two time slots. Robert W. Morgan repeatedly said the best thing to happen in his career was KRLA being stupid enough to can Emperor Bob Hudson over his refusal to stop playing his own record, "I'm Normal," in 1966...