KHJ vs WABC

[Ultimajock]

Signal was really irrelevant. All you needed was to adequately cover the metro (which KHJ did).

...and, in turn, which KBLA (Humble Harve, Tom Clay, Dave Diamond) and KDAY (the post-XERB Wolfman Jack) didn't...

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

I grew up on the East Coast listening to WABC, WLS, CKLW, Dick Biondi on WKBW, Jerry G. on KYW, and ABC owned KQV in my hometown. I was used to lots of talk, long jingles,beeps, bells, whistles, and news every hour or :55 whatever the case. This was all before Drake moved East. I went to LA in 65 and thought KHJ was the best thing since sliced bread. No endless chatter, no ABC news for 45 minutes at 6:30,no two hour talk block like WBZ, WQAM, or Barry Gray on WMCA. I loved it. HOWEVER-----after at least 10 years living in Florida with thousands of robo-jock stations (mostly owned by COX) --------and after listening to the WABC week-end--------I'd give most anything to have that back all day all the time because then I'd be 20 again and I think that is what some of this is about. ( But then I'm a social worker and we do introspect!) But somehow all that clutter sounded cool once again.

 

[nmoore6676]

I grew up on the East Coast listening to WABC, WLS, CKLW, Dick Biondi on WKBW, Jerry G. on KYW, and ABC owned KQV in my hometown. I was used to lots of talk, long jingles,beeps, bells, whistles, and news every hour or :55 whatever the case. This was all before Drake moved East. I went to LA in 65 and thought KHJ was the best thing since sliced bread. No endless chatter, no ABC news for 45 minutes at 6:30,no two hour talk block like WBZ, WQAM, or Barry Gray on WMCA. I loved it. HOWEVER-----after at least 10 years living in Florida with thousands of robo-jock stations (mostly owned by COX) --------and after listening to the WABC week-end--------I'd give most anything to have that back all day all the time because then I'd be 20 again and I think that is what some of this is about. ( But then I'm a social worker and we do introspect!) But somehow all that clutter sounded cool once again.

I think that most of us thought the best stuff was on the local and nearby stations we received as a child. All of the DJ's were magic and I too miss all of the beeps and clutter, the top of hour news and the "WING (Dayton) singing" clock for the time. Bottom line if you were in LA KHJ or KRLA were the tops, hands down but if you lived elsewhere then _____ (insert call letters here) was the absolute best.

 

[Marv-L.A.]

The fact that LA was one of those rare cities which had three top 40 stations for almost three years (May 1965/March 1968) was a heck of a blessing.

Many cities had two powerhouse top 40 stations, while lots of other markets only had one.

 

[Ultimajock]

The fact that LA was one of those rare cities which had three top 40 stations for almost three years (May 1965/March 1968) was a heck of a blessing.

...you count only three? Hmmm. HJ, KFWB, KRLA, KBLA -- I count four...

 

[LKellerIII]

"...you count only three? Hmmm. HJ, KFWB, KRLA, KBLA -- I count four..."

I'd call it 3 1/2. I grew up only 15 minutes by car from Burbank (KBLA's location), and you could not pick up the station past sunset. It was a very inventive station, but if teenagers can't tune it in the station at night crusining around town with friends, it's in trouble. It was frustrating, because their night-time programming was some of their best.

After KBLA, 1500 AM was fairly successful with KBBQ, but at that time, I think the only country music competitor was KFOX in far away Long Beach. I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong.

Once KLAC flipped to country with their big signal, KBBQ was a goner, too.

 

[davideduardo]

The fact that LA was one of those rare cities which had three top 40 stations for almost three years (May 1965/March 1968) was a heck of a blessing.

...you count only three? Hmmm. HJ, KFWB, KRLA, KBLA -- I count four...

And Anaheim had KEZY which covered quite a lot of LA County, since Orange County was not in the metro back then.

 

[michael hagerty]

The fact that LA was one of those rare cities which had three top 40 stations for almost three years (May 1965/March 1968) was a heck of a blessing.

...you count only three? Hmmm. HJ, KFWB, KRLA, KBLA -- I count four...

And Anaheim had KEZY which covered quite a lot of LA County, since Orange County was not in the metro back then.

And anything east of West Covina could probably get KFXM and KMEN from San Bernardino/Riverside.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[LKellerIII]

"And Anaheim had KEZY which covered quite a lot of LA County, since Orange County was not in the metro back then."

Good point. I don't think I found KEZY until 68 or so, but I remember that the daytime signal was very strong where I lived in the foothills north of Burbank and west of Glendale (Tujunga). I can't remember if it came in after sunset or not

 

[Marv-L.A.]

I was strictly referring to L.A. oriented radio stations (although I do know that KRLA was licensed to Pasadena); discussions regarding the top 40 radio landscape in CashBox, Billboard & the other trades of the day back then never mentioned KEZY or KFXM, although I had no trouble listening to either of them in Leimert Park (4 miles west of USC) in the mid-sixties, and continued to do so into the seventies.

I have no idea when KBLA existed; someone will have to refresh my memory, (as well as KROQ-AM when Jim Wood & Steve Lundy worked there), but their signal wasn't the best.

We also had KDAY, which went AOR in 1971 or 1972; I'm not sure when they became a top 40 outlet, but KHJ, KRLA & KFWB certainly ruled the roost during the sixties; the fact that all three co-existed for almost three years was pretty rare back then, in any radio market anywhere.

 

[michael hagerty]

I have no idea when KBLA existed; someone will have to refresh my memory, (as well as KROQ-AM when Jim Wood & Steve Lundy worked there), but their signal wasn't the best.

We also had KDAY, which went AOR in 1971 or 1972; I'm not sure when they became a top 40 outlet, but KHJ, KRLA & KFWB certainly ruled the roost during the sixties; the fact that all three co-existed for almost three years was pretty rare back then, in any radio market anywhere.

Marv:
A very rough timeline of L.A. Top 40, no doubt with some omissions:

KFVD (1020): 1955
KPOP (1020): 1955-1960
XEAK (690): 1957-1961
KDAY (1580): 1958-1963
KXLA (1110): 1959
KRLA (1110): 1959-1971
KBLA (1500): 1965-1967
KHJ (930): 1965-1980
KDAY (1580): 1969-1972
KROQ (1500): 1972-1974
KKDJ (102.7): 1972-1975
KIQQ (100.3): 1973-1978
KFI (640): 1976-1983
KTNQ (1020): 1976-1979
KRLA (1110): 1978-1984
KHTZ (97.1) 1979
KWST (105.9): 1980-1982
XETRA (690): 1980-1984
KIIS (102.7): 1982-Present
KKHR (93.1): 1983-Present

---Michael Hagerty

 

[LKellerIII]

Michael,

Uh...very minor omission: KFWB 1958 (?) - 1968

Question - what was KRLA doing between 71 and 74? I left LA in 73, and don't remember a time that it didn't play rock & roll...I know it went thru an album-rock phase, so perhaps you're not considering that Top 40. If that's true, then we should remember KDAY also experimented with a album-rock format starting around 70 or 71.

Sorry...don't mean to quibble...

 

[michael hagerty]

Michael,

Uh...very minor omission: KFWB 1958 (?) - 1968

Question - what was KRLA doing between 71 and 74? I left LA in 73, and don't remember a time that it didn't play rock & roll...I know it went thru an album-rock phase, so perhaps you're not considering that Top 40. If that's true, then we should remember KDAY also experimented with a album-rock format starting around 70 or 71.

Sorry...don't mean to quibble...

Man, when I omit, I don't fool around!

KRLA went album rock from '71 to '73, and I don't count it as Top 40. In '73, they went adult contemporary.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[Marv-L.A.]

Michael---Nobody is going to give you any grief in those extremely rare instances when you miss one; goodness know you've cleaned up tons of my messes!!!!!

Thanks again for another indispensable list.

I also read somewhere that he first FM top 40 station came along in 1971 or 1972, but I definitely remember listening to KCBH (98.7) when I was in high school (1967-70), and a personality from Honolulu named Roger Martin was one of the jocks.