A Salute to KHJ Boss Radio

A rapid-fire salute to 93/KHJ Boss Radio in Los Angeles utilizing jingles and other production elements.

[@ThePeterBlood]

There's something so weirdly comforting hearing these again. And yeah the feeling we've lost something. What a golden time. I was a SoCal boy until 1969 when we moved to Seattle and no one knew what "bitchen" meant up there.

[@TheGigmiester101]

Born in 1954...Grew up in the San Fernando Valley. This was the center of my musical universe. Boy , did we have it good then.

[@wedge4hire]

When radio was worth listening to!

[@agiggles6532]

I worked at KHJ as a request line operator! It was a fun job and got to see lots of performers that would stop by at the station. Happy days!

[@eleven57icare]

Born in LA in '59, these brought tears to my eyes, thanks for posting

[@anthonycevallos9247]

Born in 59' as well and raised in Boyle Heights just a mile east of Downtown and just hearing this took me back to my home. Funny how ceratin sounds just take you back in time. Miss it so much.

[@reygonzalez6123]

Same here bro.Like going back in a time machine.The coolest 😎 station back then.🤘

[@surferpam1]

@@anthonycevallos9247 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5WulXZsl7enpdU

[@surferpam1]

I'm practically in tears... My G-d how much we have lost. This digital age sucks.

[@wedge4hire]

surferpam Radio used to be wonderful!!!!

[@surferpam1]

@@wedge4hire So true. Stations like KHJ and the "Big 11-10 K-R-L-A" were why I got into radio in the first place.

[@wedge4hire]

@@surferpam1 Those two stations you mentioned absolutely rocked!!! How awesome was KRLA and KHJ! It is indeed tragic what radio has devolved into!

[@louisb5563]

So true, a moment of silence should be observed...

[@mfb3042]

If you told me in almost 60 years my focus would be tuning into 93 KHJ jingles I would think you were crazy.

[@jrnumex9286]

johnny Mann singers did the jingles, beautiful.

[@Gumshrud1]

Living in Culver City, I listed to KHJ on a crystal radio. A powerful 5.000 watt signal a mile away. I remember the format went from talk radio Michael Jackson [no relation] In '65 Drake Chernhalt came up this format that sounded so cool. Three letter call letters are rare.

[@Streetw1s3r]

Tina Delgado is alive... ALIVE!!

[@tomsayen9295]

God I miss those Legal IDs. K-EARTH adopted a crappy Legal ID when they went HD.

[@keywestjj]

OMG! A blast from the past! ALL those trips from Michigan to LA .... "when can I finally get 93 KHJ?" '66LTD, '67 Mustang, '70 GTO, '72 Toronado, '74 Pinto Squire.'78 T-bird .... etc! :-)

[@lbarruetaa]

Tarantino brought me here

[@radiorob7543]

Excellent. Mentions my 2 faves RDS & HH right off the bat. What an important part of history KHJ was.

[@CoastersBolts]

The instrumental heard at 1:36, 1:51, and 2:40 was used for years as the top of the hour legal ID on K-Earth 101. It was always followed by Charlie Van Dyke chiming in with "from the entertainment capital of the world!" It helped keep the KHJ legacy alive. Sadly, K-Earth sounds more like an 80s station and as a result the legal ID is more bland.

[@bryanl7346]

Thanks for that, I knew I heard that intstrumental somewhere outside of khj, Now I know it was K-earth

[@tomsayen9295]

Often visited San Diego for my job. KEARTH came in clear as a bell all over SoCal. Miss the Charlie Van Dyke Legal IDs. I was in LA recently, KEARTH is reduced to an 80s and 90s jukebox, same songs over and over.

[@Gumshrud1]

FM quite rightly took over. I'll never lose this AM feeling, It was a time.

[@scalhotrod]

I lived in Socal for most of the 90s and listened to KRTH religiously! I didn't realize just how lucky I was to hear Don Steele, Robert Morgan, and the rest of the KRTH crew up until Don and Roberts passing.

[@JayRudko]

The 20/20 news sounder is my ring tone!

[@tvfats]

Grew up in LA? Then settle back and listen to these CLASSIC KHJ jingles AND promos...You ancient brain cells will thank you...

[@howardmalley4475]

What a great montage! I had the pleasure of working at WRKO in Boston, so these jingles were a part of my daily life! Thank you for posting them

[@johnstevens9978]

My Dad worked at KYNO in Fresno back in 1966. I was just a kid, but I do remember listening to him on the radio.

[@blondego56]

omG,,,,, the years went flooding back, and the tears of memories unleashed,,,,

[@louieramos1018]

MY FAVORITE WAS THE. NEWSPERSON !THE WAY HE SAID THIS IS J PAUL HUDDLESTON !LOVED ALL THE D J .S THIS STATION WAS ALWAYS SET IN THE SIXTIES. ON OUR CAR RADIO !:-)

[@terrycampa4985]

Oh amazing, brought back so many memories as a teen!

[@Gumshrud1]

How cool is this.

[@tunanorth]

Wow, flashback alert!

[@louisramosLEFTYLOUIE]

My favorite was "this J .Paul Huddleston !had a flair to the way he announced that !

[@fraynecastellanos894]

Wow! I thought I was the only one who dug that "This is J Paul Huddleston! News exit. Tears came to my eye's"....

[@kcbill54]

Great collection of good memories.

[@paulsakrison6289]

Never heard the KHJ March song and I don't see how it could have been used on air but it is very nice.

[@thebig93]

Paul Sakrison The KHJ March is one of the instrumental tracks cut for KHJ by Jack Nitzsche. They were used as music beds for contest promos and then only portions of the tracks were used. I included the full track here as a lot of people may have never heard the entire track in the clear (without a jock talking over it).

[@psychickitty1]

+thebig93 I can so see or hear a marching band do this...

[@bobgowa1475]

I heard 'em! They'd use these behind promos. Made them sound kind of campy, even then.

[@baylinkdashyt]

Ok, I guess if this came from the actual station, it's a better bet you had all the elements laying around somewhere, still. Nice work. At least, Carlin thought so: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6bFoapsaNF-hck

[@mirweisyunusi8372]

2:17 🔥

[@tonycevallos7513]

My childhood

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

KHJ is part of kearth

[@dinahkyle3196]

God bless Tarantino, USA

[@rjmcallister1888]

Because KHJ was only a 5-kilowatter, we didn't get to hear much of it in the Midwest, only airchecks. but those of us in the business knew the names.

[@psychickitty1]

but who is Tina Delgado?😋

[@ChrisSpil]

I bet she's still alive somewhere.. ALIVE!

[@terrycampa4985]

so true! Anyone out there know who she is??? Wondered that for years

[@ChrisSpil]

Terry I don't think anyone knows or will ever find out. Don never ever revealed his secret. Could be a a real person, or an inside joke, or a totally fictitious character. From my little research over the years, I tend to think the latter. One thing for sure, Don played that Tina Delgado trailer in '64 or before that.

[@ChrisSpil]

He was 28 at the time (in 1964) and seemed to know who that voice was on the Tina trailer.. (Emily or Evelyn..or something like that). It was the same voice to a lot of his sweepers and show drops.. So chances are - despite who the real Tina person was - the trailer recording was done in some studio and the girl was directed by Don to say that phrase.

[@TheRene1025]

great!!!!

[@Streetw1s3r]

Clean call signs, just what I was looking for! Thanks! Would you happen to be able to send me the audio file or do I have to grab it off youtube?

[@SocialmotionMedia]

Hi to all you stellar radio fans! When did the Boss Radio format finally disappear? I am writing a movie screenplay that takes place in the Summer of '78 and involves AM radio. I'm still not sure what the popular AM format was called in '78. Top 40 perhaps? Any help would be appreciated. Cheers, - Mark in Vancouver, Canada

[@ChrisSpil]

If you go by the way the jocks talked on the air, I'd say up till the early 70s. Keep in mind that Top 40 is more of a concept than a genre or a radio format. 'Boss radio' gradually gave way to Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), and most of the activity transferred to FM. In 1978, most of the AM Top40-like stations would have been classified as either 'Contemporary Hits' or 'Hot Hits' (debuting in 1977)

[@kirkmoore4515]

SOCIAL MOTION MEDIA As a guy who has traveled extensively around America for years I can tell you with much certainty that the only example left is in Fresno. 1430 KYNO is all automated but still plays the music(1950s/1960s a little bit of 70s), has the original Johnny Mann jingles, and is a very good clone of what it once was. Considering the financial costs of radio today, and the demographics of an older listener audience, coupled with AMs loss as a music choice, it's the best you're gonna get. All other Boss stations are long dead and gone. Harry Miller is voice tracked from Texas. He's an orginal bossjock but voice tracking and bossjocks is a horrible combo. KYNO is online by the way!

[@kirkmoore4515]

SOCIAL MOTION MEDIA Boss radio (the original incarnation) died out on KGB San Diego on April 1st 1972. In LA, KHJ faded out about in 1973/4 but came back as a oldies station briefly in the early 1980s In most other cities it was between 1973 to 1980ish. The original current top 40 was about 1973 or so. All later reincarnated versions are oldies stations.

[@KurtfromLaQuinta]

@@jamespfitz Yes. Then there was Cutting Edge and New Wave! Thank you KROQ!

[@jamesklatt]

Is K-EARTH 101 still using these jingles today?

[@DoctorEdgarMcQuack]

James Klatt sadly no :(

[@miketheshanmanmangan]

Pace Radio at it's very best 93 KHJ

[@evanlim8360]

Did this station become K-Earth 101? I remember hearing a lot of these jingles back in the 80s.

[@gidzmobug2323]

The stations were owned by the same company (RKO General) till about 1996, when the FCC took the licenses away due to corporate misconduct. KRTH is owned by CBS/Entrcom now, while KHJ is now a Catholic radio station.

[@scalhotrod]

I hear shades of the 1978 Superman movie theme in the KHJ fanfare at 02:59.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3-3mqSGft6Gea8 ...kind of makes you wonder if John Williams took some inspiration from it :) Then again, I definitely hear some similarity in the Hanna-Barbera "Superfriends" theme songs.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJmwo2eed9yKfdk

[@scalhotrod]

And for the record, Tina Delgado is alive, ALIVE!