JOE FORD, KHJ & HALLOWEEN

OK, now that the previous subject has been dissected, rejected and sucked into the collective “brain” of the Internet for all to see forever (however long that is electrically), let’s change the subject.

Well, “return: is perhaps a more apt word: It’s that Two Pound Tome (A Kilo of KHJ) entitled KHJ; INSIDE BOSS RADIO.

I had not expected to do so. But the first email to pop up on this beautiful Hawaiian morning read: “Joe Ford, KHJ Inside Boss Radio.”

Ron,

Man, what a hoot! This was like being back in Boss Angeles listening to the most amazing radio station on the planet.

The comments from the lucky guys who were a part of it all, the memos, hot clocks, contests and promos made it real! Your pursuit of perfection was evident in those memos and it made me re-live my early days in the business.

KHJ was my inspiration, especially Steele and Morgan, the two greatest jocks in history, without a doubt. When I see how you shaped their careers and guided them to the top of ratings, I have to reflect on how we "winged" it in the 60's with no guidance from management or p.d.'s.

You were not only an innovator, with Drake, but obviously a damn good coach. INSIDE BOSS RADIO should be a staple in college library's and a must read for any future broadcaster. Oh, yeah and the two CD's make the magic come alive again. The History of Rock & Roll and the CD filled with those great promos and contests blew me away. Great stuff!

Joe Ford

Texas Radio Hall Of Fame (Inducted in 2003)

I always open email with trepidation mixed with excitement. Did the book arrived damaged, or not at all? Is someone upset about something critical I wrote The Real Don Steele in 1968? Or, the best kind of message, another order for the book!

That may sound greedy. And in a way it is. But let me explain why it might seem self-serving. First, the better the writer, the more insistent he or she is that, “We write to be read.” Not unlike the NFL’s Herman Edwards’ mantra, “We play the game to win !”

Fortunate to have somehow obtained a few St. Louis Rams game plans, including the X’s and O’s that helped them win Super Bowl 34, It reinforces what I have always believed: There is nothing more important than process. When one takes well-planned procedures and hands them to the most talented people, the results can amaze, confound and blow our minds.

Was that Isaac Bruce game-winning catch from Kurt Warner a “miracle"? No. I think it was two future Hall of Fame players acting and reacting on what they had planned and practiced to do and then adjusting to circumstances, literally, on the run.

There are KHJ Boss Jocks are in all the Radio Halls of Fame. What we heard presented by Steele, Robert W. Morgan, Charlie Tuna (and the rest of the best jock lineup assembled at one time), was talented pros expanding on the game plan. The plan was a map of our goal and how to get there, utilizing everyone on the team.

A jock right up there with the boss best, Bobby Ocean, with whom I worked at KGB-San Diego, chose one of my over-repeated slogans for one of his great cartoons. It might have become a cliché, but it sure worked:

PREPARATION! MODERATION! CONCENTRATION!

How is this different from Bono blasting out a blazing vocal backed the rest of U2? David Letterman or Jon Stewart fronting the work of scores of the best in the biz to present some of the greatest TV ever? Those in front of and behind the cameras whose shots were framed from James Cameron to Cameron Crowe?

I could go on, but the fact is obvious: Of course: take chances, feel free to riff, pounce out of the box—as long as the team is on the same page and the ultimate goal, a winning performance, is always the result.

Place teamwork, collaboration and coordination above all. Thinking about it for decades, it always stops me cold when I consider the Bachs and Beethovens, the Michelangelos and Mondrians, and others who toil alone until their vision is realized. Then the artisans take over to replicate and enhance the masterworks of the true, immortal artist.

Hey, Top 40 Radio was not rocket science. Besides, KHJ’s owners, the RKO General Corporation, actually did build rockets while we were busy rockin’. It's always also a matter of the right folks for the job, you know? (This is documented on a page from the KHJ 1968 FCC license reprinted in KHJ: INSIDE BOSS RADIO.)

Now, I can tell from listening to his demos and reading his resume that Joe Ford that feels the same way about his approach to the profession of broadcasting as we preached and practiced. (They can fee found at http://joefordvoiceworks.com/)

So I thank him for this morning’s unsolicited note. Of course, I hope that it motivates you to get the book--and that you have same response. That 93 bucks represents thousands of hours of Blood, Sweat and Tears … and what it took to showcase all the other great artists in the most compelling light, with fun for each listener’s delight. I guarantee that if you READ all 441 pages and study the charts with care, then apply the precepts to today's times and your situation, you will see more than $93 coming your way. (Just don't bet it on the Rams.)

And a Happy Halloween to Joe and to all reading this on your screen.

By Joe Ford, October 2010

Fall festivals, that crisp breeze, and Halloween right around the corner...one of my favorite times of the year.

This Halloween I think I'll go as one of my old program directors and scare the hell out of everybody! I just finished Ron Jacobs book "KHJ: The History of Boss Radio."

In my humble opinion, 93/KHJ was, without debate, the greatest Top 40 radio station in the world.

Man, what a lineup. Robert W. Morgan, Gerry Mack, Charlie Tuna, Bill Wade, The Real Don Steele (my idol and best DJ ever), the amazing Humble Harv, Sam Riddle, Johnny Williams...not a loser in the bunch.

If you want to feel the pulse of this great time in radio, you need to make Jacob's book a must have.

It had to be exciting to work for a man who wrote the rules (along with Bill Drake) governing everything that everyone copied, modeled or just plain stole from this programming genius.

Jacobs accepted nothing short of perfection from his jocks and his memo's are all there to prove it.

How they picked the music, the hot clocks, the format sheets...yeah, baby, it was glamorous, it was pressure to the max, but it had to be the greatest ride of a lifetime.

The Hollywood Bowl concerts, the creation of 20/20 news, the Johnny Mann jingles...yowzuh. Life was good.

For full info go to:

http://www.93khj.com/