KHJ: INSIDE BOSS RADIO ~ NOT MICK JAGGER'S CROTCH

WHAT IT AIN'T

KHJ: INSIDE BOSS RADIO is not a selection of anecdotes that happened to me during my KHJ years in Hollywood, the mid-60s. I did not include how I walked into the KHJ men's room where Mick Jagger, on his way to an appearance on Channel 9, stood at a urinal stuffing toilet paper in his crotch.

My remembrances of dear Mama Cass, from going to Rams games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the boys. to our magic ride from NYC to Woodstock are not in the book.

There are no personal memories of my time with Elvis, who I first met in 1957 and emceed his first concert here in Honolulu.

Or having to pull the plug on Jimi Hendrix at The Hollywood Bowl. Or escorting a soused Janis Joplin out the back door of the Hollywood Palladium while The Who performed the world debut of their "rock opera," titled "Tommy."

Neither are the details of negotiating with Berry Gordy to present The Supremes in their first L.A. appearance. Nothing about being there at the creation of Sonny & Cher (nee Caesar & Cleo) or the birth of the Buffalo Springfield, the group named after a Canadian tractor company that was on a sign in their manager's office.

Sure, there was off-duty time in my Laurel Canyon hacienda, cutting up jackpots and talkin' story with members of The Byrds, Beach Boys, Lovin' Spoonful and The Doors, etc. No, this is not a collection of names dropped by an old radio guy -- though my private memories aren’t lacking in drugs, sex, or rock and roll!

This book, KHJ: INSIDE BOSS RADIO is for those anxious to relive, or learn about, the past; those pre-FM days of rock radio at its peak. If the contents today's programmers or air talent, then all that went into and on KHJ itslef, and all the time taken to assemble the book, is rewarding beyond just words.

ON THE SERIOUS SIDE

Why a $93,00 book detailing events that took place nearly a half-century ago? Why a book that focuses on -- radio?

For many practitioners and patrons, radio broadcasting is as obsolete as the manual typewriter, or those hand-cranked starters on car engines or stinkin' outhouses.

Records show that the earliest wireless audio transmission took place on Christmas Eve 1906. There are conflicting reports, but most all agree that commercial radio in the U.S. signed on in the early 1920s. In perspective, radio broadcasting is a relatively short-lived aspect of the communication of entertainment and information, channeling technology now considered ancient.

Many, those both in and out of the business, believe that viable, good ol’ radio was diminishing, on its final last gasp in the 1990s, on the cusp of extinction. If such be the case, commercial broadcast radio ran its course in less than 80 years. True, eight decades, can be a “long time.” But, compared to what?

Discounting hot air balloons of the 1700s, the generally accepted date the Wright brothers successfully flew the first heavier-than-air craft was 190. Humans, therefore, flew through the air—granted, in fatal and near-death conditions—two decades before they were transmitting their voices “through” the air.

Ironically, modern aircraft are jammed with radio-based technology, along with 21st-century devices, large and small. But today’s technology—in virtually all of its applications— is almost impossible to measure in metrics alone. David’s biblical slingshot can't compare with modern military weaponry. Advances in virtually every field are commonly beyond definitive calculation other than by experts. (And we know how often these wizards can be dead wrong, e.g., the offshore oil rig explosion of April 2010 and its tragic consequences.)

Inversely, there remain the great mysteries that fuel the likes of television’s Discovery or History channels. The Great Wall of China: How? The Great Pyramids of Egypt: Why? Peking Man: When? Compared with such sweeping subjects, many remain as topics of academic speculation. Why would, or should, anyone currently give a hoot about a Top 40 radio station that hooked AM listeners in “Boss Angeles” 45 years ago?

Many answers to the question, "WHY THIS BOOK?" are contained in the pages of KHJ: INSIDE BOSS RADIO. This volume is a metaphor of for much of the history of Top 40 Radio.

1965: DELIVER ME FROM THE DAYS OF OLD

Why a book detailing events that took place nearly a half-century ago? The Friday that began the year 1965 marked two-thirds into the turn of the twentieth-century. So much had happened in the earlier years in world history, to mankind, to the evolution of the very planet, that it could never be fully chronicled.

And … why a book centered in Los Angeles, California, USA? Founded by Spain in 1771, “The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels,” became a part of Mexico in 1821. From those beginnings its history documents how this place—now the hub of Southern California— became America’s second most populated city?

Finally … why a book that focuses on radio? For many, radio broadcasting is as obsolete as the manual typewriter, hand-cranked starters on car engines and “outhouses.”

For the record, the earliest wireless audio transmission took place on Christmas Eve in 1906. All that remains are conflicting reports, but all agree that commercial radio in the US signed on in the early 1920s.

In perspective, radio broadcasting is a relatively short-lived aspect of communications (and entertainment) technology. Many, both in and out of the business, believe that viable, good ol’ radio was diminishing, on its final last gasp of the 1990s. If such be the case, commercial broadcast radio ran its course in less than 80 years.

True, eight decades can be a “long time.” But, compared to what? Discounting hot air balloons of the 1700s, the generally accepted date the Wright brothers successfully flew the first heavier-than-air craft was 1903. Humans, therefore, were flying through the air— granted, in fatal and near-death conditions—two decades before they were transmitting their voices “through” the air.

Ironically, modern aircraft are jammed with radio-based scientific innovations, twenty-first century devices, large and small. But today’s technology — in virtually all its applications — is almost impossible to measure in metrics alone. David’s biblical slingshot is difficult to compare with modern military weaponry. Advances in virtually every field are commonly beyond definitive calculation other than by experts. (And we know how often these wizards can be dead wrong, e.g., the offshore oil rig explosion of April 2010 and its tragic consequences.)

Inversely, there are still thos great mysteries that fuel the likes of television’s Discovery or History channels. The Great Wall of China: How? T

he Great Pyramids of Egypt: Why? Peking Man: When? (Jim Belushi gets another TV show. Huh?)

Compared to such sweeping subjects, all topics of academic speculation, why would, or should, anyone currently give a hoot about a Top 40 radio station that hooked AM listeners in “Boss Angeles” 45 years ago?

Many answers to this question are contained in the pages of KHJ: INSIDE BOSS RADIO. This two-pound is a metaphor of for much of the history of Top 40 Radio. Or, as others have said:

"KHJ: Inside Boss Radio. Some of it is writing, some of it is drawing, some of it is radio jargon. There are interviews, photos, oral histories, daily memos, calendars – but the totality is the brilliance of Ron Jacobs. It is a rare documentary history that takes you inside his mind as he transforms KHJ into the preeminent rock and roll station in the universe. He comes at you nonstop, one idea after another, relentless, always thinking, churning out ideas, challenging the norm. From start to finish, the book threatens to engulf you but always amazes you, just like RJ." David Maraniss

"The KHJ of the Ron Jacobs era epitomized the new American mainstream. It was the soundtrack of a cultural revolution … as engaging as a Beach Boys hit, as energetic as a Pepsi and a definition of The Sixties that left an indelible imprint. KHJ was the heartbeat of the purely American experience of driving down the freeway, radio cranked to 93, soaking in the soul of America.” Lee Abrams

“Leadership and genius. That's all it took. He transformed a very old-fashioned radio station in Los Angeles into a contemporary popular culture icon. As the crucial first program director at 93/KHJ in Hollywood when the Boss Radio format was launched in 1965, Ron Jacobs ranks at the top of the list of America's all-time most influential radio pioneers.” Woody Goulart

"Modern top 40 radio was created at KHJ by Ron Jacobs and the brilliant RKO management. The fundamentals of attracting cume, vital in a PPM environment, were established at KHJ and can and should be applied to any music or talk format. Yes, Talk. Talk stations that adopt these guidelines 100% of the time will see their audiences grow at a shocking rate." Walter Sabo

“Many books have chronicled America's great radio stations, but KHJ: Inside Boss Radio offers an unprecedented, ground-level, day-to-day view of what powered this pioneering Top 40 station. As you page through these staff memos written by Ron Jacobs, you can't help but close your eyes and imagine how all of this resulted in entertaining, compelling radio. Once I read the first memo, I was hooked and spent the rest of the night reading them all. Best of all, KHJ: Inside Boss Radio is a great textbook on how to deal efficiently, yet respectfully, with high-caliber (some would say "high maintenance") personalities. The material is timeless and easily applies to broadcasters today. Ron Rodrigues

2 B continued . . .

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