Bob Henabery's KHJ Critique ― June 21, 1966
About nine months before the WNAC-WRKO format change, WRKO Vice President-General Manager Perry Ury, having heard of the great success of Los Angeles' 93/KHJ, sent then-WNAC Program Director Bob Henabery to Los Angeles to study RKO General sister station "Boss Radio KHJ." Henabery typed up a revue of the station which he delivered to Jerry Bess (second-in-charge of RKO General) upon his return to Boston.  Following is the actual text from his 7-page memorandum.

June 21, 1966

TO: Jerry Bess
FROM: Bob Henabery
RE:  Boss Radio KHJ

KHJ, "Boss Radio," is a tightly formatted, well-produced, skillfully-staffed and promoted, modern music station.

All categories of programming rate high,  The personalities, their material, the music and service features, the station's distinctive sound, KHJ news and on-air promotion blend together in a fast-moving, non-stop, continuous flow.

Personalities and Material

The KHJ program day is divided into three-hour segments hosted by various "Boss Jocks".

All deejays have young voices and "dig" what they are doing on the air. Unlike some modern music stations staffed by older performers, the "Boss Jocks" are enthusiastically responsive to the goals of the station and react positively to everything happening there.

The two most distinctive on-air presentations are those of the drive-time personalities, Robert W. Morgan (AM) and The Real Don Steele (PM). Morgan and Steele seem to be the only men who have gimmicks of their own which are introduced into the overall format and which are exclusive to themselves.  Morgan uses an up-dated dedication device in which the names of individuals are submitted to him without their knowledge and then read on the air.

      EXAMPLE:  "Mr. Cusato, science teacher at Encino High, are you   listening on your birthday?  ZAP!  You're Morganized!"

The Real Don Steele is the most articulate of the "Boss Jocks" in respect to the argot of the youth.   He delivers this language flawlessly at a furious and witty pace.  Steele is the most intelligent and talented of the "Boss Jocks".

Music

The "Boss 30" is a tight music playlist which contains no untested, or speculative record.  Everything played is a proven hit or a "goldie". The format is highly repetitious as far as frequency of play is concerned. The music is selected on the basis of popularity.  Listener requests taken on the "Boss Line" are tabulated throughout the broadcast day by special operators on duty at the station.  This list is then compared to record sales in Southern California for validation purposes.

16 records are played each hour of the day.  We estimate that seven of the records are derived from the top ten.  Six of the records from numbers 11-20.  Three of the records are "goldies" valuable to balance tempo.  The merit of such repetition consists in the audience anticipating that a hit tune will soon be played. Thus a listener will stay tuned to hear his favorite and will be rewarded in a few minutes when it is, indeed, played.

The high quality of the music is obvious. Records such as "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles, "Along Comes Mary", by The Association, "Band of Gold" by Mel Carter, out-distance so-called adult standard music not only by the enthusiasm and vitality of the performances but by obviously superior musicianship.

Service Features

Outside of news KHJ restricts service features to mention of the time after every record ("KHJ Big Kahuna Time 11:20, etc.") and weather twice an hour.  No effort is made to present extended traffic features.

Distinctive Sound

KHJ's distinctive sound is tied together by jingles and catchphrases.

Short, fast jingles express the following phrases:

              "KHJ Los Angeles"
              "93 KHJ"
              "93 KHJ plays more music"
              "93 KHJ Golden"
              "KHJ Weather"
              "93 KHJ Sports"
              "KHJ Boss Hitbound"
              "The Big Kahuna 93 KHJ"

Catchphrases express the overall "Boss Radio" concept or the current KHJ promotion.

Concept

              "KHJ the much-more-music station"
              "KHJ the station that listens to    you"
              "Give me a call on the Boss Line.  You say it and I'll play it"
              "Frank Terry 93 KHJ"
              "The Boss 30"
              "The Boss Jocks"
              "Turn us on any time"
              "On the go"
              "Now number 16 Boss 30"
              "8 record on Boss 30"
              "Boss hit #12"
              "Two in a row on Boss Radio"
              "Three in a row on Boss Radio"

Current Promotion

              "KHJ Big Kahuna Time"
              "The Big Kahuna 93 KHJ"
              "KHJ graduation and congratulations"
              "Win a cobra-powered custom surfin'-bird"
              "When you hear the Big Kahuna's conch shell call the Boss Line"

News

KHJ presents "20-20 News."  Five-minute reports are scheduled 20-25 and 40-45 from 6:00 - 9:00 AM. All other times of day the news is heard 40-45.

KHJ makes great use of mobile units to cover breaking local stories in Los Angeles.  Three or four reporters are assigned to different stories in various parts of Los Angeles and spend their entire day with the story until it is wrapped up.

FORMAT - KHJ NEWS

RECORD

SOUNDER - TELEPRINTER BACKGROUND.  This is Stan Smith KHJ 20-20 News at 20 minutes before ten.

                     FIRST STORY

                     This is KHJ 20-20 News.

                     COMMERCIAL

                     SECOND STORY - Mobile Unit #1 - Canyon Fire

                     THIRD STORY

                     FOURTH STORY - Mobile Unit #2 - Missing Camper

                     FIFTH STORY

                     SIXTH STORY - Mobile Unit #3 - Edward G. Robinson

                     SEVENTH STORY

                     EIGHTH STORY - Mobile Unit #4 - Murder

                     NINTH STORY

In the Hollywood File, these names

                    TENTH STORY

KHJ headlines by datelines.

                    ELEVENTH STORY - Saigon

                    TWELFTH STORY - Washington

                    THIRTEENTH STORY - New York

                    FOURTEENTH STORY - Paris

                    FIFTEENTH STORY - Memphis

JINGLE: "93 KHJ SPORTS"

                    5 SPORTS STORIES

This is KHJ, first in Los Angeles with 20-20 News.

                     COMMERCIAL

JINGLE:  "KHJ WEATHER" Just ahead much-more-music on the Gary Mack Show.

                     WEATHER

This is Stan Smith, KHJ News Central. JINGLE: "93 KHJ"

RECORD

On-Air Promotion

KHJ's current promotion is The Big Kahuna.  The Big Kahuna is an actual person -- an Hawaiian dressed in the costume of a Polynesian king -- The Big Kahuna -- speaking only Hawaiian, is escorted to various high schools and recreational areas by a KHJ personality.  Tapes are then made for play-back on the air.

"This is Gary Mack at Encino Junior High.  We're here today to introduce the Big Kahuna.  BIG KAHUNA PEAKS IN HAWAIIAN.  The Big Kahuna says to     listen to the sound of the conch shell on KHJ to win your coconut for the big KHJ Luau June 22.  BIG KAHUNA SPEAKS MORE HAWAIIAN.  The Big Kahuna also says to always stay tuned to the much-more-music station in Los Angeles.  KIDS THEN SING.  93 KHJ. THE BIG KAHUNA."

One of this type of spot is used every two hours during the KHJ program day.  Every other hour a special record called The Big Kahuna is played.

All intros and outros on the station refer to The Big Kahuna.

KHJ ONE-HOUR FORMAT

INTRO:  "Ladies and gentlemen you're listening to the Gary Mack Show from the much-more-music station!"  JINGLE: KHJ LOS ANGELES

RECORD #1

60-second spot or two 30-second spots

JINGLE:  GARY MACK 93 KHJ

RECORD #2

60-SECOND SPOT

JINGLE:  KHJ WEATHER

WEATHER

10-SECOND SPOT

JINGLE: 93 KHJ

RECORD #3

60-SECOND SPOT OR TWO 30-SECOND SPOTS

JINGLE:  93 KHJ GOLDEN

RECORD #4

JINGLE   93 KHJ PLAYS MORE MUSIC

RECORD #5

JINGLE   93 KHJ PLAYS MORE MUSIC

RECORD #6

60-SECOND SPOT

60-SECOND PROMOTIONAL EITHER BIG KAHUNA ACTUALITY OR BIG KAHUNA RECORD

JINGLE:  93 KHJ

RECORD #7

60-SECOND SPOT OR TWO 30-SECOND SPOTS

JINGLE:  GARY MACK 93 KHJ

RECORD #8

60-SECOND SPOT

JINGLE:  KHJ WEATHER

WEATHER

10-SECOND SPOT

JINGLE:  93 KHJ

RECORD #9

MIDDLE BREAK:  "Ladies and gentlemen you're listening to  the Gary Mack Show from the much-more-music station."                  JINGLE: KHJ LOS ANGELES

RECORD #10

60-SECOND SPOT OR TWO 30-SECOND SPOTS

JINGLE:  GARY MACK 93 KHJ

RECORD #11

60-SECOND SPOT OR TWO 30-SECOND SPOTS

JINGLE:  KHJ GOLDEN

RECORD #12

DIRECT SEGUE TO NEWS PACKAGE.  OUT OF NEWS DIRECT SEGUE TO

RECORD #13

60-SECOND SPOT OR TWO 30-SECOND SPOTS

JINGLE: GARY MACK 93 KHJ

RECORD #14

60-SECOND SPOT OR TWO 30-SECOND SPOTS

JINGLE:  KHJ GOLDEN

RECORD #15

JINGLE:  93 KHJ PLAYS MORE MUSIC

RECORD #16

ETC.

In connection with the basic one-hour format it is important to point out that leeways are provided so that the jingles do not appear in exactly the same sequence every hour.  Except for this variable, required in the selection of the various musical elements, there is little variation from hour to hour.

Note that at the top of each hour a brief intro separates the last record from the old hour to the first record of the new hour.  This is also the case at the half hour.

Intros precede every record except following the news.  Outros tag every record except at the end of each half hour and before the news.  Intros and outros are shouted voice-over.  Intros always billboard the music being played.  Outros back-reference the music and mention the personality, the current station promotion and the time of day:

EXAMPLE: "Captain Beefheart's 'Diddy Wah Diddy' heart number 12, best on the Boss charts with the Real Don Steele on KHJ The Big Kahuna time of day 4:20. The conch shell wins a KHJ kahoonie-kahhoconut.

60-SECOND SPOT.  DIRECT SEGUE TO JINGLE.  DIRECT SEGUE TO RECORD.
You know her for she is. You've seen her around.  The Troggs -- bigger than big -- wilder than wild -- the wild wonderful KHJ whirlwind world of 'Wild Thing'."

KHJ limits commercial levels to 12 one-minute spots an hour (two in news) plus two ten-second spots.

Although the entire KHJ operation is marked by a high level of professionalism, we think the station's success can be attributed to the following:

1)  The imaginative promotional schemes developed at the station.

2)  The general excellence of the "Boss Jocks".

3)  The tight list of established hits and avoidance of "picks".

4)  An enlightened commercial policy of 12:20 commercial minutes per hour compared to NAB's 18 providing for "much more music."

BH:b

cc:  Perry Ury