Forget about Boss Radio. KHJ had a LOT going for it in the mid-70s, if nothing else, the programming and voice brilliance of Charlie Van Dyke at the helm of an L.A. legend.
It’s difficult to outline the politics of radio in Los Angeles in this era. The staple KHJ jocks that listeners were used to in the Boss Era (1966-1970) were elsewhere on the dial, and that meant that a whole different group of professionals had to perform brilliantly. RKO management had told programming pioneer Bill Drake to take a hike a few years before this, so, this high-personality lightning fast presentation with it’s unique RKO style was in place at 93/KHJ in 1976. Van Dyke did mornings (until later that year when Rick Dees arrived from WHBQ Memphis), Beau Weaver had his time slot, and then there was this, lesser known jock fulfilling his dream of being on the by now world famous KHJ, at night, Jim Davis.
We don’t know much about Jim, so we hope listeners will fill us in on the details, and of course, we welcome any corrections in this description. Use the comment feature, or start a thread on our Facebook Wall.
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There were only four Boss Era KHJ jocks on the air elsewhere in L.A. in 1976. Robert W. Morgan was doing weekends and fill-ins on KMPC, Shadoe Stevens was on KROQ-FM, Charlie Tuna was mornings and program director at KIIS-AM & FM and Humble Harve was with Charlie at KIIS.
This aircheck is from October of 1976, so The Real Don Steele had been off the air for two years, after leaving K-100. He’d resurface at KTNQ on December 26, 1976.
Rick Dees didn’t arrive at KHJ for mornings until spring, 1979. Van Dyke stayed until May, 1977, when he left for Dallas. Charlie Tuna returned to take his place. He left in 1978, and was replaced by The True Don Bleu, who was replaced by Dees in ‘79. Dees stayed until the format switch to Country in October, 1980.
As for the lineup, at the time of this aircheck, it was Charlie Van Dyke 6-9AM, Mark Elliott 9AM-12Noon, Bobby Ocean 12Noon-3PM, Machine Gun Kelly 3-6PM, Dr. John Leader 6PM-10PM, Jim Davis 10PM-2AM and Shana 2AM-6AM. Beau Weaver was weekends and fill-ins.
Jim Davis? Lesser known? Well, maybe by that name. He was Big Jim Edwards at CKLW, Windsor/Detroit (formerly a Drake/RKO station) from 1967-1970, and was also Big Bob Evans at WOR-FM, New York (again Drake/RKO) from 1970-1972. Between there and KHJ? WLS-FM, Chicago.
I grew up listening to the Los Angeles stations. I moved here from Farmington, Michigan to Orange Co. in 1961. So I knew KRLA, KFWB and new Boss Radio in 1965 and KWIZ in Santa Ana 1480 OLdies, and KEZY/1190 in Anahiem. I used to spend my summers about every year back home in Detroit. I did remeber WXYZ, and CKLW and WCAR, as a young kid. I sure enjoyed CKLW Fun Radio 8 1967. I missed Detroit radio and asked my grand mother to send me tapes of CKLW. I heard early in 1968 The Big 8, CKLW. The Drake sound with the Johnny Mann jingels, I fell in love, all the Motown hits and the reg top 40 songs.
I remember listening to Big Jim Edwards, (Jim Davis) Ed Mitchell (Mark Elliott),Charlie Van Dyke, Chuck Morgan (Browning), Brother Bob (Bill at CK) Gable, Walt Baby Love, all on CKLW. Then all these greeat Jocks who worked at the Big 8 came many as well to KFRC and all of them to 93/KHJ. To me listening to Big Jim Edwards, Mike Rivers, Tom Shannon, SCott Regen, Steve Hunter, Frank Brdoie, Mark Richards, Ted Richards. I knew them as I knew Charlie Tuna, Bill Wade, Humble Harv. I listened everyday to 93/KHJ I was vary lucky to know the best of both RKO stations. When I heard Big Jim Davis the frist time on the air I knew that was Big Jim Edwards, and as I knew Mark Elliottt was Ed Mitchell. I know Big Jim did mornings and CKLW when Charlie Van Dyke moved to KFRC. Ed Mitchell Mark Elliott did afternoon drive at CKLW from 1968 to 1970, then on to KFRC. When Robert W. Morgan moved on to Chicago, Mark Elliott in 1970 moved to KHJ. I lived in Oceanside in 1976 and worked sometimes in Orange Co. I still listen when I could to 93/KHJ, The beat Goes On,