Charlie Van Dyke, 93 KHJ Los Angeles | January 24, 1972

From Contributor Bob Gilmore comes this exclusive Charlie Van Dyke recording of 93 KHJ from 1/24/72. Charlie says he’s the new kid on the block, leading us to believe that this might be CVD’s first show on KHJ.

This is typical of what KHJ was evolving into in 1972, away from the Drake sound that sent KHJ to the top of the heap in ‘65, and into what most RKO General stations were going to do. Its the sound, indescribable without just listening. KHJ is playing a lot of album cuts and lesser-ranking hits. Its been said that this West Coast sound was so completely different from the methodical, proven hits that were played on ABC O&Os such as WABC New York, that it made RKO stations so different, yet massively appealing in their own right.

Van Dyke sounds completely at home here, very loose, and so tight – he never misses hitting the post in this recording. Would go on to program KHJ before giving up the morning slot to Rick Dees in 1978… but this is ‘72 and Van Dyke’s pipes seem to be a little less deep than later airchecks… if that’s even possible.

This is a GREAT aircheck for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is to demostrate the evolution of KHJ into what it was for most of the 70s. They’re still playing the Johnny Mann jingles… but not for long.

Barry Kay, 93/KHJ Los Angeles | 1972

The Johnny Mann Singers are still playing in between the records on 93/KHJ. This is 1972 and while Drake is on his way out, the Boss Sound is still present.

Listen now to Barry Kay, as he weaves in and out of commercials and records like a crotch rocket weaves through traffic at high speed. Its one spot, then a record, and it all seems so effortless. 1972 was not a kind year for KHJ, the station was on the verge of ending one era, and launching a new. But it does sound good to our ears, which are accustom to 6 minutes of commercials, followed by the same dozen songs heard the previous hour and the same liners said by the same under-paid voice track. Yes, it was so much better in ‘72, and Barry Kay was one of the good guys we remember.

Jim Davis, 93/KHJ Los Angeles | 1976

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.

QuickCheck: The Real Don Steele, KHJ Los Angeles | 1971

“…You can trust your car to the man who wears the star”

So begins this all-too-short, rare recording of RDS on 93/KHJ. We join things right in the middle of a commercial break (Texaco). We’re listening to KHJ in ‘71, and while the Bill Drake era is all but over, the format is intact with all the familiar Drake formatics.