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

Charlie Van Dyke KHJ Promotional
Date of Recording: 01.24.1972
Station: 930 KHJ Los Angeles (KHJ/KKHJ)
Format: Top 40
Featured Air Personality: Charlie Van Dyke (WLS/KHJ/WRKO/others)
Contributor: Bob Gilmore

…with Charlie Van Dyke, the new kid on the block…

Comments

It’s possible 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.