KBLA "Rock-A-Top" Survey, July, 1965 KFWB "Fabulous 40", June, 1965 KHJ "Boss 30", August, 1966 Jeff March Jeff March, co-author of a book called Echoes of the Sixties, grew up in Los Angeles during the golden age of Southern California Top 40, and worked in California radio between the mid-1960s and the mid-'70s. While a journalism student studying broadcasting at San Fernando Valley State College (later renamed California State University, Northridge), he got his first commercial radio job in late 1967 as a board operator at Spanish-language KSFV San Fernando (106.3 mHz)--which went dark in the spring of 1968. From there, he joined KVFM San Fernando (94.3 mHz) doing weekend board op shifts and relief before moving to 9:30-midnight weekdays--for $1.60 per hour. In 1969 Jeff moved on to country-formatted KIEV Glendale (870 AM) where the hours and the pay were a lot better. By 1970 he also was running Mutual Network news feeds out of KBBQ Burbank (1500 AM), working with newscasters Charles Arlington and Mark Stacey. After a stint as a recording studio engineer in Hollywood, Jeff moved with his wife Marsha to the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Auburn, where in May 1972 he became program director of KAHI (950 kHz) and KAFI (101.1 mHz), a small-town radio operation. That autumn he moved on to top-40 leader KROY Sacramento (1240 kHz), of which he was production director until early 1974. From that point, with the exception of a couple of brief and largely unsuccessful forays into sales at KNDE (1470 kHz) and KGMS (1380 kHz) in Sacramento, Jeff has worked principally in print communication, encompassing copy writing, advertising management and editorial supervision of news publications. In 1993 he and Marti Smiley Childs — with whom Jeff worked at the University of California, Davis for a decade — formed EditPros, a firm in Davis that provides writing and editing services for businesses, government agencies and research and trade organizations. In 1997 Jeff and Marti began work on their book Echoes of the Sixties, which was published in November 1999 by Billboard Books, an imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications, New York (320 pages; $19.95 paperback; ISBN 0-8230-8316-0). Echoes consists of 12 chapters, each focusing on a musical group or solo artist who first achieved popularity in the 1960s. Each chapter begins with an essay documenting the recording achievements of each band or soloist, followed by individual biographical epilogues, examining the lives of each of the 43 featured performers in the years since they left the spotlight. The book contains 55 vintage and current photographs of the musical artists, all of whom authors Childs and March interviewed for this project. Echoes includes chapters about the Fireballs ("Sugar Shack"), Gary "U.S." Bonds ("Quarter To Three"), the Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), the Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back"), Peter and Gordon ("A World Without Love"), Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues ("Nights In White Satin"), the Beau Brummels ("Laugh, Laugh"), Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs ("Wooly Bully"), the Lovin' Spoonful ("Summer In The City"), Gary Puckett and the Union Gap ("Lady Willpower"), Country Joe and the Fish ("I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag"), and Iron Butterfly ("In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"). Information about Echoes of the Sixties is available on the EditPros Web site, which includes a free interactive quiz about performers featured in Echoes, as well as links to the Web sites of many of them.

[Descriptions by Jeff March unless indicated]

Bill Ballance, KFWB, 12/2/61 (23:50) Smoke several cartons of Winston right now... Although Bill Ballance's reign on Southern California's airwaves has spanned five decades, he is best remembered for his days with KFWB (Los Angeles, 980 kHz, 5 kw fulltime). When I first started listening to Top 40 radio, one of the first voices I heard was that of Bill Ballance. This was an era when rocket launches made lead stories, when American troops in Vietnam were still euphemistically called "military advisors," and when Top 40 stations aired patriotic messages. Listen in particular to the chilling introduction of the President of the United States on this Espanol-laced, ebullient, billowing, bombastic, boisterous Bill Ballance program from December 1961. Return to the Repository

Tom Clay, KBLA Burbank, 5/15/65 (16:28) . . . What the world needs now is love, sweet love . . . Our name is Tom Clay. . . Tom Clay was an extraordinary disc jockey and an extraordinary human being. He was extraordinary in the sense that his program did not follow the norm. He did not do the ordinary. He was an exceptional story-teller, and he interspersed the records he spun with tales of the experiences that shaped his life. His program was different. It was dimensional. It was not for everyone. Tom Clay came from the Detroit market, where he'd worked at WJBK. He was in the starting lineup (with Humble Harve, included on this aircheck with a promo for his morning show) of the top 40 format that KBLA Burbank unveiled in February 1965, just a few months before Boss Radio broke big-time in Los Angeles. At the time of this aircheck, Boss Radio was less than two weeks old. Until that time, KBLA operated invisibly on 1490 kHz with 250 watts. Although it was within the Los Angeles metropolitan area, few knew the station existed. Then the station was awarded a construction permit to shift to 1500 kHz with 10 kilowatts days, 1 kilowatt at night and an absolutely abysmal coverage pattern by virtue of its transmitter location—clinging to the side of a barren mountain above Burbank. The signal nulled in the parking lot of the station at 131 E. Magnolia, within view of the towers. Nevertheless, Tom Clay held forth with his "Words and Music" program 4-8 p.m. nightly. The KBLA experiment lasted only two years, but enjoy it at its best on this Tom Clay aircheck. Jeff March with Tom Clay at KBLA, Burbank, 1965 And I have a Tom Clay story of my own to tell. When I was a high school kid, enamored with radio, he allowed me to visit him in the studio. We talked radio, careers, technique...and then, while a record played, he stood up and invited this starry-eyed kid--me-- to sit in the chair at the console. And he said to me, "You know what? I'll bet one day you'll be sitting here in this studio at the controls." I forgot about that comment until a phone call I received in 1970 from IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). At that time I was working part-time as an engineer at KIEV in Glendale, the neighboring community. The union asked if I'd like to take a regular shift as a studio engineer for the west coast feed of the Mutual Broadcasting System --working at the old studios of KBLA (by then known as KBBQ). I wound up running the board literally across the glass from the studio in which I'd visited Tom Clay five years earlier. Return to the Repository

Wink Martindale, KFWB Los Angeles, June 2, 1965 (17:24) ...they want to find these people to be police officers at a starting salary of six hundred and eight dollars a month... Wink Martindale As rival KRLA was enjoying a surge of popularity through its association with the Beatles, and as newcomers KHJ and KBLA began pumping up the volume, KFWB tried to stay the course with its traditional format upon which it had relied successfully for years. Morning drive man Wink Martindale led off the lineup of the KFWB "Good Guys" who also included Hal Pickens (9 a.m.-noon, one set from Hal is heard at the end of this aircheck), Don MacKinnon (noon-3 p.m., killed in June 1965 in an automobile crash), Gene Weed (3-6 p.m.), B. Mitchel Reed (6-9 p.m., d. 1983), Reb Foster (9-midnight) and Larry McCormick (midnight-6 a.m.). Additionally featured in this half hour (8:30 - 9:00 am, 6/2/65) is long-time L.A. news reporter Beach Rogers; also, a very stylish spot for Winston cigarettes. Return to the Repository

Coffee Jim Dandy, KENO, Las Vegas, 9/18/65 (29:45) ...Do not forsake me, oh my darlin' - on this our weddin' day - I married my old horse, Biscuits - so together we can really hit the hay... KENO ("color radio channel 146") was a wonderful station with a lively presentation and a slate of talented personalities who routinely dominated the market with shares in the 30s. Of course, Vegas in the mid-1960s had only seven AMs and three FMs. But in 1965, KENO (1460 kHz, then 1 kw fulltime) ran the only top 40 format in town, and it owned the market. Coffee Jim Dandy, who did morning drive (6-10 a.m.) weekdays, is heard here in the sixth hour of a Saturday morning 6-noon stint. Return to the Repository

Dave Hull, KRLA, Los Angeles, 8/18/66 (29:17) . . . Dodgers Stadium becomes Beatles Stadium, Sunday August 28th . . . Dave Hull, who early in 1964 toiled 9-midnight on KRLA (1110 kHz, 50kw D, 10kw N--"the big 11-10, serving Greater Los Angeles from Pasadena"), soared to prominence after closely identifying himself with Beatlemania. Shifted quickly to afternoon drive, Hull tossed out the regular playlist and cleared a path for the main forces of the British invasion. The "Hullaballooer" punctuated his show with Beatle interview drop-ins and blasts from his hoarse-sounding India taxicab horn. As the screams of Beatlemania faded away with the Fab Four's farewell concert tour in the summer of 1966, KRLA shifted from its traditional top 30 "Tune Dex" to a short lived all-request format. In that summer of '66, KRLA held strong, blaring Donovan, the Kinks and the Fab Four from tinny 6-transistor radios dotting the beaches of Southern California from Malibu to Laguna. This aircheck (4-5 PM, August 18, 1966) captures Dave Hull in top form, his ties to the Beatles still strongly evident. Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 32 Kbps (10Khz) Frank Terry, Gary Mack, KHJ, September 7, 1966 (01:19:30) ...KHJ Monkee Trip Time!... Original 1996 RA 3 Exhibit - 'SCOPED (Frank Terry, only) (27:48) [ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION BY CONTRIBUTOR JEFF MARCH.] Until the spring of 1965, KHJ was one of perhaps nine traditional MOR (middle-of-the-road) stations doing the same old thing in L.A. KHJ's fare included a nightly folk music program hosted by British announcer Michael Jackson (later to gravitate to talk radio at KABC). The debut of KHJ's polished "Boss Radio" format in April 1965 turned L.A. radio on its ears. By the summer of '66, simulcasting KHJ not only had shaken the AM radio establishment but presaged the awakening of FM for youth-oriented formats. While 93/KHJ drive anchors Robert W. Morgan and The Real Don Steele were permitted little adjustments in formatics to express their personas, the other Boss Jocks just hammered out straight-on Boss Radio. Such was the case with Frank Terry, captured on this aircheck taped during KHJ's heyday in September 1966. Frank Terry passed away June 21, 2007, following a ten-year battle with cancer. Gary Mack, who is featured for the last 19 minutes of this recording, went into broadcast management at WSB, Atlanta. [TECHNICAL NOTE: The UNscoped version includes a burst of hiss from an unknown source. It begins at approximately 41:05 and continues until 42:50, during the Art Kevin news. This flaw was in the original recording.] Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 32 Kbps Beau Weaver, KFRC San Francisco November 14, 1973 (RESTORED) (01:02:35) . . . L. Ron Hubbard - isn't any clearer than Bay Area skies tonight, but like Hubbard, the farther you get, the foggier it becomes . . . This Exhibit 'SCOPED (11:16) [Description by Uncle Ricky] The always enjoyable Beau Weaver is featured with his loose and regrettable behavior on KFRC AM and FM, on Wednesday, November 14, 1973. Recorded from KFRC-FM and 'scoped by contributor Jeff March, it is also presented with music restored for those who savor the Hits of 1973, which with a few "oldies", are well represented in this hi-fi hour. Beau Weaver is a contributor to REELRADIO, and is also the very successful voice behind spokenword.com. Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 32 Kbps Dick Whittington, KGIL San Fernando CA., November 23, 1973 (55:26) . . . It was called "What Can You Do?" .. and the engineer and I used to kneel down and say a little prayer before we went on . . . [Description by Uncle Ricky] This is the first of a number of airchecks of "Sweet" Dick Whittington, from KGIL, the little station that DID, licensed to San Fernando, California, and included in the Los Angeles, California ratings. On the morning of November 23, 1973, Dick is joined by comedian Jonathan Winters, who talks about his beginnings in radio in Dayton, Ohio, and his art gallery opening. Sure, it's not Top 40 radio, but it is something very special. Return to the Repository

Dusty Morgan, K108 Sacramento, 9-18-1974 (21:00) In 1974, KXOA-FM was owned by Brown Broadcasting, who also owned KGB in San Diego. Top 40 on FM was very progressive for Sacramento at the time, and few know that it was initiated by Ron Jacobs. Jacobs writes: "In exchange for a 1973 Chevy pickup (which was sent to Maui) I went there (to Sacramento) and 'installed' some of the stuff that worked at KGB. Have no idea who was doing the jingles for the station then. I wasn't there on a regular basis programming it, so I never mention it. Other than that cheap copout, there could've been endless other factors such as signal strength, promo budget, etc. My attitude was, 'Show me the Chevy'..." Sacramento didn't have a dominant "Top 40/CHR" format on FM until the early '80's (FM102). - Uncle Ricky . . . Good Morgan, Sacramento! It's 7:59 o'clock right here at the rockin' home of Dr. Demento, Orville Python, Ronald the Cosmic Computer and Homegrown '74 - all in Stereo . . . After abandoning an oldies format, KXOA-FM switched to a Top 40 format in 1974 in the hope of challenging AM Top 40 leaders KROY and KNDE. In an era in which stations proudly announced their call letters, KXOA-FM called itself K-108. Although KXOA would again change format to a very successful "mellow rock" approach within two years, Dusty Morgan remained with the station into the 90's. Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 32.0 Kbps (16Khz) Jimmy Jet, KYA San Francisco, 1974 (15:05) . . . Jimmy Jet, flyin' high in the Bay Area Sky . . . Mr. Jet, circa 1974, Courtesy Bay Area Radio Museum. [Description by Uncle Ricky] Contributor Jeff March didn't provide a description for this one, but he wrote it was recorded on Sunday, March 24, 1974. I am left to suggest that you listen to this wonderful retro-Top-40 from an unknown host named Jimmy Jet on KYA in 1974. Russ "The Moose" Syracuse was the first pilot of Flight 1260, but apparently, 1974 was the "Jet Age". It's almost like Boss Radio didn't happen, and competitor KFRC didn't exist. It's "People Power KYA" and Pilot Jimmy is using drops and bits like it's 1959 - This is truly one of the most unusual 1974 airchecks we've ever heard. We even have a high school kid reporting the Top Five, and a produced intro for a musical feature called Cable Car Cluster. Most jocks (and Program Directors) had forgotten how to do this kind of Top 40 radio in 1974. And yet, here it was. And who was Jimmy Jet, and where is he today? Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 32Kbps (10Khz) Dr. Don Rose, KFRC San Francisco, January 7, 1975 (RESTORED) (37:51) This Exhibit 'SCOPED (17:23) . . . Words flail me . . . [Contributed by Jeff March, Description & Restored by Uncle Ricky] The late Dr. Don Rose brought his best game to San Francisco's KFRC every morning for over a decade. On the day before Elvis Presley's 40th birthday (January 7, 1975), newsman Jack Hines gets in on the fun, too, in addition to delivering a precision 10-minute morning newscast. Bobby Ocean is the voice for the KFRC Man With The Golden Gun promotion, and Tom Campbell is selling Koss Pro-4AA headphones! Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 20.7 Kbps (10Khz) Keith Richards, Dave Williams KNDE Sacramento, 1975 (13:46) . . . local drizzlies . . . After working at oldies-formatted KRTH in Los Angeles for a year or so, former KROY morning man Dave Williams returned to his native Sacramento to become program director at KNDE (Rock KANDIE), which began amassing an air staff composed of former KROY jocks, including Keith Richards and Steve Moore. On this jubilant day, program director Williams had just received an Arbitron report that showed KNDE (1470, 5KW, directional) surpassing KROY (1240, 1KW day, 250w night) for the first time. Although KNDE and KROY soon both lost ground that they never regained, Keith Richards and Dave Williams enjoyed this last hurrah of AM Top 40 radio in Sacramento, recorded on January 10, 1975 from 2:30 - 3:30 PM. [Uncle Ricky adds: Dave Williams was number one for 19 years in Sacramento, California on the KFBK Morning News. In November, 2000, Williams moved south and has continued to work in the Los Angeles market.] Return to the Repository

Dr. Don Rose, KFRC, 3/78 (22:08) ...A recent survey indicates an active sex life may be one key to living a longer and healthier life. Lack of sex simply makes life seem longer... There was no other like Dr. Don Rose. A mainstay in Philadelphia, Dr. Don brought his high-energy antics to San Francisco's KFRC (610 kHz, 5 kw fulltime) in the mid '70s. Dr. Don rapid-fired one-liners like a gatling gun, launching barrages of material that others would have doled out over entire shifts. I interviewed Dr. Don for a magazine article in 1979 and found him to be gracious, warm, self-effacing, and as humorous off-air as he was on. Return to the Repository

TOP STREAM 32Kbps (10Khz) Glynn Shannon, KGW Portland, OR. June 6, 1979 (34:59) ... more fun than sippping salad through a straw ... This Exhibit 'SCOPED (08:11) [DESCRIPTION BY UNCLE RICKY, CONTRIBUTED BY JEFF MARCH] This aircheck comes out of the gate like a winner. Glynn Shannon is ready to roll, he sounds friendly and happy, the TM jingles are great and the first two records are right on target for a midday 25-49 audience. And then, inexplicably, the station changes to the iPod format, right before our very ears. KGW, classic call letters going back to 1922, are tossed aside in favor of the jukebox concept. So, Super 62 stumbles a few minutes into this recording and never quite gets up again. KGW had better days, for sure, but at least 620 Khz still had the call letters in 1979. In 2008, it's KPOJ, a progressive talk format. Return to the Repository

The Jeff March Collection debuted on June 23, 1996!

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