Boss Radio
Encyclopedia
Boss Radio was the name of two radio programming formats, both launched in the early 1960s: One in the United States, and one in the United Kingdom. Although the names were the same, the formats were quite different.
.
KHJ, one of the original radio stations in Los Angeles, was owned by RKO, a legendary U.S. corporation that has produced movies, television and radio programming over its own stations. In May 1965, KHJ was under-performing in the local ratings. The unsuccessful programming on KHJ consisted of block segments of drama, mystery, soap opera
, news, and music, both live and recorded.
Block programming gave way to Top 40 formula radio during the 1950s. Two California radio programming pioneers, Bill Drake
and Gene Chenault, modified the Top 40 formula and gave their version the brand name "Boss Radio", after then-KHJ promotion director Clancy Imuslind originated the phrase. The word "boss" had come to mean something hip, new, exciting and the top of its class. Drake had tested some of the format elements in 1961 and 1962 while he served as program director and morning man at San Francisco's KYA, a station that promoted itself at the time as "The Boss of the Bay."
Drake and Chenault introduced and further developed this format at KYNO
in Fresno
, KSTN in Stockton
, and KGB
AM in San Diego. In April 1965 they brought it to KHJ.
Within a few months the "Boss Radio" format had brought KHJ to the top of the Los Angeles market. It also firmly established the careers of several "boss jocks" such as "The Real Don Steele
" and Robert W. Morgan
who helped to put "Boss Radio" on the air in Los Angeles, under the guidance of program director Ron Jacobs
.
As a result of the station's success several other stations adopted the format, notably KFRC
in trendy San Francisco, WFIL
in Philadelphia, and eventually reaching as far north as Canadian border blaster
CKLW
in Windsor, Ontario. As a result of its massive clear channel transmitter and overnight signal propagation
, CKLW was able to garner an international audience—even as far as Soviet Russia, making it almost certainly (though unprovably) the biggest of the "Boss Radios."
or "SRE" was the "home of the boss jocks and much more music." It began life in the spring of 1966 on board the former military landing craft MV Olga Patricia, renamed the Laisez Faire. It was anchored three and a half miles off the Frinton-on-Sea
, Essex
coast of Britain
in international waters
.
SRE was not so much a format as a hybrid of formats. It was totally unlike any other radio station that had previously been heard in Europe or probably anywhere else in the world at that time. While the PAMS
jingles were the resung version of those heard on WABC
in New York City
, the high-power "bannerline" news presentation had been lifted from WFUN
in Miami, Florida
and the DJs were using the heavy echo and the forced approach of stations such as KBOX
in Dallas, Texas
.
The U.S.
"boss jocks" who came over with the ship trained the few English
air personnel how to develop this same style of presentation. Everything was "over the top" when it came to the 50 kilowatt transmissions of SRE. While some loved it most remained tuned to the more relaxed top 40 formats of its competitors such as Wonderful Radio London
and Radio Caroline
South.
Swinging Radio England shared the ship from which it broadcast with another 50 kW station named Britain Radio, a beautiful music format station which called itself the "Hallmark of Quality." These two 50 kW stations attempted to broadcast at full power by using caged antennas slung from a central broadcasting mast, which caused constant headaches for the radio engineers. Because of the difficulty in getting the two stations to stay on the air a lot of early investment money was squandered. Other problems also arose when the British government announced that it would introduce legislation to close all of the offshore stations down.
Because of the technical difficulties and the slow start, compounded by a lack of advertising, SRE was forced to sign off the air during November 1966 in a cloud of adverse publicity surrounding its London
based advertising sales arm which went out of business in a hailstorm of debt.
Boss Radio in the United States
Although developed earlier at other stations, the U.S. "Boss Radio" format is most closely associated with KHJ, at 930 kHz AMAmplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
.
KHJ, one of the original radio stations in Los Angeles, was owned by RKO, a legendary U.S. corporation that has produced movies, television and radio programming over its own stations. In May 1965, KHJ was under-performing in the local ratings. The unsuccessful programming on KHJ consisted of block segments of drama, mystery, soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, news, and music, both live and recorded.
Block programming gave way to Top 40 formula radio during the 1950s. Two California radio programming pioneers, Bill Drake
Bill Drake
Bill Drake , born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.-Early career:...
and Gene Chenault, modified the Top 40 formula and gave their version the brand name "Boss Radio", after then-KHJ promotion director Clancy Imuslind originated the phrase. The word "boss" had come to mean something hip, new, exciting and the top of its class. Drake had tested some of the format elements in 1961 and 1962 while he served as program director and morning man at San Francisco's KYA, a station that promoted itself at the time as "The Boss of the Bay."
Drake and Chenault introduced and further developed this format at KYNO
KYNO
KYNO is a News/Talk radio station broadcasting at 940 kHz in Fresno, California, United States of America.-Station history:KYNO from 1957 and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, was a Top-40 station, and was the #1 "Hooper" rated station in Fresno under the ownership of Eugene Chenault...
in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, KSTN in Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, and KGB
KLSD
KLSD is a sports station based in San Diego, California. The sports programming began on November 12, 2007. Previously, KLSD's format was progressive talk radio....
AM in San Diego. In April 1965 they brought it to KHJ.
Within a few months the "Boss Radio" format had brought KHJ to the top of the Los Angeles market. It also firmly established the careers of several "boss jocks" such as "The Real Don Steele
Don Steele
Don Steele, born Donald Steele Revert , was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement in May 1997...
" and Robert W. Morgan
Robert W. Morgan
Robert Wilbur Morgan was an award-winning morning radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California, in particular KHJ-AM....
who helped to put "Boss Radio" on the air in Los Angeles, under the guidance of program director Ron Jacobs
Ron Jacobs (broadcaster)
Ron Jacobs is an American broadcaster, author, record producer and concert promoter. He is best known as the program director of KHJ radio in Los Angeles during its ground-breaking "Boss Radio" period , and as co-creator of the countdown show American Top 40, and the seminal radio program The...
.
As a result of the station's success several other stations adopted the format, notably KFRC
KFRC (defunct)
KFRC was a radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States, which made its first broadcast on Wednesday, September 24, 1924, from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally broadcast with 50 watts on the 270 meter wavelength , then moved to 660 kHz. in...
in trendy San Francisco, WFIL
WFIL
WFIL is a radio station and a former television station serving the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its transmitter is located in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania....
in Philadelphia, and eventually reaching as far north as Canadian border blaster
Border blaster
A border blaster is a licensed commercial radio station that transmits at very high power from one nation to another. Border blasters should not be confused with international broadcast stations...
CKLW
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
in Windsor, Ontario. As a result of its massive clear channel transmitter and overnight signal propagation
Radio propagation
Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves when they are transmitted, or propagated from one point on the Earth to another, or into various parts of the atmosphere...
, CKLW was able to garner an international audience—even as far as Soviet Russia, making it almost certainly (though unprovably) the biggest of the "Boss Radios."
Swinging Radio England
Swinging Radio EnglandSwinging Radio England
Swinging Radio England was a top 40 offshore commercial station billed as the "World's Most Powerful" that operated from 3 May 1966 to 13 November 1966 from a ship in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
or "SRE" was the "home of the boss jocks and much more music." It began life in the spring of 1966 on board the former military landing craft MV Olga Patricia, renamed the Laisez Faire. It was anchored three and a half miles off the Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
coast of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
.
SRE was not so much a format as a hybrid of formats. It was totally unlike any other radio station that had previously been heard in Europe or probably anywhere else in the world at that time. While the PAMS
PAMS
PAMS , based in Dallas, Texas, was the most famous jingle production company in American broadcasting. It produced identification packages for radio stations around the world, as well as some commercial music.-History:The company was founded by William B. Meeks, Jr. PAMS (an acronym for Production,...
jingles were the resung version of those heard on WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the high-power "bannerline" news presentation had been lifted from WFUN
WAXY
WAXY is a radio station licensed in South Miami, Florida broadcasting on 790 kHz with a sports talk format. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and the DJs were using the heavy echo and the forced approach of stations such as KBOX
KBOX
KBOX is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Hits format. Licensed to Lompoc, California, USA, it serves the Santa Maria-Lompoc area. The station is currently owned by Agm-Santa Maria, Lp and features programing provided from Westwood One.-External links:*...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
The U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
"boss jocks" who came over with the ship trained the few English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
air personnel how to develop this same style of presentation. Everything was "over the top" when it came to the 50 kilowatt transmissions of SRE. While some loved it most remained tuned to the more relaxed top 40 formats of its competitors such as Wonderful Radio London
Wonderful Radio London
Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
and Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
South.
Swinging Radio England shared the ship from which it broadcast with another 50 kW station named Britain Radio, a beautiful music format station which called itself the "Hallmark of Quality." These two 50 kW stations attempted to broadcast at full power by using caged antennas slung from a central broadcasting mast, which caused constant headaches for the radio engineers. Because of the difficulty in getting the two stations to stay on the air a lot of early investment money was squandered. Other problems also arose when the British government announced that it would introduce legislation to close all of the offshore stations down.
Because of the technical difficulties and the slow start, compounded by a lack of advertising, SRE was forced to sign off the air during November 1966 in a cloud of adverse publicity surrounding its London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based advertising sales arm which went out of business in a hailstorm of debt.
Popular culture
- Comedian George CarlinGeorge CarlinGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
once joked about "Boss Radio" in his "Son of Wino" skit on his album FM & AMFM & AMFM & AM is an album by American comedian George Carlin. This album was originally released in 1972 on the Atlantic Records subsidiary label Little David Records, later reissued on Carlin's Eardrum Records label...
; "Hi gang. Scott Lame here. The Boss jock with the Boss sound from the Boss list of the Boss 30 that my Boss told me to play."
- Singer/songwriter/radio DJ Barry SmolinBarry SmolinBarry Smolin is an American radio host, teacher, composer, and writer.He is best known as the longtime host of The Music Never Stops, a psychedelic radio show on KPFK in Los Angeles, California for which Smolin won the first ever Jammy Award for "Best Radio Show" in 2000...
released a 2009 music album, "Bring Back the Real Don Steele," which opens with a track called "Boss Radio."
External links
- Boss Radio on KHJ as explained by Woody Goulart.
- Boss Radio on SRE as explained by Svenn Martinson in Norway
- 1965 Boss JockRon O'QuinnRon O'Quinn is an American radio disc jockey born March 4, 1943 in McRae, Georgia.At the age of 16, O'Quinn began his radio career at WMGA, a station in his hometown of Moultrie, Georgia, where he worked at the time of his graduation from Moultrie High School in 1961. Shortly thereafter, O'Quinn...
Ron O'Quinn is a hall of fame radio disc jockey - History of KGB Boss Radio by David Leonard