KHJ, “Boss Radio”

Los Angeles’ KHJ, better known as “Boss Radio” in the mid-1960s, was the most imitated station of its time. After years of “personality” radio—dominated by deejay chatter and replete with long jingles—it ushered in the mainstreaming of Top 40 radio. Its designer, Bill Drake, a Georgia-born deejay, liked to keep things simple. As a budding programming consultant, he proved himself at three California stations (in Fresno, Stockton, and San Diego), succeeding with his formula of...