Issue #405 - Jerry Butler makes his final appearance on the cover of the survey. He would join Bill Drake at KIQQ-FM later in the year along with Robert W. Morgan, The Real Don Steele, and Humble Harve. He later worked at KGIL.
In a tragic conclusion to the story, Jerry Butler took his own life in 1976.
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3 comments:
I can't recall if KHJ played the line "and the colored girl sing" from "Walk on the Wild Side."
So how successful WAS KIQQ-FM with all of that Boss Radio talent Drake brought over? I'm not remembering that much about it.
Steve (if you're still reading this):
KKDJ was the first Top 40 FM in L.A., flipping from automation to live in the spring of '73.
By fall, the lineup was Charlie Tuna mornings, Jay Stevens (ex-KRLA, KFRC and KGB) middays, Russ O'Hara (ex-KRLA) afternoons, Billy Pearl (eventually to be a KHJ jock) evenings, Kris Erik Stevens (ex-WLS late nights) and T. Michael Jordan (ex-KNDE, Sacramento) overnights.
It worked. KKDJ was #12 in the fall '73 Pulse ratings (the only ones from the time that I have access to).
K-100's debut in December, 1973 split the available FM Top 40 audience. Both stations wound up around #26.
By 1975, KKDJ gave up, changing to adult contemporary as KIIS-FM.
K-100 continued as a Top 40 for many years after, but never got much traction. Morgan and Steele both left in 1975 (Morgan for weekends at KMPC, Steele out of radio entirely), as did Jerry Butler (to KGIL).
I think Drake's contract to program the station expired in '76.
Eric Chase held on until 1978, when he crossed the street to KFI, and Jim Carson stayed longer, I believe.
I'm still here, Michael. Thanks for the note.
In late 1973, I started listening more and more to KKDJ at the expense of KHJ. I think I mentioned on another survey comment that I particularly liked KKDJ jock Jeff Salgo, and I was sorry when it switched to KIIS.
But I never really tried K100, even with all that KHJ talent there. I guess I was moving on.
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