KHJ – September 3, 1980 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
You knew it was going to happen – you thought you forgot about it; time hasn’t stood still. It’s been marching on, constantly since you woke up on New Years Day, with a massive hangover and some vague recollection that another year had come and gone. But this one was an entire decade. It was now the 80’s – and even though you’re nine months into it, it just hit you. Some things take a long time to reach their destination. This one took most of the year.
You’re stunned – you don’t know where the time went. Seems like last week you were still in high school and KHJ was on your radio, glued to your ear. But now you’re in college and somebody just told you that KHJ would be a Country-Western station soon – no more Boss Radio – no more Boss Jocks. Although, to be honest – you stopped listening when you got your first car after graduation and it had an FM radio, like all VW Bugs had. And you fell in love with The Mighty MET, and KHJ was relegated to “emergency listening” status. Still, Boss Radio was your youth – the thing that represented good times and parties. The go-to consoler when things got crazy and out of hand, or when that breakup happened, totally out of the blue. Tunes have always played a big part in your life – you can listen to a song and it can remind you of the exact place and time, even down to what you were wearing and what you were thinking. That’s the power of music. And even though none of your friends liked ABBA, you had all their albums and all their 45’s and you still listen to them in your college dorm room. They were important to you – they helped you lose your virginity (although nobody knows that, and you’ll never tell them) – you still get misty when you hear Fernando – some things never change, probably not ever. Just time.
For a sample of what KHJ was sounding like, weeks before the big format change, here is an hour’s worth of KHJ from September 3, 1980. And don’t forget to visit PayPal when you have a chance and kick a buck or two in so we can keep it going.
Nice to hear an unscoped air check! I listened to KHJ and KIIS while stationed at Norton AFB and living in Redlands CA.
I had worked briefly at WKIX in Raleigh with Rich Dees, so I was partial to him while in CA.