Hello, music lovers!

“Hello, music lovers!” is Sam Riddle’s greeting to his nine-a.m.-to-noon listeners on KHJ. More than a generic salutation, its regular return makes it a small signature of the station’s personality-driven broadcasting: a way for a disc jockey’s voice to become recognizable within the city’s daily flow of popular music.

Broadcast Use

The phrase belongs to Riddle’s daytime broadcast, distinct from the early-morning slot in which Robert W. Morgan greets listeners with “Good Morgan, Boss Angeles!” The book places both sayings among the recurring verbal signatures of KHJ’s disc jockeys, whose on-air style helped give the station a lively, locally recognizable identity. Riddle’s greeting is specifically associated with the nine-to-noon audience; it is not presented as a slogan shared by every KHJ host.

KHJ’s On-Air Culture

In the sixties and early seventies, KHJ, known as Boss Radio, built its identity around popular music, energetic disc jockeys, promotional contests, station-sponsored concerts, and a sense of humor. Riddle’s greeting sits within that larger soundscape, where the personalities between records were part of the station’s appeal. The book also notes that KHJ’s reach was not universal: listeners in Watts, Compton, and Inglewood instead heard the soul programming of KJLH. The greeting therefore evokes a prominent Los Angeles radio voice without standing for the city’s entire listening public.

Recurring Catchphrases

Riddle’s greeting appears beside another memorable KHJ running joke: the Real Don Steele’s unexplained reminder that “Tina Delgado is alive!” The contrast is telling. Riddle addresses his audience directly as music lovers, while Steele’s repeated declaration trades on an unanswered question. Together, these catchphrases show how the station’s hosts cultivated distinct on-air identities through phrases listeners could recognize and anticipate.