Long long time ago in an Arbitron book far far away in the wilds of Santee, there was once a station that ruled San Diego — and was the model for top forty radio nation wide.
1170 KCBQ with its 50,000 watts of daytime power was the pulse of the county. It was estimated at times the station had a 60-percent audience share. Names like Happy Hare, Neil Ross, Magic Christian, Charlie Tuna, Jack Leonard, Shotgun Tom Kelly are just some of the names that were on the music station between 1958 and 1978.
Starting today, what was once a thought between Shotgun Tom and myself becomes a reality as the base of the monument is being built in front of the Kohl’s parking lot along side Mission Gorge Road in East County. Near what was once the fields that was home to the six 200-foot towers, a fitting tribute will be presented to the public on August 28. The first view will happen at 1170 AM — or 12:10 p.m. — to recognize part of San Diego’s radio history.
Photos of the construction will be posted later in the broadcast day.
Information about monument can be found at KCBQRemembered.net.
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