"Not just any machine will do. 1360 kilocycles on the dial will no longer produce a Top 40 sound. Leibert won the PD of the Year Award in his first year that included a charity ball at San Diego Stadium that attracted more than 51,000 fans. Chuck (Magic) Christian recalls taking the stations dune buggy to the beach for a summer promotion and seeing waves of people flock to the water when the station announced his location on the air. [7] This program uses studios at the KCBQ sales office. Percolator - B. Joe & Checkmates 6 3. I kept his secret for many years, until I learned that he had been outedWhen I entered the dressing room, I was flustered to see that the King had no clothes. The station is airing Food News With Melinda Lee from 8a.m.-noon each Saturday and Sunday, followed by four hours ofComputer News With Jeff Levy both days. This recording was made easier due to Sheridans longtime keyboard player Wolfgang Grasekamp living in La Mesa, another recent transplant to San Diego. The Casbah's pool tables are always in good repair, and one cue-ball clash has become the stuff of local legend. The ghosts finally cornered and killed me, and I screamed out loud. It relays AM 1170 onto 96.1 FM. . He was eager to share details of a new in-store record research method he had recently devised. The titular host of NBC's Milton Berle Show [aka Texaco Star Theater] introduced Elvis Presley to a live audience on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hancock, docked at the Naval Station in San Diego bay. Share. Surveys often had a DJ photo. [citation needed]. Oh, boy, right in my wheelhouse! The air staff included: I nodded a firm no, and that was that. I could go on for days, but Im sure your eyes are glassing over, and anyway, WordPress has a limit on the size of comments. KCBQ received a construction permit for a five-tower array in the area north of Lakeside, not far from the old site, and to increase power to 50,000 watts daytime, 2,900 watts nighttime. By day, KCBQ operates at 50,000 watts, the maximum power for American AM stations. Truth be told, in a weird way, Hare reminded me of my (hero) Grandpa Joe., With his amazing positivity, Hare would often call my house to check in, and share a story or two, or three, or four. This groundbreaking AM radio station has had a complicated history, its many different owners moving the studio about from time to time and playing everything from contemporary music to country music. When I moved back to San Diego ten years ago, there it was in the Atari Lounge.". ", "Just then, a girl's voice cut through the sludgy tones bellowing out of the main room. So I thought, Okay. There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy! (courtesy http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/news/1125upontheroof.html), February 1964: the Beatles taught the world to play. She pushed her hair back behind her ears and sat down at the other end of the game. It was months before I could listen to John's voice without filling up and breaking down. As a radio guy, I loved to see all this stuff. (LogOut/ Listen Now. We also had a sit-down Pac-Man that was hugely popular. [MORE FROM THIS COLLECTION] After Charlie Van Dyke had been fired in November 1971. Dont miss out. . The emergence of the Mighty 690 XTRA (formerly XEAK) with a CHR format led to the permanent departure of KGB from the TOP 40 format in 1982. The price? While Sheridan was at BeatleFair, Humphries talked him into co-writing and recording a song in Mission Hills, 38 Days, which appears on a CD self-released by Humphries. KCBQ San Diego / Happy Hare (Harry Martin) / November 1969 / improved sound - YouTube AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest. . But, that day, he was just a simple kid wanting to help. Valens perished in the same February 1959 plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. ", "So anyway, Eddie and I are playing pool, and I don't know how it came up, but he said 'If I win, I get your bar, if you win, you get my publishing deal.' The station called itself family radio., People often ask me what there was with KCBQ, said James, who went on to a successful career as one of Hollywoods most recognized voices. Chris Cane (9:00 AM 1:00 PM) The same Christopher Cane that was on the KGB staff from 1969 to 1971, then at KCBQ from 1971 through 1973. The boosted power was more of an appeal to ad agencies than an actual reception improvement with virtually all of the signal being shot out over the Pacific Ocean. He was later on air as Hal Martin and eventually ended up as a PD at KFRC. It depends which bra will be leaving my underwear drawer!. A local boy had done good. DARK METAL IN SAN DIEGO - Glorifying Satan (portrayed as an actual anthropomorphic being) is a popular motif and marketing axis for many groups, amusing rock critics as much as it horrifies the PMRC. Since the demise of TVs Star Trek: Enterprise, productions like The Continuing Mission are helping to keep the franchise alive with fresh, new stories.http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/02/star-trek-the-continuing-mission-interview. Gray Whale at Cabrillo by CarlGlowienke. Most notably among these is Happy Hare (Harry Martin) who was a titan of the airwaves of KCBQ in the 1950s, 60s, an early 70s. No identification was made to KGB. In 1951, KCBQ moved its studios to the Imig Manor Hotel (now the Lafayette) on El Cajon Blvd. The station returned to 50,000 watts on Monday, June 4, 2007. There will be finger foods and the bar will be open at 7pm. Don Dale left in June and Jesse Bullett moved to the graveyard shift. I recall the BBC showed Help! The day after the second San Diego date -- April 6 -- Presley signed a seven-year movie deal with Paramount. "Eddie Vedder and I played a game of pool many, many years ago," owner Mays told Bart Mendoza. I never got my radio gig, but there are a lot of happy memories there. For a group of well-traveled disc jockeys, working in a business that is transient by nature, mention of radio station KCBQ evokes memories of a golden era, a time when they were No. KCBQ Dex Allen - 1968 / Happy Hare - November 1969 / composite. Includes former Grateful Dead/Owsley sound guy Jimbo James, Jeff Kelley of Price of Dope and more. Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 06:31, Learn how and when to remove this template message, http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-07-19.pdf, "The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, California & National News", "MarketInk: Andrea Kaye Pursuing Her Dream as a Radio Talk Show", "Salem Media Applies for North County Translators", "KCBQ/San Diego Adds FM Translator Simulcast in North County", "Query the Broadcast Database for K241CT". A detailed Wikipedia article can be found here. The flashing screen lit up her perfect pale features as we played. "I've had enough complaints from parents to assure me that twerp is not doing the kids any good." Humphries appearance at the 2003 Beatlefair allowed him to meet and play with another figure from the Beatles past, Tony Sheridan, for whom the fab four played on their first-ever recording My Bonnie, credited to Tony Sheridan And the Silver Beetles. (LogOut/ The top 40 era of KGB was about to end as a progressive rock era was about to begin, but not before more staff changes occurred. He asked forlittle and put everything he had into his radio work to help makeradio a better, decent place for all of us.. We were ahead of our time. (Wanna bet it wont show up at San Diegos gay pride parade, asKSON has done?) http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/02/the-ob-ranger-return-of-a-70s-counterculture-hero, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/02/local-jock-says-he-was-stalked-a-real-life-play-me, http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/news/1125upontheroof.html, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/02/star-trek-the-continuing-mission-interview, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/, http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic. Asking a guy in his middle 40s about KCBQ is like asking about the 60s. Berle/Melvin then takes credit for all the hip-wiggling, saying "I gave him his singing style - I used to drop grasshoppers down his pants.". Favorite 2 Add to Repost. It was one of the first rock stations in the country. When Presley was scheduled to return to the Arena June 6, Police Chief Adam Elmer Jansen (the city's longest-serving Chief, at 14 years) had had enough. Bobby Ocean (6-9AM) returned in October after quitting the business (but finding that digging ditches did not pay the bills). He was on staff in 1966-67 under the name of Bob Elliott. There were a lot of names on that plaque that took me back, though deafening by his absence is Harry Happy Hare Martin, but some have a special significance for me. Maybe. Bonnie and I Took the baby in one night to introduce her, and Jon Foxx came out of the studio and cooed and tickled, then went back on the air and announced that he was playing the hits with Bonnie Tylers baby. Not sure what listeners made of that, but we knew I was there during 10,000 Winners in 28 Days! I carried around a box of prize envelopes, and gave one to everyone I encountered who had an I Q in my Car bumper sticker. He now uses the air name of Paul Christy in Houston where he is currently on KHMX. Powered by the incessantly upbeat announcing of Ralph James, Don Howard, Jim OLeary, Earl McRoberts, Jack Vincent and Harry (Happy Hare) Martin, the station soon became the most popular in the city, earning as much as 40% of the audience during some time periods, according to several surveys. In December, 1955, the Bartell radio chain purchased KCBQ-AM and switched it from traditional block programming--an hour of country music, an hour of classic music, etc.--to the music of hot youngsters such as Elvis Presley. Buzz Bennett had contacted him to come to KCBQ. Johnny served as Interim Program Director while Bobby Ocean did a little jail time after failing to show up for National Guard duty. K.O. Charlie Van Dyke took over as Program Director. The success wasnt so much the music but the guys who worked there and how they integrated themselves with the community.. In 1958, here at 9416 Mission Gorge Road, then owner Lee Bartell built the KCBQ AM 1170 radio broadcast facility with its 50,000 watt transmitter and six two-hundred foot towers. instead of a DJ, and contained the lyrics of a current hit. Nobody feels great about it.. LOCAL RADIO HISTORY PART 1: JIM McINNES - THE LAST DJ - DJ Jim McInnes spent 28 years in radio before being fired for the first time a few years ago by Clear Channel/101.5 KGB FM. The Drake radio network began experimenting with the format and decided to drop all references to Boss, the name they had branded their format since the beginning. Johnny Mitchell (Paul Stelljes) (3-6 PM) arrived in March from KYNO Fresno where he had been PD and did the afternoon drive shift under the name of Harry Miller. He actually beat everybody he played that night. See, in late 77, early 78 I attended the KCBQ Broadcast Workshop where I knew and took classes under a number of these guys. The site was demolished and the transmitter site moved even further east to relatively undeveloped Lakeside, sharing towers with Family Radio's KECR 910. Humphries moved to San Diego in 1996, but at one time the native of Durham City in northeast England was known as someone on the periphery of the Beatles story and as the man rejected by Apple Records [four times] more than anyone else alive.. Colorful photos of San Diego places and events. (The station struggled during the FM revolutionand eventually became a conservative talk station.). from ebay When I first met Buzz Bennett, he was Program Director at WTIX in New Orleans. Compatibility Mechanical: 64 Bit (x64) With the rooftop of Mariposa Ice Cream on Adams Avenue doubling as the Saville Row offices of Apple Records, and DJ Dave Mason making introductions, the Baja Bugs recreated the Beatles infamous rooftop concert, throwing in an extra set's worth of their tunes, while the Dave Humphries Band entertained played material from their various albums, as well as some choice covers from the Beatles' solo years. 6085 Beckhorn Rd Hector, NY 14841. Its the songs themselves that are in alphabeticalorder, not the bands. Ritchie didnt seem to mind. Do You Wanna Know A Secret and Love Me Do dominated the U.S. charts in the wake of the groups U.S. landing. 1979. Humphries' shares his recollection of the night John Lennon died, 28 years ago next week, on December 8, 1980: "It was just like another normal December morning in Durham, northeast England, cloudy and a little cold. 11; 1 month ago; KCBQ Dex Allen - 1968 / Happy Hare - November 1969 / composite by Retro Radio Joe. The station reintroduced the weekly survey as the 13K Connection of singles and albums using the same tri-fold design as the old Boss 30.b 6 The cover featured a recording artist He sang two songs that I recall, Donna and La Bamba, and some other newer songs, all on the red clay, in the broiling sun, for the better part of an hour., Many kids broke into impromptu dancing and that egged Ritchie on. Rule 1: Its never my fault. As program director, he gave the staff books on self-motivation and regularly preached to them about believing in themselves. luckyharebrewing@gmail.com. "One time I was in the Atari Lounge by myself, and I was sitting at the Ms. Pac-Man and searching my pockets for a quarter. Those studios are dedicated in 1957 with a live broadcast from an outdoor stage featuring the music of Bill Green's Big Band. KCBQ Vet Ralph James is featured with a Lambada gag before Ralph The Rapper and Harry The Hipper perform a "rap". Bayley (9-Noon) arrived in July to replace Christopher Cane who went to KCBQ. THE CASBAHS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATE IN THE ATARI LOUNGE, The Casbahs 20th Anniversary celebration continues Rosey at http://www.sddialedin.com is selling merch at most shows, and she says the Anniversary shirts are selling out fast, so make sure you get there to get one, or order direct from Rosey ----, The Anniversary events arent all musical, tho fer instance, longtime local photog Sean McMullen will have a showing at the Casbah this weekend ----, Dialed-in Rosey reports The photography includes shots of Creedle, Interpol, X, Spoon, Mooney Suzuki, Celebration, El Vez, Devo + more. Believe it or not, that actually got me laid, and that score should add a million to my Pac-Man points." [10] The FM transmitter's power is 0.25 kilowatts directional, and is only received in the North County area, in order to avoid co-channel interference with KYDO, which has used the 96.1 frequency since 2013. Here are some related links: OVERHEARD IN SAN DIEGO - Several years' worth of this comic strip, which debuted in the Reader in 1996: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/, FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS - Over 100 comic strips online, with mini-bios of famous San Diegans: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/, SAN DIEGO READER MUSIC MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic, JAY ALLEN SANFORD MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jayallensanford. Today, the station broadcasts almost complete wall-to-wall syndication, however, the station still has sales offices in the University City area. Professional_Spot_26 2 hr. Bartell Family Radio bought KCBQ in 1955 and dropped the CBS affiliation as network radio was losing its luster in the face of competition from television. Alternative cover. And there were some people hanging out in the back playing pool. Thanks to George Junak of California Aircheck. This any many other airchecks are available on the Classic Issue C-8 CD available from California Aircheck. ], 2009 REELRADIO, Inc. All Rights Reserved, TOP STREAM 450Kbps (G2 compatible REALVIDEO), Happy Hare, KCBQ San Diego, March 1, 1990 (VIDEO), Happy Hare, KCBQ San Diego, March 1, 1990 (AUDIO). Elvis' sexually-charged "singing style" was no joke to San Diego police, however. Setup Size: 8.9 GB. KCBQ was still difficult to hear more than about 20 miles to the north at night. He immediately said yes, no doubt thinking that anyone this audacious must be important., There was no opposition from the school, all were thrilled that I could get someone with two or three songs on the Hit Parade. When Hare picked up Valens at the airport, the rising rock star emerged from the plane with his guitar slung around his neck and carrying a small amp. But being loyal to the Drake organization, he offered them first shot and they placed him in the afternoon drive at KGB. 13:06. 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