Station: 1170 KCBQ San Diego, California, USA
Format: Top 40
Featured Air Personality: Various
Date of Update: 10.02.2017
Original Post Date: 01.13.2005
Airchexx Entry: 233
Curator’s (Updated) Notes:
KCBQ was in the midst of morphing from what it was in the 60s to what it became – a 70s powerhouse Top 40 station known for its one shotgun jingle, and what became known as the “Q” format. Wikipedia describes the era this way:
KCBQ had been one of the leading AM Top 40 stations in San Diego and was a model for the rest of the nation. KCBQ began broadcasting Top 40 music in the late 1950s and continued with the format through the 1960s and 1970s with great success. The station achieved national prominence in 1972-1973 with its presentation of “The Last Contest,” a promotional and production extravaganza created by program director Jack McCoy. The promotion was later syndicated nationally by TM Productions of Dallas, and KCBQ’s on-air format was widely copied as the “Q format.” KCBQ’s success prompted a substantial number of Top 40 stations to apply to the Federal Communications Commission for new call letters which included the letter Q. During its Top 40 heyday, KCBQ was owned by Bartell Media Corporation.
Today, KCBQ is known as “1170 The Answer“, a Conservative Talk station owned by Christian-based Salem Communications.
This was the very beginning of KCBQ under Buzz Bennett. The idea was to build awareness of the jock staff by giving the audience incentive to recognize the jocks and care who they were.
The jock on this aircheck is Chuck Browning, who’d moved from afternoon drive at KFRC, San Francisco to 9PM-12 Midnight at KHJ, Los Angeles to KCBQ in less than 10 months.
The newscaster is Richard Mock, a San Diego news legend.
Browning did 6-10 AM, Bobby Ocean 10AM-2PM, The Magic Christian 2PM-6PM, Rich Brother Robbin 6PM-10PM. 10-2AM and 2-6AM? Beats me.
the KCBQ “guess who” aircheck is indeed chuck browning, featuring promo’s voiced by bobby ocean and buzz bennett…you’ll note that the chucker did not give his name, as this was prior to the jock announcements — building momentum as “the new Q”…Bennett had taken over programming of KCBQ, coming over from cross town rival KGB, and taking with him much of his former KGB team…among them: Rich brother robbin, christopher cane, and bobby ocean.
Hi…, I worked at KCBQ from 1967 to 1970 as Receptionist, Secretary to Mike Scott, & the National Program Director, & Secretary to Gary Allyn (Music Director). WHAT A BLAST. I started with them when they were @ 7th & Ash & made the move with them to Santee. I’m looking for any ‘Memorabelia’ I can get from those years. Lee ‘Baby’ Simms was my FAV. Love that guy. Part of my job was to call all the Record Stores in S.D. to see what was selling, then submitted the tally to BILLBOARD MAGAZINE every week. I would love to have any of those mags. Any suggetions? I would also like to know if there are any tapes of the ‘On-Air Personalities’ that are up for sale. THOSE WERE DEFINITLY THE ‘GOOD DAYS’…. “Fun-Lovin KCBQ”. Thanks. Billie (Love) Manley
KCBQ had better ratings and staff prior to
Buzz. Of course I’m biased because I was there making it happen. We averaged a 33
share across the board 7 days a week.
Gary Allyn
Absolutely right, Gary!
That’s the story that seldom gets told. Gary was PD and the station was wayyy ahead of its time…a great blend of hits, energy and album attitude.
Buzz’s Q format may have blown KGB out of the water and been a teen monster, but it didn’t touch what came before it, it had no legs (killed off by B-100 in four years) and Buzz himself only lasted one year.
Gary Allyn’s KCBQ indeed outperformed Bennett’s Q format.
Opinion: Allyn understood the importance of personality in the format mix along with album cuts you normally could not hear on top 40.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Sounds like they sped up the turntables a bit. I tried that at a couple of stations as PD; it made the competition sound “sloooowwww”.
a year later Ocean would be back at KGB and Charle Tuna was morning drive on the “Q” having left KHJ when Robert W Morgan returned from Chcago to mornings on KHJ. Tuna left rather than accepting another shift. Due to a non compete clause Charlie could not go on the air in LA. If I recall correctly it was Tuna, Chris Caine, Dave Conely, and Shotgun Tom by day on KCBQ versus Ocean, KO Bayley (Bob Elliot), Gene West, and Jessie Bullet on KGB I forgot the night voices.