Where in Santee? KCBQ Monument

OK, so normally I don't give away the answer to the location right in the headline, but this one's a dead giveaway. Nonetheless, it's worth taking a closer look at this piece of stone commemorating a key piece of Santee nostalgia.

About a year ago, just before Santee Patch opened for business, this monument was installed and dedicated for the classic KCBQ-AM radio station that has been on Santee's and the rest of San Diego's frequency since 1956, and for a long time was one of the most listened to stations in the county.

The dedication was a hoot, as would be expected when and Shotgun Tom Kelly, the wacky 20-year veteran DJ of the station, get together to entertain a crowd. See Youtube video of the dedication in the media box.

The monument reminds me of a tiny monolith, sitting right on the sidewalk on the north side of Mission Gorge in Front of the store that now stands where the station once was.

It features a short history and photos of the studio and it's radio towers in its heyday embedded into the back of the monument, with the names of more than 100 DJs and other on-air staff from the 1958-78 glory days of the station (see photos).

1170 AM lives on even today, though in a conservative talk radio format, and the station lies no where near Santee (actually I think it's in La Jolla now- the Santee of the west, that's what they say, right?).

I still remember seeing the studio as I rode in the car to the when I was a child, and everytime I pass the monument now, those memories come back... and that's the point.