KOGO
Encyclopedia
KOGO is a talk
radio station
in San Diego, California
. One of seven San Diego owned and operated Clear Channel Communications
radio stations, KOGO's main focus is local and syndicated talk show
s. At 5,000 watt
s day and night, the AM signal is one of the strongest in the region. The signal pattern generally follows the coast from the transmitter site in San Diego, with reception good to Santa Barbara
and beyond. KOGO night time pattern: Because of the power of the station, KOGO is one of the primary Emergency Alert System
stations for the San Diego radio market. The station is the first, and the only AM radio station, in the San Diego market to broadcast in HD Radio
. KOGO programming began simulcasting on KUSS 95.7 FM November 7, 2011.
In 1939 KFSD was slated to move from the U.S. Grant to a former country club east of downtown, the country club was called "Emerald Hills". But the station did not move until 1948, due to the proximity of Emerald Hills to the Chollas Naval towers. In 1948 when KFSD moved to Emerald Hills, the facility was outfitted with the finest equipment money could buy. (It was primarily RCA.) Emerald Hills was built to completely house KFSD (studios, transmitter, and offices). From Emerald Hills San Diego's first FM station signed on the air in 1948 KFSD-FM 94.1.
In 1953 KFSD-TV became the second TV station to sign on the air in San Diego, it signed on at channel 10 on the VHF band. In 1961 600 KFSD was changing formats, so it was decided to change the call letters. The owners at the time fed facts about San Diego and its people into a new device called a computer, the computer was then asked to give them the perfect call letters for this station. The computer gave them the call letters KOGO. In 1961 the San Diego legend known as KOGO was born.
In 1972 Time Life Broadcasting (owners of KFSD KOGO since 1961) sold the combo, but due to FCC regulations at the time the stations had to be split off. 600 KOGO was sold to Retlaw (Walter spelled backwards) which was Disney's Broadcast division. Channel 10 was sold to McGraw Hill Publishing and the call letters were changed to KGTV (which stands for KOGO-TV). 94.1 got back the call letters of KFSD, but was sold many times over, but was primarily a classical station. 94.1 changed call letters to KFSD, then KXGL (for the Eagle), then to KJQY (for KJOY), and finally to KMYI
(formerly My 94.1, now Star 94.1). 600 was changed to "KOGO radio 60", then to "KOGO radio 6", then to "KOGO radio 6, the radio magazine".
The Shatucks took over KOGO and 106.5 KPRI, and ran both of the stations into the ground by 1982. In 1983 both stations changed call letters to KLZZ AM/FM (went under the name Class FM/AM). KLZZ flopped, and that is when Edens Broadcasting bought the stations and turned both of them into CHR
stations Q-106 (KKLQ AM/FM). In the early 90's Par Broadcasting bought the stations and separated the AM from the FM. Par bought back the call letters KOGO for 600. The KOGO call letters, during the hiatis, were on 1590 AM in Ventura, California. At that time, 1590 was owned by Jack Woods (formerly Charlie of Charlie and Harrigan on KFMB and KCBQ). In 1997, Par Broadcasting sold its San Diego stations to Jacor
/Citicasters, who in turn merged with Clear Channel in 1999. KOGO was reunited with its original FM sister in 1998 when Jacor/Citicasters purchased the radio properties of Nationwide Communications
.
Today Emerald Hills is still the home of the KOGO transmitter, and its two-tower directional array. The KOGO towers are twin 416 foot self-supported Ideco towers. The original 1948 RCA BTA-5F 5 kilowatt transmitter is still in place. The BTA-5F was designed by John Vassos
, the father of American art deco
design, the 5F was named "The Train" by Vassos, as it looked like a train speeding by. The KOGO RCA BTA-5F is one of the last complete 5F in its original install. Most of the others have either been destroyed, partially scrapped, or put into private collections. The 1170 KCBQ BTA-5F was scrapped and most of the parts given to KOGO, the pieces of KCBQ's transmitter are still at KOGO for the BTA-5F. There are 4 remaining complete RCA BTA-5F's; AM 600 KOGO San Diego, KRKD/KIIS-AM (Brad Hollander collection), WFIL-AM (Mike Dorrough collection),WIBW Topeka.
and football
programs. However, some basketball games are transferred to KLSD
if the football team is also playing at the same time, or if it a weekday early-evening game on the West Coast.
KOGO carried San Diego Padres
games from the team's debut in the NL in 1969 through 1978, then again in the early 2000s, before losing the rights to XEPRS-AM "the Mighty 1090" in 2003.
, which the service uses for emergency
information.
Non-fire programming returned on the night of October 24 at 11 p.m. with the syndicated Coast to Coast
with George Noory
.
. It was also disclosed that some newscasts in the evening were "taped".
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. One of seven San Diego owned and operated Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
radio stations, KOGO's main focus is local and syndicated talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s. At 5,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s day and night, the AM signal is one of the strongest in the region. The signal pattern generally follows the coast from the transmitter site in San Diego, with reception good to Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and beyond. KOGO night time pattern: Because of the power of the station, KOGO is one of the primary Emergency Alert System
Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
stations for the San Diego radio market. The station is the first, and the only AM radio station, in the San Diego market to broadcast in HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
. KOGO programming began simulcasting on KUSS 95.7 FM November 7, 2011.
History
AM 600 KOGO was originally licensed on June 30, 1925, at 1220 kilocycles at 250 watts from the top of the U.S. Grant Hotel. The call letters in 1925 were KFVW. In 1926 the call letters were changed to KFSD and the station moved down the dial to 620. KFSD stood for First in San Diego, as the station was the first commercially licensed station in San Diego. (KFBC/KGB was an amateur station that was not full time.) In 1928 the station was facing bankruptcy, so it was sold to Thomas Sharp (who founded Sharp Health Care in San Diego). In 1931 KFSD became an affiliate of the NBC Blue Network.In 1939 KFSD was slated to move from the U.S. Grant to a former country club east of downtown, the country club was called "Emerald Hills". But the station did not move until 1948, due to the proximity of Emerald Hills to the Chollas Naval towers. In 1948 when KFSD moved to Emerald Hills, the facility was outfitted with the finest equipment money could buy. (It was primarily RCA.) Emerald Hills was built to completely house KFSD (studios, transmitter, and offices). From Emerald Hills San Diego's first FM station signed on the air in 1948 KFSD-FM 94.1.
In 1953 KFSD-TV became the second TV station to sign on the air in San Diego, it signed on at channel 10 on the VHF band. In 1961 600 KFSD was changing formats, so it was decided to change the call letters. The owners at the time fed facts about San Diego and its people into a new device called a computer, the computer was then asked to give them the perfect call letters for this station. The computer gave them the call letters KOGO. In 1961 the San Diego legend known as KOGO was born.
In 1972 Time Life Broadcasting (owners of KFSD KOGO since 1961) sold the combo, but due to FCC regulations at the time the stations had to be split off. 600 KOGO was sold to Retlaw (Walter spelled backwards) which was Disney's Broadcast division. Channel 10 was sold to McGraw Hill Publishing and the call letters were changed to KGTV (which stands for KOGO-TV). 94.1 got back the call letters of KFSD, but was sold many times over, but was primarily a classical station. 94.1 changed call letters to KFSD, then KXGL (for the Eagle), then to KJQY (for KJOY), and finally to KMYI
KMYI
KMYI is a commercial radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasting on 94.1 FM and in HD Radio. KMYI airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Star 94.1".-History:...
(formerly My 94.1, now Star 94.1). 600 was changed to "KOGO radio 60", then to "KOGO radio 6", then to "KOGO radio 6, the radio magazine".
The Shatucks took over KOGO and 106.5 KPRI, and ran both of the stations into the ground by 1982. In 1983 both stations changed call letters to KLZZ AM/FM (went under the name Class FM/AM). KLZZ flopped, and that is when Edens Broadcasting bought the stations and turned both of them into CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
stations Q-106 (KKLQ AM/FM). In the early 90's Par Broadcasting bought the stations and separated the AM from the FM. Par bought back the call letters KOGO for 600. The KOGO call letters, during the hiatis, were on 1590 AM in Ventura, California. At that time, 1590 was owned by Jack Woods (formerly Charlie of Charlie and Harrigan on KFMB and KCBQ). In 1997, Par Broadcasting sold its San Diego stations to Jacor
Jacor
Jacor Communications was a media corporation which owned a large number of radio stations in the United States. Inside the radio industry, Jacor was seen as one of the most competitive broadcast companies in history. Jacor's re-image in 1996 created the slogan "The Noise You Can't Ignore".Jacor was...
/Citicasters, who in turn merged with Clear Channel in 1999. KOGO was reunited with its original FM sister in 1998 when Jacor/Citicasters purchased the radio properties of Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio...
.
Today Emerald Hills is still the home of the KOGO transmitter, and its two-tower directional array. The KOGO towers are twin 416 foot self-supported Ideco towers. The original 1948 RCA BTA-5F 5 kilowatt transmitter is still in place. The BTA-5F was designed by John Vassos
John Vassos
John Vassos was a noted American industrial designer and graphic designer.Vassos was born in Romania to Greek parents, and moved when young to Istanbul, Turkey, where he drew political cartoons for his father's newspaper...
, the father of American art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
design, the 5F was named "The Train" by Vassos, as it looked like a train speeding by. The KOGO RCA BTA-5F is one of the last complete 5F in its original install. Most of the others have either been destroyed, partially scrapped, or put into private collections. The 1170 KCBQ BTA-5F was scrapped and most of the parts given to KOGO, the pieces of KCBQ's transmitter are still at KOGO for the BTA-5F. There are 4 remaining complete RCA BTA-5F's; AM 600 KOGO San Diego, KRKD/KIIS-AM (Brad Hollander collection), WFIL-AM (Mike Dorrough collection),WIBW Topeka.
Sports
KOGO is the official broadcast home for the San Diego State Aztecs basketballCollege basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
programs. However, some basketball games are transferred to KLSD
KLSD
KLSD is a sports station based in San Diego, California. The sports programming began on November 12, 2007. Previously, KLSD's format was progressive talk radio....
if the football team is also playing at the same time, or if it a weekday early-evening game on the West Coast.
KOGO carried San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
games from the team's debut in the NL in 1969 through 1978, then again in the early 2000s, before losing the rights to XEPRS-AM "the Mighty 1090" in 2003.
California wildfires
During the California wildfires of October 2007, news, information and talk from KOGO was simulcast on every other station in the San Diego area owned by Clear Channel from the night of October 21 to the evening of October 24. KOGO dropped all commercial breaks during this period. KOGO was also simulcast on channel 247 of XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
, which the service uses for emergency
Emergency
An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
information.
Non-fire programming returned on the night of October 24 at 11 p.m. with the syndicated Coast to Coast
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
with George Noory
George Noory
George Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
.
News
In May 2009, KOGO's newscasts outside of morning and early evening, were being produced by Los Angeles' KFIKFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
. It was also disclosed that some newscasts in the evening were "taped".