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Ken Leighton

Ken Leighton is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Brick runs dry

Ooops. Hey Dave what public records are you talking about? The ABC just told me "there is no such thing as a one year suspension." Who told you that? The ABC says they get their license back as soon as they get caught up with the sales tax the Board of Equalization says they owe. Then the ABC will return the license. It is suspended indefinitely, not for one year or any other time period. Also, while I am sure outside promoters would love Samantha from Bewitched to just twitch her nose and make a new all age venue just pop up, those independent promoters don't pay things like rent, payroll, energy bills, liquor/beer companies and sales tax. Bar sales pays the bills. Of course it would be good if Brick could simply start staging all age shows until they can get their liquor license back, but I am told that would not work...that they would have to surrender their 48 license and reapply with the city to become an all age music venue.
— January 15, 2014 3:31 p.m.

Another reggae casualty

This was not cut from original article, but it may be interesting to some. Brunch with Bob and Friends hosted by Tommy Hough is now aired Sunday mornings on low-powered Rez Radio, KOPA 91.3 FM. KOPA is hard to receive outside the Pala Indian Reservation. Reggae Makossa now airs Tuesday nights at 7 pm on a Tijuana-based station at 102.5 FM. And anyone with a high definition radio receiver can listen to 94/9's “San Diego Bob Radio,” an all reggae/all the time format launched two months ago. But so-called HD radio signals have yet to make an impression among radio listeners.
— January 8, 2014 9:46 p.m.

Sun Diego drops in on Nineteen Nineteen

I wrote the article. It seems like Village Tenant and Sage of Santee both have some relevant information. Of course the City of Carlsbad has historically had an issue with loud and unruly bars over the last 15 years or so. And there were in fact problems with both the Ocean House and Niemans as far as violence and underage kids etc. But part of the story that got edited out was a quote from Carlsbad City Councilman Keith Blackburn. One of his quotes was to the effect that he didn't see that having Sun Diego in the Twin Inns building would have any more or less historic significance than Ocean House. BUT he did say that he loves the Belly Up and why wouldn't Carlsbad want to have a Belly Up style venue? But he said only if problems with parking and noise were resolved (meaning there weren't any) and that it didn't have any problems like its bar predecessors did, would he support it. Village Tenant's assertion that city leaders would automatically be against a "Belly Up North" is simply not true. Blackburn also said that he didn't think the City of Carlsbad could actually do anything to stop a Sun Diego in the Twin Inns even if it wanted to be there since zoning in that area would not preclude it, and that city government can not tell an entity it has to take less in rent. Based on the overwhelming social media response to the article, I would suggest Sun Diego's biggest problem would not be with the City of Carlsbad but with the citizens of Carlsbad. No one seems to care that Sun Diego is in its current Premium Outlet location in Carlsbad. But boy is there some strong reaction against opening one in Twin Inns. In fairness it should be noted that the building is owned by a Santa Barbara company, but that Sun Diego is actually headquartered in Carlsbad and its principal owner David Nash is a regular at local establishments.
— October 7, 2013 1:18 p.m.

The rise of 91X, the demise of its original DJs

Nor lets not forget the bigger-than-life Find the X contest....Or Sunday night original music godheads Lou Niles and Marco Collins...Or the Sheep People station promos or any of the other great station promos created by Kevin Stapleford. Don't forget underrated DJs Tom Perry, Pam Wolfe or The Rossman. The 91X legacy was so huge that within a few years it triggered the launch of "The Flash" (92.5 FM) which was basically capitalizing on the 91x music from its first five years or so in operation (hence the Flash-back part of the name). If you notice, KPRI relies heavily on much of that 91X heritage library form the 80s in its playlist today. What is interesting is that the folks who organized the 91X tribute concert at the House of Blues earlier this year did not bother to invite Makeda or Erik Thompson to the 30 year reunion show. Not cool. Sidebar 1: I was actually part of the Howard Stern show. When that show came to 91X in 1994 they invited the local writers down to the station to interview Howard from a live remote they had set up in the 91X studios. It was the first day his show was syndicated to San Diego. I was writing for the Escondido Times-Advocate at the time. Because I had already been listening to Howard via KLSX-FM from L.A. I knew more about Howard than some of the other local writers. I knew what made him tick. I knew what he wanted. My first question: "Howard you are number one in uptight urban cities like New York and Washington DC. But here in San Diego we are generally happier and not so tightly wound. What makes you think a whiny, uptight Hebrew from New York can relate to us here in San Diego as well as you do in those East Coast cities." After a short pause...."You are one of the three most annoying people on the planet..." Someone wrote about it in Blurt. If you remember, the Stern show used to be carried on the E! network. An E! crew was here taping that "press conference". We were on the radio but for whatever reason that footage never made it on E! TV. Sidebar 2: Did you know that Detroit DJ Mike Halloran and UCSD student DJ Robin Roth started at 91X on the same day in 1986? Sidebar 3: Did you remember when, after Stern moved from Mexican station 91x to U.S. station Rock 105.3, there was a furor over Stern's bawdy comments on the airwaves. Chris Cantore who was doing mornings on 91X (he replaced Stern) was interviewed by the U-T at the time and Cantore had this big dramatic rap (paraphrasing) "We have to be so careful with the FCC,...etc." When in fact 91X was a Mexican station and has no dealings with the FCC regarding content. But the U-T ate up this fake concern with a fork and spoon. Sidebar 4: Differences between 91X and KROQZ: 91X played a lot more Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry. 91X played Tom Petty, KROQ did not. KROQ had Rodney Biggenheimer and its regular lineup (Jed the Fish, Poorman) who were a lot more out there than the 91X guys were.
— August 29, 2013 2:28 p.m.

Drummer found dead

The bad blood referenced refers to true fact that I wrote an article in April about how Purple Church took off with $300 that was intended for headliner Gypsyhawk at a Griffin show. Sorry, but it was a funny, good story. I was called with the tip. I didn't go looking for it. It is my understanding that Prince and the rest of the band hated me for that article because, I am told, it didn't make them look good to other bands. They initially indicated they were not going to pay it back. I think if I had ill will, I would not have reached out to Gypsyhawk to see if the matter was cleared up (it was and I reported it so). Sorry, but I just don't think any reasonable person can find any ill will in this article. If you want to say I'm a bad guy for even doing the article at all, tell that to every reporter. Somebody who I had written about twice before died at age 25. Jay Allen Sanford pretty well described that above.
— August 9, 2013 12:26 p.m.

Which Bad Company is your Bad Company?

I don't think Van Halen w/ Hagar was more successful that Van Halen with Roth if you consider record sales and size of concert tours. The quote about Rock 105 playing the same songs over and over was Mr. Pedro's quote. And he might have a good point. Yes KGB may play the same 600 or 800 classic rock songs over and over, but the current cuts played by KIOZ/Rock 105 (meaning the current artists with current Billboard chart success) may be repeated every eight or 12 hours or so, while any given KGB track may take 2 or 3 days to repeat. Of course deeper cuts would be better. But we have to accept the fact that KGB is just not going to play Mott The Hoople, Traffic, Quicksilver or rarer Stones. That's why god made Pandora and satellite radio. Any way, just wondering, what was the dumb question??
— July 11, 2013 2:56 p.m.

John Moores: Radio King?

As it turns out, the staff of FM-94/9 was told that yes, Moores did in fact make an offer for 94/9, but that it was way too low and Moores was told no thank you. No word form the 91X folks. But it is clear that Moores wlll be making more offers. Maybe even to Lincoln Financial (94/9) again.
— June 8, 2013 2:52 p.m.

John Moores: Radio King?

The reality is that some major cities like New York and Phoenix have NO alternative stations. San Diego has two. PLUS KPRI and Rock 105 play many of the same songs that 91X and 949 play. It could be argued that there are just many modern rock stations. It''s different when 94/9 had an adventuresome playlist and sounded a lot different than 91-X. Not so much now. Another point though is that San Diego just isn't all that into sports compared to other more urban cities that do support sports on FM. It also should be noted that the FM sports in San Francisco has not done that well. The ESPN feed on 98.9 a few years ago is not a valid example because it was just a satellite feed. Mighty 1090 is mostly local and they have a full staff of talented, live and local personalities. I think that Moores is buoyed by the fact that his stations have never sounded better, they are doing well in the ratings, and he kind of likes this radio thing. And oh yeah, he has the scratch to keep his dream rolling. He is doing this, by the way, in a very professional and quiet way. I am sure he didn't want this article out. He will jump on the right station when it makes sense. He isn't so hungry to take over new stations that he will jump on a deal that doesn't make sense. Another possibility is that Moores may just want to move his two stations to different FM signals and just give up on BCA altogether which includes FM 105.7 and 1090 and 1700 AM. The later station is completely worthless. You can't get it in North County. 1090 has a huge So Cal signal, but it barely moves the ratings needle in L.A. Don't know how much ad money he gets because 1090 gets into L.A. One thing for sure, with radio getting harder and harder to be profitable (with Sirius XM and Pandora etc) you clearly don't want that additional monkey on your back known as the Mexican PSA.
— June 6, 2013 12:58 p.m.

John Moores: Radio King?

It needs to be made clear that Moores does not own Walrus 105.7 or Mighty 1090. They are Mexican stations and US nationals can not own Mexican radio stations. What Moores is doing now and what the Viejas tribe did before him is actually lease the stations from a Mexican owner who simply collects a lease fee from Moores. Moores does call the shots as if he was the owner, deciding what format the station will adopt. If he were to take over 94/9 which an American station, he could lease it or buy it outright. If he were to take over 91X by itself or along with its two sister stations (Magic 92.5 and Z-90), he would have to lease them as well since they are also Mexican stations. I would predict Mr. Moores will get expand his local radio footprint and that it would be announced this year. Folks I have talked to say that Walrus has never sounded better with the addition of legendary DJ Rich Brother Robbin. It is my personal opinion that Mighty 1090 (which just bought a ton of TV ads) is also sounding great except that Scott and BR should go back to mornings. The only reason they aren't is because Scott Kaplan thinks there is value in UT-TV which uses him as a morning host. I agree with his partner Billy Ray Smith who apparently thinks there is no point to UT-TV. Smith walked away from UT-TV after co-hosting the morning show with Kaplan for a few months. If Moores moves either the Walrus or 1090 to an American FM, their listeners would no longer have to put up with those awful commercials the Mexican government makes all Mexican stations run. You know, the ones that tell you you shouldn't vote for someone in exchange for a pound of beans.
— June 5, 2013 2:02 p.m.

Rhymes to fight

As you wish. You said you had a few questions for Ken. I think I answered them.
— May 23, 2013 2:53 p.m.

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Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

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