In 1958, at 9416 Mission Gorge Road, owner Lee Bartell built the KCBQ AM 1170 radio broadcast facility with a 50,000 watt transmitter and six two-hundred foot towers. For many years, KCBQ AM 1170 was San Diego's only 50,000 watt AM radio station. From this location, between 1958 and 1978, many legendary radio personalities broadcast Top 40 music, news, and entertainment to all of San Diego County, and during this period KCBQ AM 1170 became one of the best known and most imitated radio stations in the broadcast industry.