Obituary
Ken Jones, 90
Ken Jones, who founded the predecessor to KPBS in San Diego, died Oct. 23 [2009] in that city. He was 90.
While a speech communications professor at San Diego State College (now university) in the 1950s, Jones began work to launch a campus educational radio station. KEBS went on the air Sept.12, 1960, operating initiallly for two-and-a-half hours on weekdays. KEBS added a TV station in 1967; the call letters changed to KPBS in 1970.
“More than anybody else, Ken Jones brought public radio and television to San Diego,” KPBS’s first general manager, John Witherspoon, said in a statement. “Before NPR and PBS were created, Ken saw the potential of this kind of broadcasting.” Tom Karlo, g.m. of the station today, called Jones “the father of KPBS.”
Jones was born in April 1919 in Pittsburgh. He served as a radio officer in the Army during World War II and graduated from Northwestern University. He earned his master’s from Stanford. He arrived in San Diego in 1948.
He is survived his wife Marian, four sons and four grandchildren.
A memorial celebration was scheduled for Nov. 21 at the station. The family suggests that memorial donations be made to KPBS, 5200 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92115.
Web page posted Dec. 2, 2009
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