KDKA (AM)

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History

KDKA started broadcasting on November 2, 1920 as the world's first commercial radio station. It also claims to be the first radio station broadcasting on a regular schedule. That claim is complicated by the fact that radio prior to 1920 was mostly experimental and good records are not kept for all "experimental" signals of contesting stations.

KDKA's roots began with the efforts of Frank Conrad who operated KDKA's predecessor 75 watt 8XK from the Pittsburgh suburb of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania from 1916. Conrad's musical offerings proved unexpectedly popular and his operations continued until his employer, the Westinghouse Electric Company, realized the potential of this new medium and applied for an official broadcasting license. The KDKA callsign was assigned sequentially from a list maintained for the use of US-registry maritime stations, and on November 2, 1920, KDKA broadcasted the US presidential election returns from a Westinghouse building in East Pittsburgh. There is some indication that the new license had not been received by that date, and the station may have gone online with the experimental call sign of 8ZZ that night. The original broadcast was said to be heard as far away as Canada.

The first broadcast of KDKA was from a shack located on the roof of a Westinghouse building in East Pittsburgh. The radio station continued to broadcast there for many months. The station continued to get upgrades and increased range, and within five years received reception reports from as far away as Australia and Antarctica.

In the 1920's KDKA played popular music and in 1921 had the first broadcasts of major league professional baseball games. KDKA also hosted political comedian Will Rogers, in his very first radio appearance in 1922. Advertisers began sponsoring special radio programs on KDKA like The Philco Hour, The Maxwell House Hour and The Wrigley Party.

In the 1930's, KDKA began the "Uncle Ed" Schaughency show. They also carried up-to-the-minute coverage of a flood that buried downtown Pittsburgh under water, all the way to Wood Street. KDKA also played popular big band and jazz music every morning as well as run the KDKA Farm Hour.

In the 1940's, KDKA Radio aired the shocking news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and in 1946, KDKA provided live coverage of the inauguration of David L. Lawrence as Pittsburgh Mayor as well as presidential and governors' inaugurations. By the end of the decade the musical and comedy team of "Buzz & Bill", Buzz Aston and Bill Hinds aired.

In the 1950's, Uncle Ed turned his focus to news and a creative guy named Rege Cordic found entertaining ways to wake up Pittsburgh radio listeners. The "Cordic & Company" morning show, featuring a team of bright and innovative people, gave birth to today's "morning team" radio format.

The 1950's also saw a strong shift to all-local programming at KDKA as national network shows were moving over to television. Art Pallan and Bob Tracey became household names on the KDKA airwaves, playing the popular music of the day. In 1951, a talented couple named Ed & Wendy King launched the first radio talk show, "Party Line." Phone lines were flooded with calls for Ed and Wendy King's "Party Line" program, for its nearly 21-year run. In 1956, a young newsman, Bill Steinbach, began his legendary 36 year career at KDKA. Within a matter of years, Steinbach was anchor of the award-winning 90-to-6, Pittsburgh's most trusted news program. KDKA embraced rock and roll music as well as artists like Bill Haley, Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and many others mixed with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Peggy Lee, and others. By 1960 KDKA leaned toward rock an roll.

In the 1960's, KDKA was there for the highs and lows, from the Pirates' thrilling 1960 World Series win, to the tragic assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Sen. Robert Kennedy. As rock-and-roll swept the nation, "Your Pal" Pallan played the hit songs and KDKA brought you the sounds of screaming crowds as the Beatles arrived in Pittsburgh in 1964. Other artists heard included Four Seasons, The Vogues, Lou Christie, Beach Boys, Hollies, Supremes, Four Tops, Turtles, and others. After 11 years of waking Pittsburghers with laughter, Rege Cordic moved onto new opportunities in Los Angeles. In 1968, Jack Bogut was named the KDKA morning host, a position he held for 15 years. One of Bogut's most memorable contributions to KDKA was his coining of the term "Farkleberry", which is now a staple of the annual Children's Hospital campaign.

By the early 1970's, KDKA moved to more of an adult contemporary sound mixing the rock and roll hits of the 1960's with what was then today's soft rock. Artists like America, Carpenters, Doobie Brothers, Paul Simon, Dawn, Neil Diamond, and others became core artists. The 6 to 9 a.m. and the 4 to 7 p.m. slots added more news and features and music was cut to about 4 to 6 songs per hour. The station kept about 12 songs an hour during the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m daypart. In 1973, KDKA added an evening talk show from 9 p.m. to midnight weeknights. John Cigna became the talk show host and urged listeners to "buy American!" Meanwhile, in 1974, KDKA added overnight talk programming with Perry Marshall which was known as the "Marshall's Office". In 1975, KDKA became a talk station nearly 12 hours a day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. weeknights when Roy Fox signed on as the 6 to 9 p.m. talk host. Music continued during the day with alot of news and information mixed in. By now KDKA was considered a full service adult contemporary radio station.

In 1979, a newsman named Fred Honsberger joined the KDKA team and has gone onto host a successful evening talk show and now, his top-rated afternoon drive program. Also in 1979, KDKA covered the Three Mile Island nuclear accident - - which was first reported by a young Harrisburg newsman named Mike Pintek. By 1982, Pintek joined the KDKA News staff and has gone on to become one of KDKA's most popular talk hosts.

In the 1980's, KDKA became the world's first radio station to broadcast in AM stereo. KDKA's commitment to news and information remained as strong as ever. KDKA kept listeners up-to-the minute on stories like the Space Shuttle disaster, the Iran-Contra hearings, the deaths of R. Budd Dwyer and Mayor Richard Caliguiri and the big oil spill on the Monongahela river. Through it all, KDKA Radio was the winner of four Joe Snyder awards for outstanding overall news service in the state of Pennsylvania, an honor bestowed by the Associated Press. Throughout the 1980's KDKA continued an information and news intensive adult contemporary music format playing 4 to 6 songs per hours at drive times and about 10 to 12 songs an hour during middays and weekends. At night the station continued their talk format.

One of KDKA's biggest changes was in the 1990's. KDKA made the decision to build upon its strengths and switch from a full-service format, which includes music, to a news/talk format. The historic moment came in April of 1992, when Larry Richert played the last song aired as a regular part of KDKA Radio programming: Don McLean's "American Pie." For many listeners, it was "the day the music died." Rush Limbaugh at that time was added to the noon to 3 p.m. slot. All news blocks were added in the 6 to 9 a.m. and the 4 to 6 p.m. timeslots. KDKA also offered extensive coverage of the Gulf War in 1991 and the tragic crash of USAir flight 427 in September of 1994.

Westinghouse would merge with CBS at the start of 1996, so KDKA became a CBS owned-and-operated station at that point. Viacom later bought CBS, and KDKA-AM is now part of CBS Radio.

KDKA continues to be Pittsburgh's Information Source. In September of 2001, KDKA offered listeners "wall-to-wall" coverage of the attacks on America and provided the KDKA airwaves to listeners who felt the need to talk about this.

Historical controversy

• Charles Herrold of San Jose, California who used several different call signs over time: FN, SJN, 6XF, and 6XE, and eventually KQW (which would become KCBS)
• Lee De Forest's 2XG in New York
• Harold J. Power's 1XE in Boston, Massachusetts
• 2XN from the City College of New York
• 2ZK in New Rochelle, New York
• 8MK in Detroit, Michigan (now WWJ) which has had regular scheduled broadcasts since August, 1920
• WWV the U.S. Government time service, believed to have started 6 months before KDKA
• XWA in Montreal, Canada (now CINW)

Today

KDKA is also the current broadcast home of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball.

External links

• [KDKA Radio]
• [KDKA History]
• [Query the FCC's AM station database for KDKA]

.54 billion USD (2005) | Employees: Unknown at this time. | Stock Symbol: NYSE: [CBS] | Website: [www.cbscorporation.com]

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