This is the LA History section of
The Broadcast Archive

Maintained by: Barry Mishkind - The Eclectic Engineer
Last Update 10/27/03

"Gone But Not Forgotten"

These are the stories of LA area stations that began broadcasting, but then "faded out" and into the depths of history. We know some fascinating bits about some, and less about others. Can you add to the history of these pioneers?

KZC - KYJ - KJC - KSS - KUS - KWH - KDZP - KDZD - KFAC - KFCL - KGFH

KZC / KOG - Los Angeles

Call letter sequence: KZC - KOG

Licensed: December 9, 1921 DOC License #252
First Date of Broadcast: 
Last Date of Broadcast: March 9, 1923
Deleted: March 9, 1923

This radio station was owned by Western Radio Electric Company at 637 S. Hope Street, and had studios inside a movie house called the Kinema at 7th and Grand in downtown L.A. The story of this pioneer station goes back to December 1919. That's when Harold Nunan came to Los Angeles from San Francisco. About the same time, Les E. Taufenback, president of Western Radio Electric Co. arrived from New York. Both had been discharged from the service, where they were radio operators. Both men also were licensed radio amateurs. At a meeting of the Southern Calif. Radio Association, they decided to go into the radio business and start what's believed to have been the first radio store in Los Angeles. 

According to Hall Berringer, sales manager for Western Radio Electric, Mr. Nunan thought about doing some broadcasting and decided to set up what became station 6XD in 1920. (An article in the October 14, 1922 issue of Radio Doings magazine called it "the first broadcasting station in Southern California, built and operated by Western Radio Electric Company, one year in advance of any other in the area.") And so began the experimental broadcasts from station 6XD. Pacific Radio News called it the "WESRAD station", and wrote an article on 6XD, proclaiming it to be "A powerful Los Angeles tube set that radiates two and one-half amps". At that time, the station was located at 550 S. Flower Street, and was broadcasting concerts Tuesday and Friday nights from 8 to 9 p.m. The wavelength at this time was 325 meters (about 920 kilocycles). Phonograph records were played during these "radio concerts" and a deal was made with Richardson's Music Shop in L.A. to furnish all the latest Victor Records when they were released. Again, the idea was for the music store to benefit from the airing of the records by attracting new customers, and promoting sales of the phonograph records. 

When the Department of Commerce started licensing radio stations for entertainment purposes, 6XD applied immediately. On December 9, 1921 they were given approval to broadcast on 360 meters as station KZC. A short time later, in February 1922, for unknown reasons, KZC changed calls to KOG. This may have been because the station transmitter site moved to the new 7th and Grand location at the Kinema Theater. KOG was now known as the "Kinema-Herald Station", or just the "Evening Herald Broadcasting Station." 

Programs were filled with Herald news bulletins, sports scores, market reports and, of course, the vocal and instrumental concerts that filled the airwaves in those early years of radio. The music was usually live, featuring singers and musicians from all over L.A. who were quite excited to try out the new medium. KZC/ KOG also had the distinction of being one of the rare stations to be licensed with 1,000 watts, considered high power for the time. Whether the station used that much power isn't fully known by this writer. 

What began as a pioneering effort to broadcast music and news came to an end when Western Radio Electric decided to sign-off KOG for good after just over two years. The station's license was deleted on March 9, 1923 by the Department of Commerce.

KYJ - Los Angeles

"Hamburger's Radiophone"

Licensed: December 9, 1921 DOC License #254 (Earlier: 6XAK, September 1921)
First Date of Broadcast: 
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: May 1, 1923

This 5-watt station was owned by the Leo J. Meyberg Company and had studios on the top floor of the M.A. Hamburger's Department Store (which became the May Company in 1923) at 8th and Broadway in downtown L.A. KYJ was also known as Hamburger's Radiophone. The station began in September of 1921 as 6XAK on 310 meters or about 968 kilocycles. The station was built and installed by a Mr. Arnold and Hall Berringer, who was sales manager of the Western Radio Electric Company, which also had station 6XD (later KZC/KOG), which he called the "first broadcasting station in Southern California." 6XAK may have been the second. The Hamburgers store used their new radiophone station to broadcast music and news, and for advertising purposes; especially to sell the new radios in the store's radio department. Many other L.A. area companies would also soon start stations for that purpose! Every afternoon from 4 to 5, the store sent out a free radio concert for the increasing number of people with radios. By October of 1921, the fame of the Hamburger radio station had spread so quickly, that when the Scotti Grand Opera Company was in L.A., four famous opera singers looked for the store, and arranged to sing into the 6XAK transmitter. Advance publicity of the event resulted in thousands of radio listeners tuning in to the event. The station also broadcast results each day of the 1921 World Series to Southern California baseball fans. When the U.S. Dept. of Commerce began to license radio stations for the purpose of broadcasting to the general public, 6XAK applied and became radio station KYJ on December 9, 1921. Mr. Oliver S. Garretson, an amateur radio operator and wireless pioneer in L.A., rebuilt KYJ and was one of its first operators. The Los Angeles Express newspaper joined with station personnel to select the programming. A typical schedule for KYJ in late 1922 was to be on the air 7 days a week. They usually broadcast for 1 or 1-1/2 hours in the afternoon and come back on for 45 minutes in the evening. The listening public of the day wasn't picky and they tuned in to hear a variety of talks and music. KYJ aired operatic soloists, a singing comedian or saxophone artist, both from vaudeville; readings of materials from editors of top magazines of the day; and even a talk by the store's radio operator Charles Austin, "giving an authoritative discourse on an interesting phase of radio receiving." Southern California resident Jack Bascom of Glendora told me in a 1990 letter that when he was 13 or 14, he visited KYJ while they were on the air. It was in mid-afternoon, and people in the store could watch the KYJ broadcast through windows and listen to outside speakers. This setup may have been much like other radio stations inside department stores around the nation at this time, such as KPO in San Francisco in the Hale Bros. Store. The plate glass window allowed the "audience" to watch the KYJ broadcast. The equipment, program monitor and personnel were all in one room. Several rows of chairs were placed on the other side of the window for the visitors. On the same floor, customers could look at the displays of radio sets for sale when the station was off the air. Along with the radio department on the 4th floor, the store had its own radio school. The subjects taught included classes in radio theory, how to become an amateur radio operator or set up antennas and radios, etc. KYJ, like other small short-lived stations of the time in Los Angeles, was well remembered by other "old-timers" many years later. Wallace Wiggins, who was engineer and co-owner of KREG/KVOE in Santa Ana in the '30s and '40s, remembered KYJ as one of the first stations he listened to on a crystal set in 1922. And George Farmer, W6OO, wrote in his book "Radio Almanac", about picking up the KYJ signal aboard a ship he worked on as a wireless operator in 1922. Station owners early on learned that radio could be used to discuss important issues. In early-April 1922, W. L. Pollard, who was in charge of KYJ, told the L.A. Times he was giving a half-hour of air time to an attorney opposed to a state bond measure on the Nov. 1922 California ballot. The April 6th talk went out on the 500 meter wavelength, which was allowed by a special permit from Washington, instead of the usual 360 meters, from 900 to 930 p.m. Since then local and national politics have filled thousands of hours of radio air time. One more example of how a radio station's signal could travel quite far in the uncrowded broadcast band in those days is a letter KYJ received in mid-April, 1922. It was a reception report from a listener in Halifax, Canada, more than 3,500 miles away! The L.A. Times reported that the letter correctly quoted the names of the phonograph records played on a March 24th broadcast. Owner Leo J. Meyberg said "Of course, this represents a freak result, particularly as the station was operating at 5 watts and a radiation of 1.6 amperes. Atmospheric conditions must have been nearly perfect to have made the reception at Halifax possible. However, we have received similar reports from the Panama Canal Zone." An ad in the April 1, 1922 edition of the Times also indicated that KYJ's signal was received in Honolulu! For unknown reasons, the station could not make a go of it, even though it seemed to be popular with listeners of the day. Without commercials to pay for operational costs, the sale of radio sets apparently was not enough to keep the station on the air, or perhaps the owner lost interest in the project. In the January 6, 1923 edition of Radio Doings, it was announced that the Hamburgers store had discontinued broadcasting. But the Leo J. Meyberg Company, which owned and operated KYJ, was to broadcast from their studio via phone line over KFI at a later date. 

KYJ's station license was deleted by the Dept. of Commerce on May 1, 1923

KJC - Los Angeles

"Barker Brothers' Radiophone"

Licensed: April 10, 1922 DOC License #623
First Date of Broadcast: April 10, 1922
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: January 21, 1923

As radio's popularity grew like wildfire in 1922, many businesses started stations in order to promote themselves like never before. KJC was owned and operated by the Standard Radio Company at 1048 S. Olive Street in Los Angeles, but broadcasts originated from the Barker Brothers Department Store, at 716 S. Broadwa y in downtown Los Angeles. Barker Brothers was already a successful home furnishings store--it saw radio as the next big home addition. A full page advertisement in the L.A. Times on April 2, 1922 outlined the store's plans to install the broadcast station, along with a review of the types of programs they planned to air. The ad also outlined Barker Brothers plan to add a radiophone department "Fully and extensively equipped with the latest receiving apparatus for the home". Mr. R. B. Walder was the station's technical director. 

KJC lasted from April 10, 1922 until January 24, 1923, when the store decided to get out of the radio broadcasting business.

KSS - Long Beach, CA

"The Long Beach Radiophone"

Licensed: April 10, 1922 
First Date of Broadcast: May 5, 1922
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: April 2, 1924

KSS The first broadcasting station in Long Beach operated from the Prest and Dean Radio Research Lab at 18 Elm Avenue. The owners of KSS were Ralph S. Prest and Fred S. Dean. The station was listed in Radio Doings magazine as "The Long Beach Radiophone". KSS was sharing time on 360 meters with the other area stations in 1922 and was able to get on the air 6 days a week, from 3 to 4 p.m. with a vocal and instrumental concert. One more broadcast was made Monday evenings for 40 minutes with the same type of program. The music was provided by Wightman Music Co., at 334 Pine Ave. in Long Beach. Then, like many stations in the '20s, KSS mentioned on the air that a record came from that music store, in return for their services. This was an early type of commercial message. KSS may have been used in the hopes of boosting Prest and Dean's radio business, but the 20-watt station was one of many that faded from the radio scene after just 2 years. KSS was licensed from 4/10/22 until April of 1924. The Prest and Dean Radio Electric Company remained in business after the demise of KSS. By 1924, it had moved to 742 East 4th Street, selling a complete line of radios and radio parts.

Interesting also is later after KSS went off the air, they sometimes made persoanl appearances, such as on opening night of KNRC in Sept . of 1925, as "Prest and Dean, broadcasters of Long Beach"!

Cap Kierulff told me his dad and Fred Dean were very good friends since the '20s...They formed in 1929 some sort of L.A. Radio Pioneers group...

KUS - Los Angeles

"City Dye Works Radiophone"

Licensed: April 13, 1922
First Date of Broadcast: 
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: April 4, 1924

KUS Many early stations were operated as a promotion for a store or company. In this case the Los Angeles City Dye Works and Laundry Company at 3000 Central Avenue put KUS on the air. J.J. Jenkins owned the City Dye Works, which had 7 stores scattered around L.A. and vicinity, counting the Central Avenue headquarters. KUS was licensed to use 100 watts of power on 360 meters on 4/13/22. Like all new radio stations at the time, they had high hopes of being a success. An ad in the June 1922 Radio Journal says "KUS will be one of the finest broadcasting sets (stations)in America." Daily programs were to be educational and musical. The first day on the air was to be in June, as they apparently didn't have the transmitter, microphone and other equipment ready for broadcast yet, even though the license was issued 2 months earlier. KUS officials said in the ad that they wanted to eliminate all phonograph music from their programs and use a only "now and then to aid you in tuning in". Most stations at that time took pride in presenting live singers and musicians rather than relying on records. A typical schedule for KUS was to be on 6 days a week, usually going on the air 3 times a day, morning, noon and in the evening. Each broadcast lasted from 30 minutes to an hour. Most of these were concerts. But the 7-730 a.m. program was a bit different, as KUS tried to distinguish itself from the other L.A. stations. Many radio stations in the '20s put on an early morning physical exercise program. KUS was able to get the exclusive rights to broadcast Walter Camp's famous "Daily Dozen" each day. Camp was called the father of American football. He coached and later became athletic director at Yale University and coached at Army. He devised a series of simple exercises during World War I and published them in 1921. KUS said the exercises had been set to music and were obtained from the Health Builders Society of Oyster Bay, NY. It's just one early example of a radio station trying to attract listeners with a unique type of program that other stations didn't have. It's not quite clear why the laundry decided to get out of broadcasting. The station lasted two years, from 4/10/22 to April of 1924.

KWH - Los Angeles

"The Examiner Radio Broadcast Station"

Licensed: April 13, 1922
First Date of Broadcast: May 7, 1922
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: March 18, 1925

The Los Angeles Examiner (owned by William Randolph Hearst), was one of many newspapers across the nation to start a radio station in 1922. KWH was licensed on 4/13/22, and looked like it could be successful. KWH was known as "The Examiner Radio Broadcast Station", and came on the air for the first time on May 7, 1922 with only 5-watts of power. That first broadcast was said to have been an excellent program, which featured nationally known artists. The station's chief engineer was Bertram O. Heller, who later founded station KFXB in Big Bear Lake in 1925. He continued his job as that station's engineer when it moved to Los Angeles and became KPLA. Heller wrote a short article on KWH in 1923 for the first anniversary of Radio Doings magazine. He recalled that because of the limited service possible with the 5-watt transmitter, KWH officials decided to install a 250-watt transmitter after ten weeks on the air. This was done to reach the increasing number of radio listeners in and near Los Angeles with the best possible signal. Heller said the new transmitter was installed in "a beautiful studio", located in the Examiner Building at 1111 South Broadway (at the corner of 11th and Broadway). The Examiner was reportedly the first newspaper to exclusively own and operate its own radio broadcast station. The station was on the air every day of the week by October of 1922. Like most stations of this time, sharing the 360-meter wavelength meant going on and off the air up to 4 times a day. KWH usually transmitted concert and vocal selections in the evening. Late-afternoon news bulletins and sports scores were announced 5 times a week. KWH also sent out broadcasts twice-a-day (Monday through Saturday) of the government weather, market and crop reports. This meant that the station transmitter had to be tuned to the 485-meter wavelength (619 kilocycles), and listeners also had to tune their radio accordingly. It was one of the few L.A. stations of this era to use 485 meters. It's unknown why this was the government's policy, but it wasn't until May 15, 1923 that radio stations could broadcast weather, market reports and music all on the same frequency/wavelength! With radio listeners across the U.S.A. tuning around at night for distant (DX) stations, the KWH programs were among many in L.A. to be heard outside California. Bertram Heller stated that KWH had been heard in such far off locations as Honolulu, Cuba, New York, Alaska, and Mexico City. The radio fans took the time to write to the distant stations they heard, and KWH received its share of letters of appreciation for the Examiner programs. In Janaury 1923, KWH installed a new 500-watt Western Electric transmitter to give the station an even greater range. Its programs were heard often in virtually every state, especially during cold winter nights. In March of 1924, the Department of Commerce had KWH lower its power level to 250 watts. In 1922, the idea of the newspaper having its own radio station must've appealed to Mr. Hearst, but this experiment didn't work out in the long run. For unknown reasons, the Examiner got out of the radio business and KWH went off the air about three years after its first broadcast. But, the station was a true pioneer along with other Los Angeles stations, which sent news broadcasts, music and other entertaining programs through the air to excited listeners in those early days of broadcasting. KWH was deleted by the Department of Commerce on May 18, 1925.

KDZP - Los Angeles

Licensed: May 31, 1922
First Date of Broadcast: 
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: January 24, 1923 

KDZP was run by the Newberry Electric Corporation of Los Angeles, at 724 S. Olive Street. Known as Newberry's, the store sold radios and related parts. KDZP lasted from May 13, 1922 until January 24, 1923. However, so far, I have not found any evidence that this radio station was ever constructed or was ever on the air with any scheduled broadcasts. If anyone has new information showing KDZP made at least one broadcast, please let us know!

KDZD - Los Angeles

Licensed: May 23, 1922
First Date of Broadcast: 
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: November 8, 1922

KDZD is another of many long-forgotten stations about which not much is known. It was in Los Angeles, owned by W. R. Mitchell of 729 S. Broadway. KDZD lasted less than six months, from 5/23/22 until 11/8/22. Who was Mr. W.R. Mitchell?

I have no idea, but if anyone reading this has any information about Mr. Mitchell and why he applied for a license for a radio broadcasting station, please pass it on and share with us.

Again, this is another case where this writer cannot find any evidence that this station ever went on the air for even one broadcast. If we get any details that show KDZD did get built and did go on the air at least once, we will print the story right here.

KFAC - Glendale, CA

"The Glendale Press Radiophone"

Licensed: June 16, 1922
First Date of Broadcast: June 28, 1922
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: January 24, 1923

KFAC The first radio station located in Glendale was licensed on June 16, 1922. KFAC's studio and transmitter were located inside the Glendale Daily Press newspaper, at 222 South Brand Blvd. in Glendale. The station was owned and operated by the J. A. Newton Electric Company, which was located at 154 S. Brand Blvd. They were apparently in charge of all KFAC broadcasts from the newspaper building. They may also have used the station as a tool to advertise their company. Radio Doings magazine listed the station as "The Glendale Press Radiophone", while the paper referred to it as "The Press-Newton Station". It took the better part of a month to build KFAC, test its equipment and get the station on the air for regular broadcasting. Mr. N.D. Garver was the newspaper's editor and columnist for the Radio Department page. In his column of June 1, 1922, he referred to the excitement of radio fans in and around Glendale who wanted to know when KFAC would be ready to go on the air. Garver also happened to teach the code class at Hamburger's Dept. Store in Los Angeles, home of KYJ. In the same column for 6/1/22, Garver went on to say that code class for that night had to be canceled, due to the work being done on the KFAC transmitting aerial. Oliver S. Garretson, a prominent radio engineer in L.A., did much of the work on installing the KFAC transmitter and other equipment. The station was to use 50 watts of power, and Mr. Garver reported in his radio column that KFAC's set-up was an exact duplicate of the KYJ radio station in Los Angeles. After much work, a test broadcast of KFAC was made on Friday night, June 23rd from 900 to 903 p.m. N.D. Garver reported in the paper the next day that modulation and quality of the signal were perfect, along with the audibility of the station. The front page of the Glendale Daily Press on Tuesday June 27, 1922 ran a headline, saying the Press-Newton radio station would officially open that evening from 8 until 9 p.m. But, a defective transmitter power tube postponed KFAC's debut until the next night! 

Finally, at 800 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28, 1922, KFAC came on the air for the first time! The station was dedicated by Glendale's "singing mayor", Mayor Spencer Robinson, with an opening speech, followed by a song by the mayor. Musical entertainment also included instrumentals by a steel guitar player and a saxaphone player, along with at least four other singers. Music also went out over KFAC via a phonograph, provided by Glendale Phonograph Company, and an electric player piano, furnished courtesy of Glendale Music Company. In the days that followed, when no evening concert was scheduled, KFAC came on the air from 5 until 530 p.m. with the latest news and baseball scores, along with a bit of phonograph music. Early programs in July 1922 from KFAC continued to feature concerts by Glendale musicians and singers. It was soon discovered that the 50-watt signal of the station was getting out at night, far beyond the Los Angeles Basin. During KFAC's first month on the air, the Daily Press boasted of distant reception of KFAC, and printed letters from listeners in Arizona, Needles and Vacaville, California, and Grant's Pass, Oregon who had heard the evening broadcasts. For several weeks, the paper printed its radio column with tips on building receivers, antennas, etc., along with the daily KFAC schedule and schedules of other L.A. area stations. But by late October and November, the initial excitement of the KFAC broadcasts apparently had worn off. The radio page was gone and there were no schedules for KFAC! A small item in the 11/20/22 Daily Press listed a KFAC broadcast for 645 p.m. that evening. I could not find any station schedules listed in December issues of the newspaper. Apparently, the management of the paper decided to get out of radio broadcasting, for whatever reason. Further research of the paper may turn up a last broadcast and reason for shutting down KFAC. The KFAC license was deleted by the Department of Commerce on January 24, 1923, bringing an end to a pioneer broadcaster that brought a lot of enjoyment and excitement to early radio buffs in Glendale. I should add one final note to anyone reading this and thinks these call letters are very familiar! This radio station is NOT related to the KFAC on chart #3 that was on the air in Los Angeles from 1931 to 1989.

KFCL - Los Angeles

Licensed: November 28, 1922 DOC License #950
First Date of Broadcast: 
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted:

KFCL Radio station KFCL was originally listed as licensed to San Antonio Township, within Los Angeles, and owned by the Los Angeles Union Stock Yards. This area later became the industrial city of Vernon, 3 miles southeast of downtown L.A. KFCL had license #950 for the period of November 28, 1922 until February 27, 1923. Its mailing address was Box 199K, Route 2, Los Angeles, CA. The new stockyards for Los Angeles opened shortly before KFCL got its license. The Nov. 2, 1922 L.A. Times said the 300-acre site was located between the Los Angeles River and the Union Pacific railroad tracks, just north of the town of Maywood. I have been unable to determine when KFCL first went "on the air", but a schedule of its regular broadcasts first appeared in Radio Doings magazine on January 13, 1923. KFCL may have been the first, if not the only, "all farm news station." The station was started by the stockyards to get news to farmers and ranchers of market prices on all farm products and cattle quotations every day, except Sunday. The half-hour farm news programs over KFCL were sent out at 10 a.m., noon, 4 and 8 p.m. An interesting fact about KFCL is that it was first licensed ONLY for the 485 meter wavelength (619 khz.) to broadcast official government weather, crop and market reports. In the Jan. 20, 1923 issue of Radio Doings, KFCL was cited as an example of radio being used more often to broadcast to those living in the country who couldn't get a daily paper. The station was re-licensed for the periods of 1/30/23-4/29/23, 5/3/23-8/2/23, and finally 8/14/23 until 11/13/23. KFCL's owner and operator must've lost interest in the station or couldn't finance it. The station license was deleted on November 19,1923. However, a new license for KFCL (#1496) was issued by the Department of Commerce for July 8, 1924 until October 7, 1924 to Mr. Leslie E. Rice, with the address given as "Downey Street", in the county and city of Los Angeles. The station was again broadcasting from the Los Angeles Union Stockyards. KFCL wasn't licensed to use the regular broadcast service wavelength of 360 meters (833 khz.) for music and other entertainment until May of 1923. As stated earlier, that's when the Commerce Department ended the use of the 485 meter wavelength. But when KFCL returned to the airwaves in 1924, it was assigned to use 1270 kilocycles. So far, I haven't done enough research to determine how often the "new" KFCL radio station was on the air. But apparently, for unknown reasons, Mr. Rice also decided to throw in the towel and give up on radio. The 500 watt station was off the air less than a year later, and KFCL's license was deleted by the Department of Commerce on March 5, 1925. The Los Angeles Union Stockyards were in existence until 1963. But companies such as Farmer John, Oscar Mayer and several other similar businesses remain in Vernon today.

KGFH - Glendale, CA

Licensed: January 27, 1927
First Date of Broadcast: February 11, 1927
Last Date of Broadcast: 
Deleted: May 10, 1929

KGFH was one of those odd little radio stations during the 1920s that started broadcasting from the cozy confines of the living room or bedroom of a house. Frederick R. Robinson, a scenic artist for the Lasky Film Corporation, decided in late 1926 to put a radio station in operation from his town of La Crescenta, a few miles north of Los Angeles. A building 30 by 45 feet was constructed on land on North New York Avenue, and the equipment was shipped from Westinghouse, and Kellogg in Chicago. After applying for the licenses from the Department of Commerce, a local newspaper reported that Robinson's station would be on the air by February 15th. The planned schedule was for 6 - 7 p.m., three nights a week. The inaugural broadcast actually took place on February 11, 1927, originating from Robinson's home. As reported by the newspaper "The Ledger",: "Hundreds gathered for the dedication of La Crescenta's own radio station, KGFH. Officials of civic organizations spoke, and a musical program was given." For unknown reasons, the 250 watt station moved to Glendale only one year later, with studios and transmitter located at the Glendale Hotel, future home of KIEV. Since La Crescenta was likely out "in the boonies" in those days, KGFH may have moved into town to be closer to businesses and needed talent for the station. A picture postcard of the Hotel Glendale from the late 1920s shows the station's 4-wire inverted-L flattop antenna was located on top of the hotel, with the station's call letters displayed on one the antenna towers.

The first broadcast of KGFH from the new site took place June 1, 1928. The "Glendale News-Press" reported the next day that the broadcast lasted from 7 p.m. until midnight, and said hundreds of phone calls were received at the studio complimenting the KGFH management on "the excellent reception that was being experienced in different points of Southern California." Speakers ranged from politicians to school officials, and even included a speech by Bob Shuler of KGEF fame, by way of Trinity Methodist Church. A large number of local musicians and singers provided the night's entertainment. The station's regular schedule was begun the next night from 5:00 until 10:30 p.m., and included news and weather, some phonograph records, and Uncle Tom's Children's Hour, with the remainder consisting of a marathon of local talent.

The station's staff included H.P. Drey as the announcer and station manager, someone named Madame Formosa as Program Director and Robert Burns was KGFH's technician.

By August of 1928, KGFH had an ecclectic schedule of programs. Three or four mornings a week, Madame Formosa would give a reading on topics such as "Man and His mind" or "Life and Light." A Swami Paramanda also gave regular talks. The KGFH Dramatic Players were heard on Monday nights and a Children's Frolic was featured on Saturday afternoons before dinner music was bradcast. KGFH also played phonograph music each morning, dance records one night a week and announced news items daily at 5 p.m., possibly with cooperation from the local Glendale newspaper.

This short-lived station was silenced when its application for license renewal was denied by the FRC on 5/10/29. The FRC then moved KPLA from 570 to KGFH's old spot of 1000 on the radio dial, allowing KMTR, which had been sharing 570 with KPLA, to go fulltime.

Mike Lawler, President of the Historical Society of Crescenta Valley, wrote in to share some further information on Frederick Robinson.
Lawler writes:

Frederick Robinson, besides being an scenery artist, was an inventor and electronics whiz. He probably started the station as a result of his tinkering around, and also probably didn't take it too seriously. It was home grown for its first year, using local talent (meaning anyone who was his friend and wanted to be on the radio). Madame Formosa was his wife... Formosa was her first name.

Swami Paramananda (correct spelling) was the spiritual leader of an Eastern based eclectic religion called Vedanta that had come from India to the US at the turn of the century. In the early 20's they bought a ranch a few blocks from Mr. Robinson's home in Crescenta Valley as a retreat, and they are still there today as the Ananda Ashrama. La Crescenta was indeed the boonies then, particularly the section that the Robinsons lived in. They lived in a section of the valley that had recieved no development at all and was set amongst the original sage brush. So far we've found nothing of his home or studio. The area received extensive residential development in the 50's and 60's, and any remains of his studio were probably torn down. Right about where his home and studio would have been, there is a small side street named Frederick Ave. and we can only assume that it is named after Frederick Robinson.

(Mr. Lawler can be reached at mike_lawler@ahm.honda.com or at 2717 Altura Avenue, La Crescenta, CA 91214)