VINCENT KRAFT OFFICIALLY INAGURATES KGA
(Spokesman-Review, 4 Novermber 1926)
"Work is progressing rapidly and the station should be ready to broadcast between December 5 and 10," said Vincent I. Craft, President of the Northwest Radio Service on 4 November 1926. Craft was optimistic that his new station could possibly "reach the farthest outposts in Alaska, along the Arctic Ocean, possibly to Japan and China, to Mexico City and Central America on the South, and the Atlantic Seaboard to the East." That was quite prophetic because KGA has been one of the easiest, if not the easiest station from Washington State to pick up at long distances. The first wavelength that KGA was assigned to broadcast on was 340 meters (or 880 kHz) using 10,000-watts, making it the most powerful radio station in Spokane at the time. The studio was located in Room 1517 in the Old National Bank. The transmitter site was located off of Rowan Avenue on Spokane's north side near Caulkins Airfield. This is called the Lidgerwood site.
Kraft offered the view that, "The programs will be the highest class possible to obtain." Programs were to be produced as a cooperative effort by the stations belonging to the Northwest Radio Service, namely - KJR in Seattle, KEX Portland, and KGA Spokane.
However, the station immediately ran into construction snags. In late December, delays of materials from radio factories in the East prevented the assembling in Seattle of various instruments and apparatus on five switchboard panels was delaying the opening broadcast of KGA, according to J. H. Sahlin, local representative of the Northwest Radio Service. Fred Noble, chief electrician for the station noted that six transformers had been installed already and that as soon as the switchboards arrived at the station, they would be likewise installed. Meanwhile, work on the Old National Bank studio was proceeding. W. H. Watson of the Northwest Radio Service was in charge of that portion of the project.
J. H. Sahlin made the following announcement on 30 December 1926 in the Spokesman-Review. "Spokane's new super-power radio broadcasting station KGA, will celebrate its formal opening Saturday night, January 8, with a 12-hour program, beginning at 6 p.m., and lasting until 6 a.m. Sunday." Local talent was to be used for the all-night broadcast.
However, it is not clear if KGA actually opened on 8 January 1927 because this researcher has not found any information after the event and because according to newspaper accounts from 1 February 1927, the station made its official debut broadcast on 31 January 1927 beginning at 4:27 PM. The start of the program was delayed from the original 3 PM scheduled time after station technicians, "found wire trouble" earlier in the day. That night the station received telegrams from listeners as far north as Ketchikan, Alaska, and as far south as San Diego, California. There was also a telegram from a listener in Denver, Colorado. Listeners throughout the Northwest reported clear reception of KGA's signal. Spokane Mayor Charles A. Fleming and John F. Davies, president of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, gave welcoming speeches during the dinner hour. Vincent Kraft; his wife; W. C. "Doc" Gordon, chief announcer for KJR Seattle; and L. J. Jensen, commercial manager for Northwest Radio Service all participated in the ceremonies. The first program put on the air was by a string trio consisting of Lillian Frederick, violin; Edward Bruck, cello; and Mrs. Maude Whitacre, piano. Helen Lewis of Los Angeles was featured with the Loomis Garden Orchestra during the opening broadcast. Well-wishers visited the studio in the Old National Bank as part of the celebration.
ROOM 1517 Office/Studio Door
This is the door to Room 1517 in the Old National Bank Building
where KGA's first studios and offices were located. Based on
the stencil on the door's window, the room served as a
janitor closet when the picture was taken. (Picture taken by this
researcher on 24 June 2005.© philcobill.com)
This is the
transmitter building which was located at 325 East Rowan Avenue.
This is the so-called Lidgerwood Transmitter site. The Lidgerwood
Elementary School stands at this site today. There is a legend
about a ghost who haunted this building.
(By permission of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, Washington. No further publication of this without permission is permitted.)
Compiled and edited by Bill Harms - updated 29 March 2009
SOURCES:
- "KGA Makes Debut Over Wide Area." Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 1 February 1927.
- "Material Delay Keeps KGA Back." Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 29 December 1926.
- "Will Open New Radio Station." Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 31 December 1926.
- "Work on Radio Station Rapid." Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 4 November 1926.
