In 1906, Reginald Fessenden created the first radio broadcast of voice and music purely for entertainment purposes, aired on February 13. He transmitted the program from Brant Rock, MA, for the general public to hear.
Actually, there were very few radio receivers at the time. When you consider that most of the major activity didn’t start until the 1920s. Only the die hard experimenters in the medium had crystal sets, and DX’ing had to be frustrating since in 1906, radio broadcasting as we know it today did not yet exist.
Before Fessenden’s experiments, most radio communication was done through Morse code using spark gap transmitters. These were not “stations” in the modern sense but were used by ships, military, and some amateur enthusiasts for telegraphy.
Guglielmo Marconi’s company was heavily involved in wireless telegraphy, though not in broadcasting entertainment or news to the public. Their stations were more about point-to-point communication.
Charles David “Doc” Herrold (November 16, 1875 – July 1, 1948) was an American inventor and pioneer in radio broadcasting, widely recognized as the “Father of Broadcasting” for his groundbreaking work in establishing the first regularly scheduled radio entertainment broadcasts. Born in Fulton, Illinois, Herrold grew up in San Jose, California, and enrolled at Stanford University in 1895 to study astronomy and physics. Illness forced him to withdraw before graduating, but his time at Stanford sparked his interest in radio, inspired by Guglielmo Marconi’s demonstrations of wireless communication.
Herrold began experimenting with radio as early as 1908, focusing on audio transmissions rather than Morse code, which was the standard at the time. In 1909, he founded the Herrold College of Wireless and Engineering in San Jose, where he trained radio operators and built a large “umbrella-style” antenna. By 1912, he was broadcasting music and news weekly from his station, known as FN, to a small audience of local amateur radio operators, primarily college students, using crystal radios. His “Little Hams Program” (1912–1917) featured phonograph records played into a microphone, with signals reaching up to 900 miles on clear nights. This marked the first instance of regular entertainment broadcasting, a significant leap from the point-to-point communication of earlier radio systems.
Herrold’s station, later licensed as KQW in 1921, faced financial challenges. He funded operations through radio equipment sales, but by 1925, the costs became unsustainable, and KQW was transferred to the First Baptist Church of San Jose. Herrold served as program director until 1926, when his contract was not renewed. KQW eventually became KCBS, a 50,000-watt station in San Francisco, which some claim as the “world’s oldest broadcasting station,” though Herrold’s post-World War I broadcasting hiatus (until May 1921) complicates this claim, as other stations, like Emil Portal’s in San Francisco, broadcast earlier in 1920.
Despite his innovations, Herrold’s later life was marked by obscurity. After losing control of KQW, he worked as a radio time salesman, audiovisual technician, and even a janitor at a naval facility, all while insisting he was the father of radio. He died penniless in 1948 in Hayward, California, largely unrecognized during his lifetime.
Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and electrical engineer whose contributions were pivotal to the development of radio and sound-on-film technology. Often called the “Father of Radio,” de Forest held over 180 patents, with his most significant invention being the Audion, the first practical vacuum tube, which revolutionized radio communication and laid the groundwork for modern electronics.
In 1906, de Forest invented the Audion, a three-element vacuum tube (triode) that amplified weak electrical signals. Unlike earlier tubes, such as John Ambrose Fleming’s diode, the Audion’s grid electrode allowed precise control of electron flow, enabling amplification of radio signals. This made long-distance radio communication practical and paved the way for broadcasting voice and music. Initially, de Forest didn’t fully grasp the Audion’s potential, focusing on its use as a detector, but by 1912, he recognized its amplification capabilities, which became foundational to radio receivers, transmitters, and early computers.
De Forest was among the first to experiment with radio as an entertainment medium. In 1907, he transmitted music from his laboratory in New York City, and by 1910, he organized a historic broadcast of Enrico Caruso’s performance from the Metropolitan Opera, reaching a small audience of wireless enthusiasts. Between 1914 and 1916, he conducted regular broadcasts from his station 2XG in New York, playing phonograph records and live performances, predating many other broadcasting efforts. These experiments helped establish radio as a medium for mass entertainment, though de Forest’s broadcasts were less consistent than those of Charles Herrold, who began regular programming in 1912.
De Forest also pioneered sound-on-film technology. In the 1920s, he developed the Phonofilm system, which synchronized sound with motion pictures, producing over 1,000 short sound films. Though commercially unsuccessful due to competition from larger studios, Phonofilm was a precursor to modern talking pictures. His work earned him an Academy Award in 1959 for contributions to motion picture sound.
De Forest’s career was marred by financial struggles and legal battles. He founded several companies, including the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company, but many failed due to poor business decisions or fraud allegations. In 1913, he was indicted for mail fraud related to stock sales, though he was acquitted. His disputes with other inventors, notably Edwin Armstrong over regenerative circuit patents, led to prolonged litigation, with de Forest eventually prevailing in 1934, though Armstrong’s contributions were later recognized as more significant. De Forest’s tendency to exaggerate his achievements, such as claiming sole credit for radio’s invention, strained his reputation among peers.
Despite his contributions, de Forest’s later years were marked by obscurity. After losing much of his wealth in the 1929 stock market crash, he lived modestly, continuing to invent but with less impact. He died in Hollywood, California, in 1961, leaving a legacy of innovation but also a complex reputation due to his contentious relationships and self-promotion. His Audion remains his most enduring contribution, enabling the electronics age, and his early broadcasts helped shape radio as a cultural force.
While de Forest’s Audion was a technological cornerstone, Charles Herrold’s regular broadcasts in San Jose starting in 1912 arguably made him the first to establish radio as a broadcasting medium. De Forest’s broadcasts were more sporadic and experimental, but his vacuum tube technology enabled the scalability of radio, making their contributions complementary. Both pioneers faced financial hardship and faded from public view, but de Forest’s broader patent portfolio and technical breakthroughs gave him greater recognition during his lifetime.
In Seattle, Vincent Irving Kraft (January 27, 1893 – April 8, 1971) was a pioneering radio broadcaster, notable for his early contributions to radio broadcasting in the Pacific Northwest, though he was not an inventor of radio technology. Unlike Charles Herrold or Lee de Forest, who developed foundational radio technologies, Kraft’s significance lies in his role as an early broadcaster and entrepreneur who helped establish commercial radio stations.
Born in Iowa, Kraft moved to Seattle and became an avid amateur radio operator. In 1917, he set up an experimental Morse code telegraphy station with the call letters 7AC at his home in the Ravenna neighborhood. By 1919, he upgraded to station 7XC, equipped with a telephone/microphone, a phonograph, a five-watt vacuum-tube transmitter, and a piano, broadcasting to local audiences from his garage. To improve sound quality, he draped tapestries on the walls to reduce external noise. In 1920, Kraft made local headlines by broadcasting phonograph records and, on July 2, 1920, airing the results of the Dempsey-Carpentier boxing match, one of the earliest known public broadcasts in the region.
In 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce introduced new regulations distinguishing experimental stations from broadcast service stations. Kraft quickly applied for and received a formal broadcast license for his station, which was assigned the call letters KJR on March 9, 1922, after an inspection on August 16, 1921. Operating initially from his garage, KJR became one of Seattle’s first commercial radio stations. By 1924, Kraft, alongside business partner O. A. Dodson, moved their Northwest Radio Service Company to the Terminal Sales Building in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. On January 21, 1925, KJR debuted a 1,000-watt transmitter, a significant upgrade that extended its reach to Alaska, broadcasting programs tailored for distant listeners, including Alaskan-themed content. Kraft emphasized maintaining high performance standards, stating his goal was to make KJR a source of pride for Seattle.
Kraft’s entrepreneurial vision extended beyond Seattle. He founded the Western Broadcasting Company and established or acquired several stations, including KEX in Portland, KGA in Spokane, KINY in Juneau, KYA in San Francisco, and KPLA in Los Angeles. He also purchased KOMO in Seattle, creating one of the Northwest’s first radio networks.
In 1926, Kraft sold KJR to Adolph Linden and Edmund Campbell of the Northwest Radio Service Company, who aimed to build a nationwide radio chain. Linden’s subsequent embezzlement conviction in 1932 did not directly involve Kraft, who had already moved on to other ventures. Little is documented about Kraft’s later career, but he remained in Seattle, where he died in 1971. He is buried at Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle.
Kraft’s contributions were practical rather than inventive. Unlike Herrold, who pioneered regular entertainment broadcasts, or de Forest, whose Audion vacuum tube enabled signal amplification, Kraft focused on applying existing radio technology to build a broadcasting infrastructure. His work helped popularize radio in the Northwest, with KJR becoming a cornerstone of Seattle’s media landscape. Historians note that Kraft’s station was among the earliest to use vacuum tubes for broadcasting in the area, though he did not invent this technology. His broadcasts, starting as early as 1919, preceded the 1920 launch of KDKA in Pennsylvania, often cited as the first commercial radio station, but Kraft’s efforts were more localized and less documented.
KFC was established as a joint venture between the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper and the Northern Radio & Electric Company, owned by H.S. Tenny. While Northern Radio & Electric held the station’s license, the Post-Intelligencer managed most of its operations, including programming and studio facilities. The station’s studio and transmitter were located in a shack on the roof of the Post-Intelligencer building at 6th Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle.
KFC’s history traces back to experimental broadcasts starting in July 1921, conducted by the Northern Radio & Electric Company in collaboration with the Post-Intelligencer. These early efforts included a notable radiotelephone test transmission on July 1, 1921, to broadcast results of the Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier boxing match. The transmission used a wavelength of 340 meters (882 kHz) for voice and was supplemented by radiotelegraph signals from the local Navy station at the L.C. Smith Building on 600 meters (500 kHz) for Morse code listeners. The broadcast reached approximately 50 miles, with reports of reception by Father Sebastian Ruth at St. Michael’s Mission in Union, Washington. The Post-Intelligencer declared the broadcast a success, marking one of Seattle’s earliest public radio events.
On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce introduced regulations establishing a formal broadcasting station category, designating 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts and 485 meters (619 kHz) for market and weather reports. KFC received its broadcasting license on December 8, 1921, with the randomly assigned call letters KFC, making it the first station in Washington to be licensed under this new category and one of the earliest in the U.S. The call sign “KFC” was a sequential assignment, with no specific meaning tied to the station’s identity, though it coincidentally matches the modern fast-food chain (unrelated, as the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand emerged later in the 1930s).
KFC initially operated with a modest 5-watt radiophone transmitter using two Cunningham pliotron vacuum tubes, set up by radio expert Roscoe W. Bell of Northern Radio & Electric. The station was constructed at the Post-Intelligencer’s Pine Street building, with a 90-foot antenna wire. In January 1922, the station upgraded its facilities, erecting new 100-foot towers to support the antenna and planning to increase power to 100 watts. By September 12, 1922, KFC’s transmitter was further upgraded to 300 watts, significantly boosting its range.
KFC’s programming was managed by the Post-Intelligencer and featured a variety of content typical of early 1920s radio, including music, news, and entertainment. The station’s formal broadcast debut on September 5, 1921, featured a singing performance by Seattle baritone Bob Nichols, introduced by manager/engineer Carl Haymond, a former World War I radio operator. KFC broadcast daily, offering phonograph records, live music, and spoken-word content. In 1922, it was noted for broadcasting performances by George Dewey Washington, a Black recording artist, marking an early instance of diverse programming.
Due to the single entertainment wavelength of 360 meters available in 1922, Seattle stations, including KFC, KJR, and KHQ, operated under a timesharing agreement. On June 23, 1922, KFC dominated the schedule, allocated six timeslots totaling 6.25 hours of airtime from noon to 10:30 p.m., reflecting its prominence among early Seattle stations.
Abrupt Closure (1923)
Despite its early success, KFC abruptly ceased broadcasting at the end of December 1922. The reasons for this closure are not well-documented, but it may have been due to financial difficulties, technical challenges, or the Post-Intelligencer’s shift in priorities. The station was officially deleted from the Department of Commerce’s list of active stations on January 23, 1923, ending its brief but significant run.
