2-14 It doesn’t seem long ago we reported, below, the California Radio Historical Society in its ‘new’diggs at the beautiful old deco KRE radio station building in Emeryville, CA. Just saw this morning this video of the CHRS moving out! Sad but true, yet founder Steve Kushman seems to take things philosophically here… So the CHRS era at KRE at the historic radio station near Oakland, CA now is a memory, but we’ve got it archived for you, below for posterity… not just for the old radios and CRHS memorabilia but for the radio station , which was one of the early ones – one of the three letter stations – with its high tower and all not far from the Bay Bridge. Hopefully the old KRE building will remain as a historical landmark but probably not in this day of developers scraping up
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HAPPIER TIMES
July, 2013 found us at the iconic KRE Radio Station and California HIstorical Radio Society, where its annual auction was taking place, along with inductions
to the Bay Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Serious radio buffs, headed by Steve Kushman, bought and restored the vintage building several years back. It is much like it was in its heyday, during the mid 1900s, with broadcast studio intact. In addition, it has been made into a museum, perhaps one of the few of its kind. We hope to report in further detail but for now, take a look at:
The radio station now serves as a museum including fully restored broadcast booth, below.
Everything inside looks just like it did 50 years ago. Congrats to Steve Kushman
and staff for their hard work in making this, perhaps the most comprehensive
if not only one of its kind
Actual, preserved broadcast booth of KRE
Radio History
Members of Bay Area Broadcast Hall of Fame (partial list), which is now a part
of CHRS,
including such notables as Ira Blue, Jim Lange,
Al Jazzbeaux Collins, Gene Nelson, Bill King…
Inside the KRE broadcast booth, fully restored with turntables and all
vintage radios, part of the museum
Radio tower , still putting out power for other stations, shoots high into the sky.
Vintage TV showing classic clip from American Graffiti
with Wolfman Jack mentoring impressionable Richard Dreyfus
on life and popsicles
Vintage hi-fi style radio was auctioned off for around $100
Smaller ‘Cathedral’ radios went for around $25 each
If you enjoy this look back, you might also enjoy our vintage site,
Oldies Country,
which includes music, movies and memories of such topis as American Graffiti,
celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
KRE RADIO, Emeryville, CA – Restored Radio Station, Califofornia Historical Radio Society, Old Radios and more