Welcome to 2020, the year of KDKA Radio.
Dr. Frank Conrad – Dr. Conrad was experimenting with wireless communication going back to 1916. His transmission sight, licensed as 8XK was a project he worked on out of his garage in East Pittsburgh. A Westinghouse engineer, Conrad invited those with crystal sets to listen to 8XK to determine an interest. He would advertise the specific days and times that he would air music on 8XK and asked those who could receive it to send him a post card to confirm their reception. The irony of the first broadcast was that Conrad was not there. He stayed at his garage and had 8XK standing by as a backup in case there were problems with the first broadcast, on Westinghouse station 8ZZ, which was the actual precursor to KDKA Radio.
Harry P. David – During World War One, when amateur crystal radio operators were off air for security reasons, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, under the engineering guidance of Dr. Conrad, developed transmitters and receivers for military use. Following the war, Westinghouse stepped forward to establish itself as a provider of radio communication. It was H.P. Davis, a Westinghouse Vice President, who led the Westinghouse surge. An application, signed by Davis, issued to Westinghouse a limited commercial station license, identifying the call letters as KDKA. The licenses original intent was to establish a communication network between Westinghouse facilities in Springfield, MA, Cleveland, Brooklyn and Newark, NJ. Davis, seeing the tremendous opportunity to sell amateur wireless sets, decided that Westinghouse should provide regular programming as an incentive to purchase those sets and set the goal for starting continuous programming on November 2, 1920.
Leo Rosenberg – The actual first voice on 8ZZ (KDKA), Rosenberg was selected to host the election results. He was a member of the Westinghouse publicity department. Rosenberg voiced a re-creation of the first broadcast during the 1930s, in which they erroneously mentioned the call letters KDKA. The station's identity at the time was 8ZZ.
Harold Arlin – Arlin was the first full time announcer in radio history. Arlin had been a rate foreman for Westinghouse, and was hired for the position in January, 1921. Arlin became the first person to announce a major league baseball game (Pirates vs. Phillies) and the first announcer for a college football game (Pitt-West Virginia). Arlin was nicknamed the "Voice of America" and since KDKA Radio transmissions were heard in Europe, the London Times called him "the best known American voice in Europe."
