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[Page E841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATING THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF KNX
______
HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor KNX News Radio (KNX)
upon its one-hundredth anniversary.
KNX began humbly in the back bedroom of the home of founder Fred
Christian, a former wireless operator and manager at one of the first
radio supply stores in Los Angeles. On September 10, 1920, with parts
from his store, Mr. Christian set up an amateur radio station with the
call letters 6ADZ. At the time, the station was one of only two
stations broadcasting music in Southern California. In 1922, Mr.
Christian built a new 100-watt transmitter and was given the call
letters KNX, still used today. That year, the radio station started
broadcasting a nightly newscast, one of the first heard in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times called the broadcast ``one of the best in the
land.''
KNX quickly became known as ``The Voice of Hollywood,'' an invaluable
news resource for the community and the nation. KNX has a long and
illustrious history in Southern California, predating the Hollywood
Sign and the Rose Bowl stadium. In 1925, KNX provided what is thought
to be the first accurate news coverage of the Santa Barbara earthquake.
Five years later, in 1930, KNX became the first station to broadcast
the Academy Awards. That timely, accurate reporting became its
hallmark.
Over the last century, KNX has provided unwavering coverage of local
and national news stories. In 1938, the station aired Orson Welles'
infamous adaptation of ``The War of the Worlds'' from its new Columbia
Square studio complex. That studio went on to host and record
precedent-setting broadcasts, including performances by Lucille Ball,
Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. In 1968, a landmark year for KNX, the
station provided comprehensive coverage of the Vietnam War protests and
the assassination of Martin Luther King. The same year, KNX provided
critical breaking news coverage of the assassination of Robert F.
Kennedy, with live on-the-ground coverage from the Ambassador Hotel and
Central Receiving Hospital.
Today, KNX, a national Edward R. Murrow award-winner for ``Breaking
News,'' continues its steadfast commitment to the community by
providing instrumental coverage of local and national news stories, and
in depth reporting and analysis on biggest issues facing all Southern
Californians. That's why millions across Southern California tune in
every day, whether they are just waking up or heading home from work,
and everywhere in between.
The staff, from the producers to the reporters and anchors, who have
worked tirelessly over the last century to serve their community
deserve our thanks for their dedication and service for our community.
KNX Radio Station is a pillar of Southern California, and I ask all
Members to join me in congratulating KNX on the hundred-year
anniversary of its founding.
____________________
