The California
Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit corporation
chartered in the State of California. CHRS was formed in 1974 to
promote the restoration and preservation of early radio and broadcasting.
Our goal is to provide the opportunity to exchange ideas and information
on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with emphasis
in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and display
of early equipment. The Journal of the Society is furnished free
of charge to members. Yearly membership dues are $30 join
or renew
Below, click play for the KRE Story by Wayne Freedman, KGO-7
Radio… has been a part of most Americans’ lives for more than 100 years. From the earliest experiments with electrical sparks to transmit signals, to the smart phones of today, radio is the cornerstone of all forms of modern wireless communications. Yet few people today know much about the history of this vital technology, much less the pioneers — visionaries like Guglielmo Marconi, Lee De Forest, Charles “Doc” Herrold and David Sarnoff — the men who invented and nurtured radio. The California Historical Radio Society strives to keep this important history alive by creating an environment conducive to sparking interest in radio, in young and old alike. We are filling the information gap between “wireless” in 1899 & “wireless” more than 100 years later.
The California Historical Radio Society, (CHRS), is dedicated to the study of early radio and to the importance of this first wireless medium to the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2009, the Bay Area Radio Museum, an online museum featuring historic Bay Area radio personalities and a vast archive of audio clips merged with CHRS. The addition of the Bay Area Radio Museum and the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, (to be housed in Studio A at KRE), really makes CHRS a complete resource for the preservation and presentation of all aspects of radio.
In the early 1970s a group of dedicated people, mostly electronic engineers who were also antique radio collectors, realized that the importance of radio technology and broadcasting history was beginning to fade among the general population. They founded CHRS to preserve and protect the artifacts, ephemera and programs of the radio age. The Society has expanded its AM radio focus to include wireless telegraphy, amateur radio, microphones, commercial and military broadcasting, FM, phonographs, hi-fi, television, recorders and other devices used for sound reproduction or transmission, plus, the advertising, periodicals and publications relating to radio and radio history. CHRS consists of over 300 members. We are preservationists, restorers, collectors, historians, researchers and educators. We are also very passionate about vintage radio. Our Society has hosted vintage radio collectors’ events and presented vintage radio displays for over 30 years. We have participated in radio exhibits at the S.F. International Airport Museum, the Monterey Co. Airport Museum, The Gavin Convention, the Burlingame Historical Society and the S.F. Beat Museum.
CHRS has signed an agreement with Inner Cities Broadcasting Corporation to occupy and restore the historic KRE radio station building located at 601 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, CA. Originally constructed in 1937, the KRE station was one of the first facilities built in California specifically for broadcasting and was also the venue for the famous scenes featuring “Wolfman Jack” and Richard Dreyfuss in the 1973 George Lucas film, “American Graffiti”. The KRE site has been transmitting AM radio signals for over 70 years and still operates today as KVTO, making the KRE station an important landmark in S.F. Bay Area radio history. The restoration of the station and creation of a museum and educational center gives us an environment to share our knowledge and love of radio. It allows us to create a level of appreciation and understanding for a new generation of antique radio collectors and historians. CHRS seeks to purchase this historic building and site to create a permanent legacy to radio and its rich history. You can help, by making generous contributions to our funds, donating radio artifacts, setting up an endowment, becoming a member and volunteering some time to this worthwhile educational and historical Society.
The members of our organization are the people with the knowledge needed to perpetuate the fascination for vintage radio. We endeavor to impart their knowledge to the young, to foster the interest in collecting and preserving radios and to teach the historical information that enhances the collecting experience. We are extremely fortunate to be in the historic KRE radio station building. This facility is allowing us to fulfill our educational goals. We believe that CHRS is the only vintage radio society to have an historic radio station as its home. Almost all the work on this project is being done by a dedicated group of people who have volunteered countless hours to help create this West Coast center devoted to Radio.
The CHRS / KRE Restoration and Museum Project:
The CHRS Vintage Radio Museum and Museum Store
The James A. Maxwell Historical Communications Research Library
The Russ Dillberg Vintage Radio Repair Shop & Teaching Facility
Amateur Radio Station W6CF
Radio Control Room Restoration - to vintage 1950 on-air working condition
Vintage Audio Transfer Service - CHRS will digitize your vintage recordings
Restoration of Studio “A” - to a working recording and on-air studio and the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Gallery (www.bayarearadio.org)
CHRS Activities & Resources:
Vintage radio swap meets & auctions
Volunteer work days at KRE
“LIVE! At KRE”, annual July fundraiser -Live Music, radio plays performed by local Broadcast Legends, vintage radio auction and electronic flea market
The CHRS Living History Project
Vintage radio repair classes and clinics
Special presentations and guest speakers
Technical assistance and advice
Schematic re-print service
“Hints & Kinks” - 20 Year Anniversary radio restoration & repair manual
