[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 159 (Tuesday, September 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF KNX

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                          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.

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