Back in 1919 an amateur licensed radio station called 8ZAE operated experimentally on one of the upper floors of the Doubleday-Hill Electric Company store in downtown Pittsburgh. The store sold radio components, and when it's salespeople wanted to give a prospective customer a demonstration to spark the sale, they just ran upstairs and turned on the station.
Well, two years later in January, 1921, Pittsburgh listeners heard the call letters KQV on their crystal sets for the first time. These call letters, officially designated by the Federal government a year later, inaugurated one of the world's first commercial broadcast services. Well, not quite, because KQV founder G. Brown Hill did not think radio should be a commercial enterprise and refused to accept commercials until 1925. How times have changed!
Over the years since then, KQV has been many things to many Pittsburghers. Early on, in the 30's and 40's, KQV had live musical shows and was a full-time affiliate; first with NBC's blue network, later with Mutual, carrying daytime soap operas, nightly drama and comedy shows, and network newscasts in addition to it's local news.
In the 50's, 60's, and the early 70's, KQV was the cock of the walk in rock. It was Pittsburgh's DJ fast-track. Showcased on the ground floor of the Chamber of Commerce Building at the corner of "Walk" and "Don't Walk".
Then, the music stopped on October 15, 1975. Just like that, KQV became all news as a charter affiliate of NBC radio's newly launched News and Information service.
Check also
My KQV Audio Tape Collection
Jeff Roteman's KQV Website
440:Satisfaction KQV 1410 Pittsburgh, PA
KQV's Official Page
TribLIVE - Focus - August 8, 1999 (article)
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