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KNX collection (ARA)
PA Mss 167
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Title: KNX collection (ARA)
Identifier/Call Number: PA Mss 167
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Physical Description:
115 Linear Feet;
(95 record boxes, 24 document boxes, 2 flat boxes)
Creator:
KNX (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Date (inclusive): 1940-1994
Date (bulk): 1940-1960
Abstract: The KNX Collection consists of 120 boxes or about 115 linear feet of material pertaining to broadcasting on KNX radio. A majority
of the materials are loose and bound scripts from radio shows broadcasted between 1940-1960 consisting of shows like
Escape,
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar,
Suspense,
Romance and
Meet Millie. The remaining material relates to publicity material for KNX News Radio from the 1960s to the 1990s. KNX radio is a CBS
affiliated broadcast that was located in the Los Angeles area and is described as one of the oldest radio stations in the
country. Today, KNX is still broadcasting their news on KNX News 97.1 FM.
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library.
The collection is open for research.
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through
the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to
the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator
and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department
of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of
California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of Item], KNX Collection, PA Mss 167. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
This collection forms part of the American Radio Archives (ARA), which documents the early history of broadcasting, with an
emphasis on California. The ARA was formerly housed at the Thousand Oaks Public Library and was owned and administered by
the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation. It was transferred to the UCSB Library in 2021.
KNX 1070 is an AM radio station that is considered one of the oldest radio stations in the United States having been founded
on September 10, 1920 and receiving its first broadcasting license in December 1921 with the randomly assigned call letters
KGC issued by the Electric Lighting Supply Company. It was not until May 4, 1922 that the Electric Lighting Supply Company
assigned the KNX call letters which was technically considered the second radio station. On June 20, 1922 the KGC call letters
were deleted because they were functionally the same radio station and was from then on only identified as KNX. It was not
until 1936 that CBS purchased the KNX radio station where they became the flagship for the entire West Coast CBS radio network.
In March 1941 the station transferred to 1070 AM as part of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.
During the "Golden Age" of radio between the 1920s and 1950s, KNX radio presented some of the most legendary performers with
Jerome Lawrence getting his start writing for KNX radio in the late 1930s to Bob Crane hosting the KNX morning show from 1957
to 1967. Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Edgar Bergen and Gene Autry were also featured on various shows. In 1951 KNX
gained a television cousin when CBS acquired KTSL and rebranded it as KNXT, it was not until 1984 that KCBS-TV became its
callsign. In 2005 KNX radio left Columbia Square after 67 years and moved the radio station and offices along the "Miracle
Mile" that houses some of Los Angeles' most notorious radio stations.
The KNX Collection consists of around 115 linear feet of record boxes and document boxes dating from 1940-1994, with the bulk
of the material dating from 1940-1960. A majority of the collection consists of both loose and bound scripts that extend 95
record boxes or 103 linear feet pertaining to radio shows broadcasted through the CBS affiliated KNX radio station. The remaining
material pertains to documents in association with both radio and television consisting of unused scripts, rejected scripts,
payroll, memoranda, correspondence, fan mail, commercials and promotional material contained in 5 document boxes extending
about 2 linear feet. There are also materials pertaining to News Radio Publicity consisting of about 18 document boxes and
1 flat box or around 9 linear feet of publicity releases and mailings, publicity stories, news radio awards, the man and women
of the year award winners with photographs, portraits of KNX affiliates and news clippings, magazines and ephemera pertaining
to the CBS Cornerstone Ceremony. There also includes 3 artifacts (hat, bumper sticker and flag) that are housed in 1 flat
box.
The materials in this collection are arranged into five series by type. Series 1: Radio Scripts – Loose Scripts, Series 2:
Radio Scripts – Bound Volumes, Series 3: Radio and Television Documents and Correspondence, Series 4: Publicity Material,
Series 5: Artifacts.
Forms part of the American Radio Archives (ARA).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Radio programs -- California -- Los Angeles -- History
Radio stations -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Radio scripts
Promotional materials
Business correspondence
Photographs
CBS-KNX News
KNX (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Archives