Celebrating 100 Years of Radio
Duquesne University and the National Museum of Broadcasting, in cooperation with Westinghouse SURE and RIDC Keystone Commons present a two-day celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of KDKA's first radio broadcast.
Monday, November 2 | 7 p.m.
Film Premiere
Join Duquesne University President and film narrator Ken Gormley as he tells the story of the beginnings of commercial radio.
The film highlights Pittsburgh inventor Frank Conrad, who took wireless radio to new heights inside a garage in Wilkinsburg. The story also recounts the role of his suffragette wife, Flora, and the "listening parties" where people gathered to hear Harding-Cox election results, the first national election in which women could vote.
From a broadcasting shack on the property of Westinghouse Electric at its East Pittsburgh plant, and with the Pittsburgh Post (predecessor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) providing election updates by telephone, the KDKA broadcaster made history that night. The film chronicles the vision of Westinghouse, KDKA and Frank Conrad that inspired the global communication broadcasts we have today.
Live Stream from Historic Broadcast Site
After the film, Duquesne President Ken Gormley and former KDKA newscaster and former U.S. Congressman Ron Klink will host a live celebration inside a replica of the original KDKA broadcast shack, located at RIDC Keystone Commons in East Pittsburgh. The broadcast will feature interviews, special guests and a reenactment of the KDKA Harding-Cox election broadcast from 1920.
Tuesday, November 3 | 8 - 10 p.m.
2020 Election Coverage
Join President Ken Gormley, a presidential historian, for a live broadcast featuring results from the Trump-Biden election and interviews with special guests on the site of the KDKA shack in East Pittsburgh. President Gormley and guests will discuss parallels with the 1920 Harding-Cox election, the historical importance of KDKA radio (with special guests, iconic KDKA broadcasters Larry Richert and Jack Bogut) and provide election updates in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and its special election website.
Monday, November 16, through Sunday, December 13
ON-AIR Radio Theater
Don't miss ON-AIR, a radio theater broadcast that brings you back to 1920 and the story of Frank and Flora Conrad. This award-winning musical brings to life the humble beginnings of Frank and Flora, the suffragette fight for women's voting rights, and the start of KDKA.