Japanese Time ~History of Japanese Radio Broadcasting~ {Los Angeles Edition}
Los Angeles was one of the first cities to start commercial radio broadcasting in 1921, and regular Japanese radio broadcasts began in 1930. Following on from the Seattle edition , this series will trace the history of Japanese radio broadcasting in the Los Angeles area before the war in five parts.
*This series is an excerpt from Tetsuya Hirahara's book "Japan Hour" and is reprinted from the Rafu Shimpo newspaper .
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Series: "Japan Time: History of Japanese Radio Broadcasting"
Stories from this series
Part 4: Teruo Kawabe, a leading figure in Japanese language broadcasting
Jan. 16, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
When talking about the history of Japanese language broadcasting in Los Angeles, there is one person who cannot be left out. That person is Kawabe Teruo, who stayed in the United States for about nine years from 1929 and served as an announcer for various programs. However, even for those who lived at the time, it seems that very few people would know who Kawabe Teruo was. This is because in public he did not use his real name, Kawabe, …
The 3rd Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
Jan. 9, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
The antenna tower with the neon sign of KRKD, which stands on the roof of an arcade building near Broadway and 5th Avenue in Los Angeles, has been a beloved downtown landmark for many years. Before the war, KRKD had a studio on the third floor of this building, where Japanese people gathered every Monday night to broadcast a 30-minute Japanese program. Thus, KRKD was a familiar broadcasting station to Japanese people living abroad. Japanese language broadcasts began on KRKD …
Episode 2: The Beginning of Japanese Broadcasting
Dec. 26, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
In 1930, the long-awaited first regular Japanese broadcasting began in Los Angeles. It was the "Japanese Broadcasting Station" (or Japanese Language Broadcasting Station), presided over by Utah-born Kazumasa Kawachi. It began on April 28, 1930. It aired for 30 minutes from noon Monday through Saturday on KGFJ. The announcements were made by Kanda Koichi, a graduate student of political science at the University of Southern California. Described as "a passionate orator, enthusiastic, and caring person" (Rafu Nichibei, August 22, 1932), …
Part 1: The Prehistory of Japanese Broadcasting
Dec. 19, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
Commercial radio broadcasting in America began with the launch of KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1920. In Los Angeles, the first station was KQL, which was licensed in October 1921. By June of the following year, there were 25 stations. At the time, the frequency allocated for broadcasting was limited to one, 833 kHz, so each station broadcast for a short period of time, adjusting the day of the week and time. Regular Japanese radio programs began in Los Angeles in …
