In the mid 1930s, radio station KFAC started broadcasting classical music from a building at 3457 Wilshire Blvd that once housed the showroom for Auburn and Cord automobiles. This rather spectacular photo showing how the radio towers were lit up at night. They must have been visible for miles around in low-rise 1930s Los Angeles. (The tower to the left belongs to the Wilshire Christian Church – known today as Oasis Church.)
Here is how the building looked during the daytime during its earlier incarnation as the showroom for Auburn Cord automotives:
The building is still there, albeit very modified. This image is from December 2020:
In case you’re wondering why two towers, KFAC was using a directional transmission array:
https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/roots-of-radio/the-development-of-the-directional-am-broadcast-antenna
See the diagram for WOR, about halfway down the page. 🙂
Thanks for that, MMM. For years I’ve been wondering for why the double towers. I guess the same goes for the Warner Bros radio station on Hollywood Blvd.
Yeppers! And if you see old movies/cartoons with double tower antennas, that’s why… 😉
I grew up with KFAC constantly on in the background. Thomas Cassidy, Tom Dixon, Carl Princi, luncheon at the Music Center, all great.
In the 1930’s, the Covina Woman’s Club, sponsored by the County Federation of Woman’s Clubs (LA), broadcast a play from KFAC. The title was “Across This Threshold: a one-act play written by Mrs. E.J. Summerhays – a woman’s club member. The date might have been around April 16, 1937. I found a small article in the Covina Argus newspaper but that is all. Does anyone have any information on this? Kim Plater, Covina Woman’s Club History Chair.
I don’t, Kimberly, but hopefully someone reading this might have something useful.