Steam Powered Radio

A Collection of Non-Memorable Radio Memorabilia

KKHI Studios

When I arrived in 1981, the KKHI studios were in the Hotel St. Francis on the 14th floor. This was the older section of the hotel off of Union Square. There was the main air studio, and two production rooms each with an associated announce booth. All of the transmission equipment was located in racks in each production room. It was an interesting collection of equipment and the studios were showing their age. Each production room used a Gates Stereo Yard and Ampex 601 reel to reel machines. The cart machines in these rooms were made by McCarta and were probably left over from the old automation system. The air studio was pretty new with a PR&E BMX14, serial number 2, I think, Gates Criterion cart machines and Technics SL-1200 turntables. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the early studios before we changed them around. If you do and want to share, please contact me and I'll be happy to add them here.