When most people think of the Great Northwest and the region’s early history, famous pioneers like Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, and Kit Carson usually come to mind.
At SPARK, we feel that list would be woefully incomplete without perhaps our all-time favorite Northwest pioneer: Vincent I. Kraft.
Kraft is considered Puget Sound’s first radio broadcaster and the founder of KJR, the iconic and much-beloved Northwest radio station—launched over a hundred years ago in his Seattle basement.
Kraft began his career as an instructor at the Seattle YMCA radio school and was an early amateur radio enthusiast. In 1919—years before commercial radio officially existed—he began broadcasting from his home in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood.
“At the time, it was pretty much dead air,” says SPARK co-founder and curator, Jon Winter. “There was nothing to hear, except for point-to-point communication—ships at sea or military transmissions, no Beatles.”
Before the internet or television, no commercial radio meant extremely limited access to music.
“A time when you were lucky to hear a concert once in your entire life,” says Charlie Bryan, Director of Operations. “No spinning the dial and tuning in to Frank Sinatra or Johnny Cash. Not even The Village People—which, frankly, everyone here finds unimaginable.”
Kraft changed all that. He began broadcasting his 78 rpm record collection from a 10-watt transmitter to local radio operators for about 45 minutes every evening, using an early microphone known as the Wonderphone.
Originally designed by Seattle’s Universal High Power Telephone Company for use with the Dubilier Wireless Telephone (a whole other story), the Wonderphone was a high-power, carbon button microphone used to modulate arc transmitters.
This innovative microphone quickly became the go-to for radio amateurs and early broadcasters—Vincent Kraft among them.
His nightly broadcasts—and the Wonderphone—were a big hit. Fans wanted more. Whether he knew it or not, Mr. Kraft had become the Northwest’s first DJ, and laid the foundation for what would become KJR, the region’s first commercial radio station.
“If there was an ‘Who Birthed Broadcast Radio Club,’” says Bryan, “Mr. Kraft would be a charter member.”
What began as a hobby in 1919 quickly evolved. On March 9, 1922, KJR received its formal broadcasting license—and it has been on the air ever since.
“Those early radio broadcasts marked the beginning of a new era of instant information and entertainment,” says John Jenkins, SPARK President & CEO. “Radio’s impact struck people in a way that made even the most remote listener feel connected—and less alone.”
By 1926, KJR was broadcasting daily at 20,000 watts. Kraft had expanded into Portland (KEX), Spokane (KGA), and San Francisco (KYA), linking the greater Northwest through news, music, and entertainment.
Over the decades, KJR has changed hands multiple times, including those of entertainers Frank Sinatra and Danny Kaye. After Sinatra sold his interest, Kaye-Smith Enterprises was born in 1964—ushering in what many call KJR’s Golden Age.
Under legendary programmer Pat O’Day, KJR became a nationally recognized Top 40 AM station, introducing the Northwest to stars like The Wailers, The Ventures, Merrilee Rush, and of course, The Beatles.
“For decades, KJR was considered Seattle’s signature Top 40 station,” says Jenkins. “Disc jockeys like Pat O’Day, Ichabod Caine, and Gary ‘Lockjock’ Lockwood were local celebrities.”
Times have changed, and so has KJR. Today, KJR 950 lives on as an all-sports AM radio station owned by iHeartMedia in Seattle, Washington.
KJR has continued to adapt and evolve through the decades, but one thing has remained constant: its impact. For millions of fans, listening to KJR was one of the best parts of growing up—and living—in the Great Northwest.
Stay grounded.