KDKA was the first commercial radio station in the United States. It began broadcasting on November 2, 1920, from the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company's plant in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station's first broadcast was a live report of the results of the 1920 presidential election, in which Warren G. Harding defeated James M. Cox.
KDKA quickly became a popular radio station, and it played a major role in the development of the radio industry in the United States. In 1921, the station began broadcasting the first regularly scheduled news program. In 1922, it broadcast the first live play-by-play account of a sporting event, a football game between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of West Virginia.
In 1923, KDKA moved to its current location in Oakland, Pennsylvania. The station continued to grow in popularity, and it eventually became one of the most powerful radio stations in the United States. In 1931, KDKA became an affiliate of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
In the years that followed, KDKA continued to broadcast a wide variety of programming, including news, sports, music, and entertainment. The station also played a role in important events, such as the coverage of the Pittsburgh Flood of 1936 and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Today, KDKA is still a major radio station in Pittsburgh. The station broadcasts a variety of programming, including news, talk, and music. KDKA is also an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network.
The station's call letters, KDKA, stand for "K" for Westinghouse's parent company, the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company; "D" for the city of Pittsburgh; and "K" for "America."