KDKA and the History of Radio by Michael Young

September 12, 2017

Speakers: Michael Young, Senior Vice President and Pittsburgh Market Manager, KDKA Radio and PJ Kumanchik, News Director, of KDKA Radio

From: Explore PA History
RADIO STATION KDKA Marker — Marker Location: KDKA Headquarters, 1 Gateway Center, Pittsburgh

“World’s First commercial station began operating November 2, 1920, when KDKA reported Harding Cox election returns from a makeshift studio at the East Pittsburgh Works of Westinghouse. Music, sports, talks, and special events were soon being regularly aired.”

“On the afternoon of Friday, August 5, 1921, Harold Arlin sat down in a box seat behind home plate to watch the Pirates defeat the Phillies, 8-5. He wasn’t there just to watch, though; he was also there to tell fans beyond the ballpark what he was seeing. When he opened his mouth to speak into the telephone he was holding, Arlin changed the way Americans would enjoy baseball, and indeed, every other sport, forever.”

About the Speaker: Michael Young — from KDKA Radio website

Michael Young currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Pittsburgh Market Manager for CBS Radio Pittsburgh, where he oversees all facets of the four CBS Pittsburgh radio stations; News Radio 1020 KDKA, KDKA-FM/Sports Radio 93-7 The Fan, WBZZ-FM/100.7 Star, & WDSY-FM/Y-108.

Young has spent his entire professional career (nearly 33 years) in radio, and has been with CBS for over 28 years. He joined CBS in 1985, where he was a part of CBS Radio Representatives in New York City, the company’s in-house national sales firm. Young held various sales and sales management positions at CBS Radio Representative before he moved to the CBS Radio Network as Eastern Sales Manager.

In 1996, CBS moved Young to Pittsburgh where he has spent the past 17 years; first serving as General Sales Manager for KDKA-AM, then Vice-President & General Manager of KDKA-AM, and currently holds the position of Senior Vice President & Pittsburgh Market Manager for all of CBS Radio’s Pittsburgh properties and operations.

Prior to joining CBS, Young worked in sales as an Account Executive at two radio stations (WGRQ-FM & WKBW-AM) in Buffalo/New York.

Young is a native of Western Pennsylvania. He was born and raised in Bradford, and attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in communications media and worked at the University’s radio station (WIUP-FM).

Young, his wife Barbara, and three sons reside in Pine Township, north of Pittsburgh.

Back to Program Videos by Topic