The California Historical Radio Society faces an uncertain future as its license with Inner Cities Broadcasting Corporation to occupy the historical KRE building in Berkeley draws closer to its Dec. 31 expiration date.
CHRS will have a meeting with the building’s new owner sometime between July 10 and 20 to further discuss plans for the radio museum’s future location.
Built in 1937, the KRE station was one of the first buildings made specifically for radio broadcasting and was also displayed in the famous George Lucas film “American Graffiti.”
“We may have to sacrifice being at a historical site for a permanent one,” said Steve Kushman, CHRS president and KRE project manager. “What’s most important is to find a place of permanence for all of our archives and museum collections.”
In 2003, CHRS signed a 10-year contract with ICBC to take over the KRE building for free and restore it in return. Since then, CHRS has transformed the place into a radio museum that CHRS said “allows us to create a level of appreciation and understanding for a new generation of antique radio collectors and historians.”
However, due to bankruptcy in 2011, ICBC was forced to sell the KRE station to Pham Radio Communication.
Kushman said that the museum will probably be there until the end of the year because Pham Radio Communication has not asked them to move yet.
“We are good for the moment,” he said. “Nobody’s asking us to move in a hurry. No one is telling us to move our stuff out of the place.”
Tom Bonomo, who is on a subcommittee of the CHRS Board of Directors, said that the search for a new building is ongoing given the uncertainty with the current location. A broker is looking for a space that is approximately 6,000 to 8,000 square feet and has ample parking space for visitors.
Kushman said that the society is willing to spend between $700,000 and $1 million on a location somewhere in the Bay Area.
On July 20, CHRS will be hosting its biggest annual fundraiser, Radio Day by the Bay 2013, at the historic KRE Station. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., music, food and an auction will be open to the public, with a $5 expected donation at the gate.
Contact Sasha Costello at [email protected]