On Saturday, July 18, the California Radio Historical Society (CHRS) will present their annual celebration of radio and wireless communication at Radio Central in Alameda. The event is all day long, family friendly, and features a variety of live entertainment and radio programming.
The event boasts a vast array of activities, ranging from free museum tours all day, a vintage radio auction featuring top selections from the CHRS collection, curated exhibits from radio and broadcasting experts, plus community partners, a W6CF live ham radio operation, a surplus equipment sale, a museum store featuring refurbished vintage radios for purchase, food trucks and a cash bar.
The California Radio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of radio and wireless communication, as well as education for the public and research into broadcast media. Started in 1974, the organization offers community programming, youth summer camps, radio displays, and workshops for all ages.
Mindi Levine, program director at CRHS, says that the importance of radio history and education cannot be overstated.
“I think one of the most important things about relevancy and radio is that almost every piece of technology you use today has its foundations in radio,” says Levine. “Your cell phone is a whole bunch of radios. Anything that is Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled is a radio.”
What began as a group of antique collectors and audio engineers in 1974 has now grown to an organization of over 700 members who pride themselves on preservation, collection, history, writing, research and education. They operate the The Bay Area Radio Museum (BARM) and The Bay Area Radio Hall Of Fame (BARHOF), as well as publishing biannual periodicals and hosting the CRHS Radio Dog Theater, a collective of Bay Area radio personalities.
The CRHS is passionate about bringing young people into the world of analog communication and vintage broadcasting. One of the best things to do to learn about this world is to visit Radio Central in Alameda, says Levine.
“[Visiting] allows us the opportunity to inform and teach you about how what you have in your pocket stems from these items that we have all around the building…what a vacuum tube is, and how it relates, and how that became transistors,” she says, “and how your cell phone is a bunch of transistors. For a young person who’s like, ‘meh, radio, not interested,’ I think that would be my first step.”
Levine says that the joy of radio also spans across generations, and many people who lived through radio’s golden age can reminisce and enjoy their programming.
“Radio gives older generations a greater appreciation for how far we have come, especially in such a short period of time,” she explains.
Another feature of the CRHS is their radio refurbishing program. They receive donations of old or broken radios that are repaired and augmented with modern Bluetooth and auxiliary technologies, so that both analog and digital capabilities can be enjoyed through a vintage piece of communication.
Levine describes, “So what we do with these beautiful radios is you now have a statement piece in your living room or your kitchen or your bedroom that’s beautiful, and it acts as furniture, but it also streams your podcast or your Spotify or whatever through the Bluetooth component. So it’s functional for today’s lifestyle, but it harkens back and adds that element of interest to your living space.”
Levine encourages anyone who is interested to come to Radio by the Bay. Membership to the society is $40 a year and includes personalized radio repair workshops, as well as docent training for whatever areas of the program spark interest. Monetary donations are always welcome, but equipment and volunteer time are also crucial elements to the CRHS operations.
“When you’re here,” says Levine, “you’re gonna fall in love with us.”
Radio By the Bay, July 18, 8am-4pm at 2152 Central Ave., Alameda. Free. RSVP at californiahistoricalradio.com/event/radio-day-2026.
