March 15, 2017
I always have been fascinated with radio both in operations and in the technical side. My interest begain in the 1950's when I homebrewed a one transistor radio that my father helped me with in the construction. This one transistor radio was simply a crystal set with one transistor as an audio amplifier to drive the headphones.. In the early 1960's I acquired an amateur radio license. I also built a low power AM broadcast transmitter and displayed my limited talents as an announcer and disc jockey to the neighborhood. I also practiced my mike skills with a borrowed tape recorder. I also used that tape machine to record many hours of Bay Area radio stations in the 1960s.
After graduating from highschool, it was off to City College of San Francisco and focusing on a broadcast engineering career. I spent some time with my voice on the campus' radio station KCSF. I eventually passed the test for the FCC First Class Radio Telephone license.
My first commerical employment in radio was with KSOL-AM in 1966 doing both engineering and announcing. I worked with Sly Stone at that time and this was just before he signed a contract with Columbia (Epic) records when he formed Sly & the Family Stone. I also filled in on the air on other shifts.
From radio I moved to television in 1972 and spent 30 years at KBHK Channel 44 in the engineering department. In 1979, I started volunteering at KPOO as an engineer and did occasional air work. In 2003 I acquired a permentent time slot on Thursdays for my "Jivin' Around" program were I am today.
Dave Edwards
From left to right, Jim Rigsbee "Grinders Grooveyard" host on KPOO, R&B legend Johnny Otis who has passed away, and Dave Edwards pose in front of the Power House Brewery and Restaurant in Sebastopol California on Saturday morning April 6, 2002. At that time Johnny would host a R&B oldies and interview show on KPFA in Berkeley. Many of these broadcasts were remote events from this brewery in Sonoma County.
