KINY went on the air in 1935, and was located in the Goldstein Building in downtown Juneau. It was the only station in Juneau and one of only three stations operating in Alaska at the time. Soon after, the station was acquired by Vincent I. Kraft, the original founder of KJR in Seattle.
Not long after acquiring the station, a major fire gutted the Goldstein Building, leaving only the shell of the structure standing. (The building was later rebuilt and remains a key downtown Juneau structure today.) Faced with the task of rebuilding the station, Kraft took the opportunity to enlarge and expand the operations. New studios were built at another downtown Juneau location, and a new transmitter building and tower were constructed on the south edge of the city. Kraft, a talented broadcast engineer, built a new transmitter and much of the studio equipment himself.
The photos in this collection were provided to me by Kraft's son in the 1980's.
KINY Photos: