KRBA-AM Radio Station

KRBA went on the air on May 3, 1938, as the first licensed commercial station in the Angelina and Nacogdoches area, broadcasting daytime only at 100 watts on 1310 kilocycles. Power rose to 250 watts, day and night, on July 13, 1939, and an FCC reallocation moved the signal to 1340 on March 28, 1941. The Cash Drug Store burned in 1941, and the studio moved to the former Rogers Drug Store. It reached Cotton Square in January 1956. Daytime power rose to one kilowatt in 1966, and in 1968 the station introduced Spanish-language programming to East Texas.

What the plaque says

KRBA-AM Radio Station By the 1930s, radio had become an established medium for commercial advertising. In 1938, commercial radio came to Angelina County when Redland Broadcasting Association received the first license in the area. Station manager Darrell Yates financed, built, and launched KRBA-AM on May 3, 1938 with the understanding that he would assume full ownership from investors in five years. Programs were initially only broadcast during the day and the station operated at a frequency of 130 kilocycles at a 100-watt power level. KRBA originally operated from Cash Drug Store in downtown Lufkin. Since 1948, broadcasts have originated from 121 Cotton Square and the transmission site has been at what is now 2105 Spence Street. Early KRBA programming included broadcast news, drama, music, and sermons. The station also covered sports, beginning with Lufkin Panther football in 1938. During World War II, the station employed a number of women to take the place of male employees. By the 1950s and 1960s, new programs included "The Song and Dance Parade," a prelude to rock-n-roll programming, and "Tunes and Tempos," which introduced African-American radio to local audiences; Spanish programming began in the late 1960s with "Sabado Alegres." ? Through the years, the station has made a major impact in the area. KRBA-AM has sponsored a number of charitable activities in Lufkin. The station has also served as a launching pad for a number of noted radio and broadcast personalities. Today, under the direction of Yates Media, historic KRBA continues to be directly involved in community and regional events, and continues to serve the public as a viable broadcasting institution into the 21st century. (2009)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Caddo Mounds State Historic Site — 30 mi
  Three earthen mounds of an ancestral Caddo village and ceremonial center on the old El Camino Real, settled about A.D. 800 and still sacred to Caddo people, with a grass house and visitor center.

More markers nearby

• Site of Rehearsal Hall for The Hoo Hoo Band — steps away
• Lufkin Daily News — steps away
• First Baptist Church of Lufkin — 0.2 mi
• Site of Martin Wagon Company — 0.2 mi