News On the Rocks: Ajit Pai – From His Transistor Radio, to FCC Chairman

A kid who grew up listening to radio is now in control of it. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai was the child of immigrants from India who arrived in the United States with nothing but a transistor radio and $10. FCC Chairman Pai grew up in Parsons (KS) and told us, “I still remember on summer nights tuning into KLKC 1540 am and hearing the Royals game, especially during that magical season of ’85. I remember also driving to school my parents would have on Paul Harvey. There’s something about his voice that I just found so appealing — it almost felt like he was speaking to me, as silly as that sounds. Even now when I hear his voice on some of the clips that remain online, it’s a familiar voice that really was a presence in my life for a long time. And so Paul Harvey and Dr. Demento — as odd as that combination is — would probably be the things that stick out to me.”