WPXI studios set to premiere on 10/6; new On-Q
Pittsburgh:It looks as though it's finally going to happen! WPXI is set to start broadcasting from its new Summer Hill studios on 10/6 following a couple of delays. According to the Post-Gazette, the new set has a window behind the anchors which overlooks the newsroom. One component of the old 49,000 sq. ft. studios has been integrated into the new 69,000 sq. ft. facility. The wooden studio doors from Television Hill (AKA - Rising Main Avenue) are now the studio doors at Evergreen Road.
Newsroom, engineering, local programming, creative services and marketing are all grouped together on the first floor. The hope will be to integrate certain news stories into big-time local specials. Amenities include a 6000 gallon diesel generator for 72 hours worth of power to the station, a climate-controlled garage for station vehicles, a kitchen and patio for summer picnics and a community room.
Meanwhile, WPXI is working on another special for their 50th anniversary. This time it will focus on 50 years of news coverage. The one which recently aired (and will air a few more times) focused on the entertainment WPXI (nee WIIC) has provided for Pittsburgh. No date has been set for the second special.
WQED's On-Q will start its new season this week - and in HD - and with a new set. Michael Moricz (former music director for Mister Rogers Neighborhood) has composed some new music for the program in addition to the new music for WQED's imaging. Off-Q will also begin a new season Friday night with new panelist John McIntire who takes Fred Honsberger's seat.
KDKA-TV welcomes its new morning meteorologist Valerie Abati who hails from Conneaut Lake PA and is a Penn State grad.
Memorial fund for tower climber
Pittsburgh: According to the Society of Broadcast Engineers' website, a memorial fund has been set up for the family of Dan Plants Sr., the tower-climber killed Monday in a fall from one of the WGBN (1150) towers near New Kensington. Donations may be made to:Daniel W. Plants Sr. Memorial Fund
c/o Wesbanco
P.O. Box 2088
Wheeling, WV 26003
An obituary in the Wheeling News-Register notes that Plants, owner of Daniel Plants Tower Maintenance in Triadelphia, invented the "Wizbang," a climbing device to pull crews and material up the sides of radio towers. He is survived by his wife, Caroline, three sons, and several brothers and sisters.
Radio World notes that Plants' death is under investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Karl Hardman passes away
Pittsburgh:We missed this when it happened, but according to the Pittsburgh Nostalgia Radio Board, Karl Hardman passed away on 9/22 at the age of 80. Hardman was a man of many voices and best known for the characters he played on WWSW & KDKA-Radio's "Cordic & Company." Some of his memorable voices were Louie (the Garbageman) Adamchevitz, Roquefort Q. LaFarge & Mr. Murchison. He is survived by Marilyn Eastman - with whom he ran a recording studio on the South Side until 1999 - and a daugther, Kyra Schon.
Hardman's death is the last of the Cordic era that we are aware of. Rege Cordic passed away in 1999 six months after the other key member of the team, Bob Trow.
Ford to offer HD Radio across the board
National News: According to an article from Radio & Records, the Ford Motor Company will become the first U.S. automaker to offer HD Radio (Or Hybrid Digital) in all 2008 vehicles. This will include Lincoln & Mercury brands under the Ford umbrella. In addition, Ford will also be able to install HD Radios in vehicles going back to their 2005 lineup. This could be the boost HD Radio has needed since the IBOC form of radio has been dealing with a lack of interest from consumers. Ford now joins BMW on the HD bandwagon. Could General Motors & Chrysler be far behind?Crawley goes to the dogs
Pittsburgh: Dave Crawley, feature reporter and poet laureate at KDKA-TV (2), has completed his second book. A compilation of short poems about dogs, it's titled (ingeniously) Dog Poems and is a follow-up (of sorts) to Crawley's 2005 book called Cat Poems.Both are illustrated by Tamara Petrosino, a New Jersey-based graphic artist.
Says Scott Tady of the Beaver County Times: "I wish Dave luck, and hope that Dog Poems makes him money / Though I'd rather read a tell-all book about his co-worker, Sonni."
Tower worker killed
Pittsburgh: A contractor dismantling a radio tower near the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills fell more than 100 feet to his death and was killed Monday afternoon.
The Associated Press identified the victim as Dan Plants, 51, of Triadelphia, W.Va. Plants was a well-known tower climber who has done painting and other maintenance work for radio stations throughout the tri-state area for years. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office, county detectives and East Deer Township police are investigating.
The tower is one of two owned by WGBN (1150), licensed to nearby New Kensington. According to KDKA-TV (2) and WPXI-TV (11), a girl walking her dog near the tower saw Plants lying on the ground and ran home to call for help. East Deer Fire Chief Tim McGorty said Plants was wearing a safety harness, but it was unclear Monday night whether the belt was attached.
Plants was pronounced dead at the scene. A hook-and-ladder truck was needed to remove his equipment from the side of the tower.
WGBN was WKPA until 1993, when it was taken over by the Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood and became the region's first full-time gospel music station. The church's founder and senior pastor is Rev. Dr. Loran E. Mann, a former WPXI-TV anchor and reporter.
With 1 kW daytime power and 70 watts at night, WGBN broadcasts from a two-tower directional array. Mann told KDKA the tower from which Plants fell was damaged by a thunderstorm earlier this year and was being torn down. According to the Valley News Dispatch, the station is at reduced power until a replacement tower is erected.
FCC records indicate the present self-supporting towers (1, 2) were erected in 1965.
The death is "very tragic," Mann told KDKA, adding "our hearts go out to his family in this case."
(Updated: 12:37 a.m. Tuesday)
(Updated: 8 a.m. Tuesday to add name, other details; write-through to clarify)
WQLN TV goes "Back to the Future"
Erie-Meadville: With WQLN TV celebrating their 40th anniversary, the station is going into it's archives in order to re-air some memorable WQLN original proproductions. This week's program will be "On Shifting Sands" from 1988. The classic programs will air Friday nights at 9pm.Trib brings back TV book
Pittsburgh: Due to popular demand, the Tribune-Review is restoring its TV magazine, starting with next Sunday's paper.The tabloid-size insert was dropped back in July in favor of expanded daily listings. But according to a front-page editor's note in yesterday's editions, reader outcry was so intense that the Sunday "TV book" is returning.
Can they bring back "Dondi" next?
Friday Night Nostalgia Fix & Query
Pittsburgh, Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix:
Secondly, we received a query today asking about a WZUM alum.
"Eric, Just a quick note to thank you for the fine site/page. It is a treasure trove of info about Pittsburgh TV and Radio. AWESOME!! I have a question for you: Whatever happened to Buzzy Beck ("1590 on your AM dial.....WZUM...In Carnegie")? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks & Keep Up the GREAT Work!!! Mark Cromer.
Does anyone have an answer for Mark? If so, please leave a comment to this listing or send us an email!
Another take...
Pittsburgh:Sorry, I don't have any ideas for future sit-coms set in Pittsburgh. It looks like all the good ones have been taken. That said, I too find that "Back to You" has merit. The pilot episode is about as good as a pilot can get - a cliffhanger or two never hurts and this has a few.
But, like Denny Pompa commented about WKRP in Jason's review, we may eventually find out that this is a sit-com about people who happen to work in a TV station in Pittsburgh. Most of the sneek previews available on the internet focused on the scenes within the fictional WURG. In actuality, much of the story took place away from the station. That could change as time goes on - but that was one thing I noticed.
My other pet peeve was one I noticed more in a publicity photo online. The backdrop of Pittsburgh on the news set is at least two years old. Look carefully next time. How long has it been since FreeMarkets became Ariba? Well, at "WURG" it's still FreeMarkets. Oh and how long has it been since Highmark put its name on top of Fifth Avenue Place? It's not on the backdrop at "WURG." Of course, chances are neither are on the backdrop at WPXI either, but who really has time to pay attention to that detail? (We'll just imagine that it's up-to-date at the new studios for now, ok?)
Dissing the fictional news set aside, I will be waiting for next week's episode.
Burgh-set sitcom shows promise
Pittsburgh: (Commentary/review by Jason Togyer)I've got a can't-miss idea for a sitcom set inside a Pittsburgh TV station:
- In the early '70s, an endearing but gruff, bald, middle-aged newscaster from Texas is teamed up with a young, handsome newcomer and a gravelly-voiced weatherman. Together they keep tabs on a cast of lovable oddballs, including a flamboyant announcer and game-show host who (in the third episode) hatches a scheme to defraud the Pennsylvania Lottery.
Too far-fetched? OK, try this one:
- A cantankerous but hard-working news anchor becomes famed for his malaprops and on-air sarcastic comments. Comedy ensues when his glamorous but equally strong-willed daughter, also a TV reporter, returns from out-of-town and is united on the air with him! Quipsters call them "Patti 'n Daddy."
Nah, people wouldn't believe that, either. Instead we're stuck with "Back to You," the new Fox sitcom set inside fictional WURG-TV (9). It debuted last night on WPGH-TV (53) and WWCP-TV (8) in Johnstown ... (more)
Local anchors review "Back to You"
Pittsburgh:We hope the hype over the new sitcom "Back to You" is going to be worth all the press it has received locally. (One hopes to remember to set his VCR for it!) Anyhow, the Post-Gazette asked WTAE-TV anchor Sally Wiggin, WPXI-TV anchor David Johnson and KDKA-TV anchor Sonni Abatta to review the program. Three different anchors; three different stations; three different opinions! Although all three said that they would certainly give the show a second chance. The pilot airs at 8:00 PM Wednesday on Fox (WPGH-TV 53).
For a twist watch the PG video interview.
Former WYTV reporter has song in her heart
Youngstown: Former Youngstown TV reporter Sharon Rae North is about to release her first full-length CD, according to the Vindicator.
The Ohio native and YSU graduate, who was seen on WYTV-TV (33) in the early 1990s, works full-time for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. But in her spare time, North writes and performs with jazz bands around the area.
"Singing is my absolute passion, and it's the talent God gave me," she tells the Vindy. "It's always been a huge part of my life. As long as I can sing, everything is all right!"
Official: Low pay, benefits harm W.Va. pub-net
West Virginia: West Virginia Public Radio lost two experienced reporters recently because of low pay and no benefits, a state official testified last month.Instead of making them full-time employees, the state-owned network paid the two reporters as independent contractors, said Kay Goodwin, state secretary of education and the arts. One of the reporters was making just $24,700 per year, according to the Charleston Gazette.
Skilled news reporting is an important part of what public broadcasting does, Goodwin told members of West Virginia's Educational Broadcasting Authority.
WVPR operates nine educational FM stations and five translators that blanket most of the state and which can be heard in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties in Pennsylvania, and parts of Allegheny.
The Gazette also reports that the live radio program "Mountain Stage" experienced a $35,000 drop in ticket sales, mainly because it gave fewer shows in Charleston, but other income rose $104,000 because promoters paid to bring the show to their cities.
In addition, state-owned WSWP-TV (9) in Grandview, W.Va., has asked for and received a power increase on digital channel 53 to better serve its market around Beckley.
Mmmm ... cupcakes
Pittsburgh: According to graffiti in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, this Friday is "92.1 WPTS Day."
WPTS-FM (92.1), the 16-watt Class D radio station operated by students at the University of Pittsburgh, is celebrating the holiday with a series of free rock concerts starting at 2 p.m. on Forbes Quadrangle. A Squirrel Hill store is providing free cupcakes. (Cupcakes and loud rock music? Two of my favorites!)
In case you're still stumped, Friday is "9/21" ... as in "92.1." There's still more than a week to plan for WLTJ Day (9/29), but WTZN Day will have to wait until a few more days are added to the September calendar.
6 emmys out of a possible 31...not bad...
Pittsburgh: The Regional Emmys were distributed in a ceremony in Philadelphia Saturday night. WQED-TV came in with the most receving 5. The station had been nominated for 20. KDKA-TV won 1 out of a possible 11. WPXI and WTAE do not participate as stations although individuals may submit work. (PG)New Brighton remembers favorite son
Pittsburgh: Residents of Beaver County are remembering Ray Tannehill as a "local guy made good." The longtime KDKA-TV (2) anchor and reporter died in New Mexico on Wednesday night after a heart attack at age 73.Bob Bauder of the Beaver County Times says Tannehill moved West only last year to be closer to his children, but never forgot his roots in New Brighton, where he kept a running tab at one local restaurant for a man who couldn't afford to pay the bill. One Christmas he anonymously bought groceries and gifts for a family that had fallen on hard times.
"He would never tell you about those things," Tannehill's former KDKA colleague, Mary Robb Jackson, tells Bauder. "Ray would never, ever draw attention to something like that."
The New Brighton High and Geneva College graduate worked in radio in nearby Youngstown, Ohio, before breaking into television.
Funeral services were private and were held in Santa Fe, N.M., where Tannehill's daughter lives. In addition to his daughter and son, Tannehill is survived by his wife, Catherine.
(Hat-tip: Pittsburgh Radio Nostalgia)
DeCarlo leaves WDSY
Pittsburgh: WDSY morning show host Chris DeCarlo has left the station. DeCarlo credited her decision to her husband, a musician who travels with Chris Cagle and her son who is off to college in Atlanta. Not having to get up at 3 AM will help her to spend more time with her family members when they are home. DeCarlo originally joined the station in 1987 as midday host and MD and left in 1996 to work with a few record labels. She returned in 2002. (PG)Villarreal gives birth
Pittsburgh:Tannehill clips
Pittsburgh: Courtesy of YouTube, here are two short clips of the late Ray Tannehill from KDKA-TV (2) and a bunch of other familiar faces:Ray Tannehill passes
Pittsburgh:
The Post-Gazette and KDKA-TV are reporting the death of former KDKA-TV and then-WIIC (WPXI) anchorman Ray Tannehill. Mr. Tannehill was at his home in Santa Fe, NM when he passed away from a heart attack on 9/12 at age 73. Funeral services will be held 9/14 in Santa Fe. KDKA's website is offering a "Web Extra" where viewers can leave condolences and remembrances.
Photo Credit: KDKA File
Keeping In Tune with Rob...
Pittsburgh:In a recent "Tuned In Journal", Rob Owen said he likes the new WTAE-TV news set. We do too, but we're wondering why he's seeing "black rings" under the anchor's eyes - particularly the one who sits on the right side of the screen. Owen suspects that it's due to the lighting, given that when Michelle Wright sits on the left side of the screen, her eyes don't appear to be "black". Then he goes on to admit, "Oddly, the effect seems more pronounced on my analog TV than on my digital TV." Meanwhile, Eric O'Brien's 20-year-old Panasonic Television shows the anchors looking like themselves...but then again, maybe he's not as keen on picking up on the "black eyes." There might be something wrong with Rob's contrast setting...
In the 9/11 TIJ, Rob talks about the new season of "jennifer" hosted by Jennifer Antkowiak. Apparently, the program, only airing since June, has come back with a new set after viewers complained that the original set looked cave-like. Meanwhile, the ratings are inconsistent premiering with a 3.0 and averaging a 2.0 throughout July. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11:00 on WTAE following ABC's This Week.
Lastly, today's edition of TIJ suggests that if you are planning on taking a sick day from work, you might want to rent some DVDs on your way home. Daytime TV is looking more pathetic than ever with a fourth hour of NBC's Today Show among a new supply of tabloid talkers. Gee, when I was young I remember being so excited to stay home and watch all of the game shows - "Sale of the Century," "Scrabble," "Wheel of Fortune", "Bumper Stumpers," "Blockbusters," "Body Language"...I could go on and on...
2007 NFL on Erie Radio
Erie-Meadville:Well, yesterday (9/9/07) was either yet another day for Erie area Steelers fans to celebrate (like Yours Truly) or a reason for Browns fans to jump into Lake Erie after another frustrating loss to "The Black & Gold." I hate to add to their frustration but not to worry, it's media related. I'll leave the post game analysis to "The Score" & "The Fan." I discovered yesterday that radio play by play of the Browns is no longer on ANY Erie area station. I checked & found the Steelers on Cleveland's former home, WJET 1400. I then checked the Steelers former home on 1330 & found the last place Pirates game on. Fear not though, there are a few options on the dial available to choose from. Stations include: WFXJ 107.5 & WFUN 970 / Ashtabula, WKBN 570 / Youngstown and finally WTAM 1100 / Cleveland. (Note: WFUN, WKBN & WTAM may pre-empt any scheduled Browns game for the Cleveland Indians during the regular & post season.) Another note, WQHZ "Z-102.3" is now carrying Sunday Night NFL games as well as the Steelers / Bills game this Sunday afternoon. You may hear a few Bills games on "Z" with the Indians in the playoffs & their games carried on Buffalo's usual Erie affiliate, WRIE 1260 "The Score." One final note, Steelers fans south of Erie who cannot get WJET 1400 very well can get the games on WUZZ 94.3 from Meadville.
1550 sale goes through
Pittsburgh, Johnstown-Altoona-State College: The sale of Braddock-licensed WLFP (1550) has finally gone through, reports Scott Fybush's NorthEast Radio Watch.
According to Fybush, Business TalkRadio Network of Greenwich, Conn., has completed its purchase of the station for $225,000 from New York's Inner City Broadcasting Corp.
ICBC acquired the station when it purchased WHAT (1340) in Philadelphia, but didn't seem to know "what" to do with Braddock's former ex-WCXJ (formerly WLOA), a one-time sister station to 96.9 FM. After simulcasting the Philly station's urban talk format for a few years, ICBC (founded by New York political power-broker Percy Sutton) leased the signal of the renamed "WURP" to other operators.
Day-to-day management has recently been handled by Ed DeHart of Pittsburgh-based Internet service provider Nidhog.
Though WLFP's 1 kW daytime signal (from a tower in Braddock Hills Borough) is adequate, it's hardly exceptional. And its 4-watt (that's not a typo) signal after sunset is a mystery in most of the region. (A pending construction permit would boost the power to 2 kW daytime, 12 watts nighttime, from a site near Millvale.)
Business TalkRadio is currently running its "Lifestyle TalkRadio Network" on 1550. Lifestyle TalkRadio includes a mix of syndicated talk shows (like those of Doug Stephan and Bruce Williams) along with paid programs and self-help shows.
During DeHart's management, 1550 was running marquee hosts like Don Imus, G. Gordon Liddy and Don & Mike, along with local content on the weekends; the current lineup looks considerably weaker.
Frankly, it seems unlikely that the new program schedule will pull an audience, but Business TalkRadio must think the station has potential ... especially since they paid almost a quarter-million dollars for it. Stay tuned!
In other news, Fybush notes that State College has a new TV station. Channel Communications has signed on its new WHVL-LP (29), operating with 11.7 kW from a tower northwest of the borough. The station is carrying a mix of syndicated shows along with programs from MyNetworkTV, the sister network to Fox that was formed after the 2006 merger of WB and UPN.
Monday morning nostalgia fix
Pittsburgh, Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: A quarter-century ago, the station widely regarded as the nation's first commercial broadcaster, KDKA (1020), was marking another milestone --- it was the first Pittsburgh AM broadcaster in stereo.
Indeed, some sources (mainly at the Big K) claimed the station was the first in the world to use AM stereo, but that's the subject of some dispute as well.
As KDKA and other stations get ready for full-time "IBOC" ("in-band, on-channel") digital broadcasting, it's interesting to look at the state-of-the-art 25 years ago this week.
KDKA's first stereo broadcast began during the 6 p.m. news on Friday, July 23, 1982, with a story explaining AM stereo technology and the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." "When the receivers become available," the station said, "KDKA Radio's complete music line-up will be heard in AM stereo."
According to the Aug. 2, 1982 issue of Broadcasting magazine, that first stereo broadcast on KDKA lasted only 10 minutes before the exciter was switched off so that some "technical fine adjustments" could be made. A few minutes later, KTSA (550) in San Antonio, Texas, went on the air in stereo full-time.
KDKA and other AM stations had experimented with "stereo" broadcasting in the 1950s and '60s, but it wasn't true "multiplex" stereo. Those earlier attempts at "stereo" radio required two receivers --- one AM and one FM --- each of which transmitted only one channel.
Multiplex stereo allows both the left and right channels to be carried on the same frequency; while monaural receivers receive the multiplexed broadcast and reproduce it as a correct-sounding mono signal, multiplex stereo-equipped receivers decode and reproduce the left and right channels separately, in stereo. FM multiplex stereo was developed by Zenith and General Electric and debuted in 1961; all FM stereos still use the same technology today.
Various groups had been experimenting with AM stereo for years, but the Federal Communications Commission's unwillingness to commit to a standard delayed its on-air debut until 1982. And when the FCC finally allowed AM broadcasters to use stereo on a trial basis, there were four incompatible methods in use, developed by Harris; Magnavox; Motorola; and inventor Leonard Kahn in cooperation with Hazeltine Laboratories.
Not surprisingly, few radio manufacturers were willing to install four different AM stereo circuits in their new receivers, so most excluded AM stereo altogether, and no receivers were on sale to the general public in 1982.
At least the Kahn-Hazeltine system had the advantage of being usable without a special receiver. Two regular AM radios --- one tuned slightly higher than the frequency, one slightly lower --- would reproduce an acceptable stereo effect.
KDKA was using the Kahn system. Other stations in AM stereo in the late summer of 1982 using Kahn equipment included KHJ Los Angeles, KMBZ Kansas City, WLS Chicago, and WMAL Washington. KDKA's Westinghouse sister stations, WBZ in Boston and WOWO in Fort Wayne, Ind., were testing stereo exciters as well.
It would take until 1993 before the FCC finally decided on the Motorola standard. In the meantime, the technology languished until relatively few AM stations were broadcasting music and AM stereo was all but dead in the U.S. (Yes, there's a small but extremely vocal band of AM stereo fanatics around. To them we say: please don't flood us with email. Yes, AM stereo sounds good, but it's dead, Jim.)
By the way, at least one thing hasn't changed in 25 years: Leonard Kahn is still swimming against the FCC and industry current --- he's invented a separate digital AM broadcasting standard that he claims is superior to IBOC. You can find out more at his website.
Pittsburgh's 'hall of lame'
Pittsburgh: With Fox's new Pittsburgh-set sitcom "Back To You" set to debut next week, Scott Tady looks back at the "hall of lame" --- TV shows set in Western Pennsylvania that were critical or marketplace flops.
How could a show like ABC's "Sirens" fail? "Maybe it had something to do with the no-name cast, predictable plots and low-budget production," writes Tady, of the Beaver County Times, in the current issue of the newspaper's sister publication, Go! magazine.
He also remembers the short-lived NBC drama "Skag," about a Polish steelworker: "The rest of America ignored the show, probably because they were jealous that Pittsburgh had just won its fourth Super Bowl."
"Back To You" stars Kelsey Grammer ("Cheers" and "Frasier") and Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") as rival newscasters at fictional WURG-TV in Pittsburgh. (On Channel 9, if you're curious. In a parallel universe, WTOV's lawyers are already filing an objection to that new license.) It's produced by James Burrows ("The Simpsons") and Christopher Lloyd ("Frasier").
"With seven Emmy awards between them, Grammer and Heaton bring considerable clout to a program Fox will air in its cozy 8 p.m. Wednesday timeslot starting Sept. 19," Tady says. "Pittsburgh deserves a hit, after all the short-lived and forgettable TV shows that were set here."
Comcast could cut your Internet Service
Pittsburgh: A Washington Post (via the Post-Gazette) article reveals that many Comcast customers have had their Internet connection shut down due to excessive downloads using up the company's bandwidth. One customer, who thought service was unlimited, complained that there was no way of knowing how much was too much as far as the company was concerned. However, analysts say with the increasing supply of streaming TV shows and interactive games, a cap on Internet use may become more common, but so far only Comcast seems to have cut service due to overuse. A spokesman for Comcast said that downloading the equivalent of 1000 songs or four complete movies each day would trigger a disconnection warning. Comcast did not reveal what the specific limits for bandwidth were.WPXI new facility open date reset
Pittsburgh:The new date for WPXI's new facility to be put to use is 9/29. Originally, the station planned to be in place by the end of the MDA Telethon on Labor Day but had to push it back for some unkown reason. Stay tuned. PG
Sports returns to WFNN 1330
Erie-Meadville: Friday's Erie Times-News reports that WFNN 1330 will be dropping "The True Oldies Channel" network and return to it's previous sports talk format as "The Fan." However, the station will not carry "ESPN Radio" since that network is now over on WRIE 1260 "The Score." The Connoisseur station will pick up "Fox Sports Radio" as well as "The Sports Blitz" from WJET 1400, which is hosted by Jim LeCorchick & Chris "Red" Hughes. It will be interesting to see if Erie can support two sports stations. I have my doubts that both will remain by this time next year. Let the Battle begin on Monday @ 6AM. Meanwhile, oldies fans can tune into AM Stereo 1530 WYNE from North East during daylight hours.WSEE tests it's Digital signal
Erie-Meadville: Good news for those who have been waiting for WSEE 35 to sign on it's Digital signal. Jack Tirak over at his Erie Media Blog reports that WSEE is testing it's digital signal on channel 16 (35-1). They are carrying upconverted standard definition programming at low power. I will be scanning for the station here at home & feel free to let me know how well you receive the station. It's definitely a good move (and mandated by the FCC) before the start of the NFL season. Will HD programming from CBS be far behind? Stay tuned :-) (more)Whoops! Y-town jock hears from The Boss
Youngstown: It was a world exclusive for Youngstown's "The Wolf" WNCD-FM (93.3) ... and Columbia Records hit the roof.
According to the Youngstown Vindicator, someone sent 'NCD a copy of Bruce Springsteen's newest single, "Radio Nowhere," before its official release. The station's afternoon man, "Fast Freddie" Woak, started spinning it Aug. 23.
But the record wasn't supposed to arrive at radio stations until last Tuesday. (The full album isn't being released until Oct. 2.) Within 45 minutes, a vice-president of Columbia was on the phone to Youngstown, ordering WNCD (which is licensed to nearby Niles) to stop playing the song, or else.
"I know not how we got it," professes Bill Kelly, vice president and market manager for Clear Channel's Youngstown cluster. "If we got it, we play it."
Heh heh heh. And I have a bridge for sale in Girard ...
Penn State fans belly up to bar ... TVs
Pittsburgh, Johnstown-Altoona-State College: With most cable systems refusing to carry the Big Ten Conference's new sports TV network, a lot of football games are not available to home viewers. That's led our friends at Ohio Media Watch to call it the "Big Ten Notwork."
One of the games blacked out on free TV was last Saturday's laugher between Penn State and Florida International. (JoePa's boys clobbered the smaller team 59 to 0.) At least three State games this year are "exclusive" to the Big Ten Network.
As Adam Smeltz of the Centre Daily Times and Bill Kibler of the Altoona Mirror report, it's a bonanza for bar owners who subscribe to DirecTV ... which is carrying the Big Ten Network. The same thing is happening in Ohio, where some OSU games are now off local TV.
Meanwhile, the CDT says that the Big Ten Notwork ... er, Network ... and Comcast remain in negotiations. In the interim, Penn State President Graham Spanier has canceled his Comcast service.
On the other hand, there are more college football games available on local cable systems for people who receive Fox Sports Pittsburgh. According to the Tribune-Review, FSN is carrying football games every week from small-school teams like California University of Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University.
Fast-talking Armstrong slows down for interview
Pittsburgh: We don't know how we missed this, but don't you miss it: In August, Terry Hazlett of the Observer-Reporter caught up with legendary air talent Jackson Armstrong recently to talk about Pittsburgh's late, lamented WKTQ (1320) and radio in general.
Until recently, Armstrong, 61, of High Point, N.C., could be heard in the 'Burgh in the early evenings on Buffalo's 50kW blowtorch WWKB (1520); that station has since dropped its oldies format. Armstrong is out of a job, too, at the North Carolina FM station where he served as morning man for more than seven years. "I saw an article the other day that said there are over 35,000 on-the-air talents out of work now," he says. "You can add my name to the list."
Even though the business is suffering, Armstrong (who maintains his own MySpace page and blog) is optimistic about the art of radio, and thinks that with a mix of jocks and music from Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Rianna, Fergie, and other mainstream pop artists, personality radio could succeed today.
"Good radio is good radio," he says. "Absolutely you can do it again! The reason it isn't being done is it is expensive and that, unfortunately, is the end of the argument."
Tady: No one's talking about WTZN
Pittsburgh: It's a little bit ironic when Scott Tady of the Beaver County Times writes that a "lack of buzz" is killing "The Zone" WTZN-FM (93.7). After all, the frequency's best-known incarnation was as CHR/Top 40 rocker "B-94" in the 1980s and '90s.
Tady says Pittsburgh's self-proclaimed "Man Station" has "taken its best shot, trotting out a solid lineup featuring feisty and proven talents like John McIntire and John Steigerwald, along with the long-entrenched Scott Pauslen and nationally prominent Pittsburgh comedian Dennis Miller." But KDKA (1020) and WPGB-FM (104.7) continue to dominate the talk market in Pittsburgh, he says, "with the former catering to seniors and the latter locking in the angry, middle-aged white guy demographic."
If CBS pulls the plug on WTZN (it's only been on the air for five months), Tady has some ideas for a new format that he calls a "fresher, much more adventurous version" of "Bob FM" WRRK-FM (96.9).
Meanwhile, Tady wasn't impressed by KDKA-TV (2) when the station decided last week to air photos of anchorwoman Patrice King Brown's wedding during an 11 p.m. newscast. "What's more disturbing," he asks, "KDKA's arrogance, or the fact there are viewers who might consider an anchorwoman's scrapbook photos to be newsworthy?"
Cardille: "It's been a great journey. I have no complaints."
Pittsburgh:Bill Cardille is celebrating 50 years in Pittsburgh broadcasting. It was he who signed WIIC-TV (now WPXI) on the air September 1, 1957. But the man whom Pittsburghers love keeps himself very humble. "I like to keep it short and to the point," Cardille said in a Tribune-Review interview adding that his father told him that people on stage should "get on and get off!" The Sharon PA native was raised by parents who believed in hard work and helping those less fortunate.
Cardille's first venture on the air was as a jock on Indiana PA's WDAD-AM while a student at IUP in 1951. Then, against his parents' advice, Cardille chose a career in television over college and in 1952 became an announcer and director at WICU in Erie. While there, he met his wife, Louise to whom he will be married 53 years in October. The couple have three children and four grandchildren.
In 1957, Cardille moved to Pittsburgh as one of the original staff members at WIIC-TV. In the years since, he has served as host to several programs, most notably "Studio Wresling" and "Chiller Theatre." Later he would go on to be the morning weather man since 1984 and host of the annual Jerry Lewis/MDA Labor Day Telethon since 1970.