An Evening with Pittsburgh Radio Legends
Pittsburgh:The following pics are from an evening at T.J. Lubinsky's home radio studio in Gibsonia. Lubinsky hosts a Doo Wop show every Wednesday evening on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 5. This particular evening (4/16) the program was dedicated to "Legends of Pittsburgh Radio" Porky Chedwick, Charlie Apple & Chuck Brinkman. (Thanks to Mike Frazer for the photos!)
From Left to Right: Charlie Apple, T.J. Lubinsky, Chuck Brinkman, Eric O'Brien, Porky Chedwick & Gary Hart.
CPs and Purchases
Pittsburgh, Johnstown-Altoona-State College:NERW is reporting some ownership changes and construction permits in our region.
- The deal to sell WNTJ (850 AM Johnstown) from Forever to Birach was closed over the weekend. WNTJ has moved back to it's 1490 position in Johnstown which was re-acquired by Forever last fall from 2510 Group. Birach paid $300,000 for 'NTJ and sister station WCND in Shelbyville KY. With the 850 signal comes a 115-acre site in Somerset County with a 9-tower array blasting the 10kW signal which Forever reportedly wanted to unleash. NERW seems to think that Birach might move the signal elsewhere, but 850's directional signal is short spaced between WKNR in Cleveland and WEEI in Boston...not to mention 4 860s in the region.
- FCC permission has been granted in the form of a CP for Renda Broadcasting to build a 6-tower array at the Allegheny/Washington County line in the South Hills for 910 AM. This is the latest development in the attempt to move 1360 WPTT (McKeesport) to 910 AM (Mt. Lebanon). 910 is presently licenced to Apollo as WAVL. WAVL has also been granted a CP for a 5-tower array east of Pittsburgh. WPTT is currently operating at 5kW daytime; 1 kW nighttime from two different sites. The new site and dial position will enable a 7kW daytime only signal. (A night power application will probably be filed in the near future.) WAVL currently operates a 5kW signal daytime and 7 watts at night. The new location and position will allow a 6.7kW daytime and 69 watt nighttime signal.
Hard times for hockey fans
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Pittsburgh's status as the ninth-largest TV market in the U.S. was a prime reason for locating one of six National Hockey League expansion franchises in the city.
So said Joe Gordon, then public relations director for the brand-new Pittsburgh Penguins, in 1967.
The other cities receiving expansion teams that season were Philadelphia, St. Louis, Minnesota, Los Angeles and San Francisco-Oakland.
The city's reputation as "a good sports town" was the main reason Pittsburgh was selected for an NHL franchise, Gordon told the Charleroi Rotary Club. But he noted that the NHL planned to televise hockey games both locally and nationally, and "all six cities rank high in the TV market."
Although cable TV was around in 1969, it mainly existed to carry over-the-air broadcasts to people who couldn't receive them easily with an antenna. There was no ESPN (that channel wasn't launched until 1979) and no Fox Sports, which launched in 1996.
. . .
You can talk about the "good old days," but those early years were tough for the Penguins, who won only 27 games their first season.
And that season was marked by tragedy in the broadcast booth. While calling a Penguins game for CBS Radio on Christmas Day, sportscaster Tom Lynch collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack. Lynch, who worked for WPSL (1510) in Monroeville, was just 44.
Locally, WTAE-TV (4) carried the games during the Penguins' first season, usually pre-empting what was then a weak ABC lineup. By 1969-70, however, the games were being shared between WTAE and WPGH-TV (53). (more)
WSEE DT adds WICU as a sub channel
Erie-Meadville: Over the weekend, I discovered that WSEE DT 35 (16) has added sister station WICU as a sub channel. WICU can now be found at 35-3 (16-3) or your digital TV or receiver box. While WICU itself has a digital signal at 12-1 (52-1), their coverage area is very limited in part because of a TBN translator in Meadville also on analog channel 52. Puttting WICU on the more powerful WSEE signal will help overcome those problems until the station shuts down it's analog signal & moves it's digital signal from 52 to 12. That move will occur on February 18th, 2009.1360 goes home for a day
Pittsburgh: McKeesport-licensed WPTT (1360) is going back to its roots ... at least for an hour or so.
Jack Etzel will host a live, remote broadcast of his handyman show this Saturday between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. from McKeesport's Wilson Baum Agency at the corner of state routes 48 and 148.
The real estate company was the next-door neighbor of the former WIXZ (1360) during the station's Top 40 days in the early 1970s, when Rush Limbaugh, Mike McGann and others were on-air personalities.
WIXZ moved to Route 30 in East McKeesport in 1976, and its former studio is now part of the offices of Wilson Baum's insurance division. (WPTT is based at Renda Broadcasting's headquarters in Green Tree.)
Bob Baum, president of Wilson Baum Agency, gave PBRTV correspondent Jason Togyer a tour this week, and the acoustic wall tiles and double-pane, soundproof windows are still in place.
Baum says Etzel probably won't be broadcasting from the old WIXZ studio, which is now used as a conference room.
WGFT goes all-talk
Youngstown: Youngstown-area AMer WGFT (1330) has changed formats, dumping its previous urban-gospel music mix to go all-talk, reports the Vindicator.The new lineup on the 500-watt daytimer, licensed to Campbell, includes syndicated talkers Don Imus, Laura Ingraham, Dave Ramsey, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.
Skip Bednarczyk, who became the general manager last month, says WGFT is the only station in Ohio running Imus' morning show.
WGFT was previously owned by Stop 26 Riverbend; it was taken over by creditors several months ago after the parent company ended up in bankruptcy.
W.Va. broadcasters take home AP awards
West Virginia: WCHS-TV (8) anchor Kennie Bass has received a lifetime achievement award from the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association.
Bass, who has worked at the Charleston ABC-TV affiliate since 1997, began his career while in high school at the former WKAZ radio. A graduate of Marshall University, Bass has also worked as an on-air personality and reporter at Charleston's WXIT and WJYP-FM and Huntington's WGNT and WAMX-FM.
WCHS reporter Teresa Higginbotham was honored as TV journalist of the year, while Adam Cavalier, a reporter for Marshall's WMUL-FM (88.1), was named radio journalist of the year.
Steubenville's WTOV-TV (9) was named "outstanding news operation" of the year among small-market TV stations, while WCHS was honored as the outstanding large-market TV news station.
Martinsburg news-talker WRNR (740) was named outstanding news radio station of the year, while West Virginia Public Broadcasting received an honorable mention in the same category.
WCHS-TV and WMUL also received awards for the best regularly scheduled newscasts.
A complete list of award winners is available after the jump. (more)
TV blitz comes to W.Va.
West Virginia: Now it's your turn, mountaineers.U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who's seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, today became the first candidate to start airing campaign ads specifically aimed at West Virginia, according to West Virginia MetroNews.
The state's primary is set for May 13.
According to the Associated Press, the recent Pennsylvania primary was a cash windfall to the state's TV stations. Obama spent about $11 million on television commercials, while his main opponent, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, spent about $5 million.
Radioactive Sunday
Pittsburgh:
Some scenes from last Sunday's Tri-State Spring Radio Fest, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Antique Radio Society, Buckeye Antique Radio and Phonograph Club, and Antique Wireless Association Inc.
Crowds steadily arrived at the Center Stage banquet hall near Monaca throughout the morning to check out used radios for sale in the flea market. An auction got underway at noon.
Above, our PBRTV camera caught Larry Berger, host of public radio's "Saturday Light Brigade," checking out some of the items to be auctioned. (Er, it helps that Larry was also our ride.)
More photos after the jump. (more)
Local deaths
Pittsburgh: PBRTV extends its deepest sympathies to the families of KDKA-TV (2) sportscaster Bob Pompeani and his brother, former newscaster Bruce Pompeani, upon the death of their mother, Jula, who passed away Sunday at age 74.The Beaver County Times reports that friends are being received at the Tatalovich Funeral Home in Aliquippa, and a funeral Mass will be celebrated tomorrow at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Hopewell Township.
In addition, staff and volunteers at Wall-based Christian broadcaster WPCB-TV (40) are mourning the loss of Dede Hayes, the station's director of broadcast services. Hayes died Friday at age 64.
A graduate of Geneva College and Regent University, Hayes served as 20 years as prinicipal of Rhema Christian School in Moon Township before joining WPCB's parent organization, Cornerstone TeleVision, five years ago.
Hayes' funeral was to be held today. Memorial contributions may be made to Rhema or Cornerstone.
DU students cover Pope's visit
Pittsburgh: Among the thousands of TV crews covering last week's visit to the U.S. by Pope Benedict XVI, the journalists from Duquesne University stood out, reports Ann Rodgers in the Post-Gazette.
The students were the only college media credentialed for the pope's visit.
A spokeswoman for Washington, D.C., Archbishop Donald Wuerl joked that she could hardly say no to a crew from Duquesne, where Wuerl used to teach.
The 12-person team from DUQ-TV and their faculty adviser are producing a one-hour documentary about Benedict's visit. It will be available soon on the station's website.
The wooden age of radio
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix:
What do you think of when you think of the "golden age of radio"?
The great comedies and dramas of the 1940s? The swinging Top 40 DJs of the 1960s? The album rockers of the 1970s? Program-length infomercials in the 1990s? (OK, probably not that last one.)
When your grandfather or great-grandfather got nostalgic for old-time radio, maybe he was thinking of the early days, when you had to be technically savvy, extremely wealthy, or both to own a radio.
. . .
Listening to a radio in April 1923 --- 85 years ago --- was like being connected to the Internet in 1988, or owning an electric car in 2008.
Pittsburgh then had four radio stations --- KQV, KDKA, WCAE and WJAS. (Stations also were licensed to Erie, Grove City and McKeesport. Only the Grove City station, WSAJ, survived into the modern era.)
The cheapest radio on sale in 1923 was the Westinghouse "Aeriola Jr." crystal set. Though it didn't require batteries, reception was limited to the strongest signals, and audio could only be heard (faintly) through a set of headphones. For that, Rosenbaum's Department Store on Sixth Avenue between Liberty and Penn avenues wanted $9.50 --- about $119 by today's standards.
By comparison, the average American was making less than $30 a week.
Better radios, like the Westinghouse-made Radiola RC, had more selective tuning and used several vacuum tubes for amplifying the signal electrically. Doubleday-Hill Electric Co. at 719 Liberty Ave., which owned and operated KQV, had a Radiola RC for $142.50 (about $1,780 in 2008 dollars), and that was marked down from the original price of $207.50! (more)
Quick housekeeping note on comments
Pittsburgh:Over the last few days I have received a couple of emails from a reader who has received notices every time someone made a comment about a particular story. This person asked for the emails to stop. As the story is several months old, I closed the comments to that article to accomodate this reader - and to prevent further disgruntlement.
The fact is, this reader more than likely left a comment themselves and clicked the option which says, "Notify me each time someone comments on this article." As it stands right now, there is no way that I know of to turn that off once it is clicked. That means you're likely to get emails well into the future if you have selected that option.
Now back to your regularly scheduled PBRTV...
Radio fest Sunday
Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Antique Radio Society and the Buckeye Antique Radio and Phonograph Club will hold their fourth annual Spring Radio Fest this Sunday at Center Stage Banquet Hall in Monaca, Beaver County.
The festival, which will include a flea market and other events, is aimed at collectors of antique radios, TVs, phonographs and other gear.
Vendors can begin setting up at 6:30 a.m.; doors open at 8:30.
An auction gets underway at 12 p.m. Restored old radios and TV will also be displayed.
Visit the PARS website for more information, or call (724) 969-0643.
WQED brings public TV to Bermuda
Pittsburgh: Does Bermuda have its own "Things That Aren't There Any More"? Do they like doo-wop music?
Snark aside, the parent organization of WQED-TV (13) and WQED-FM (89.3) is helping the government of Bermuda to bring public TV to the island commonwealth and tourist destination.
According to a press release, WQED personnel have been providing technical and programming assistance to CITV, a new community channel owned and operated by the Government of Bermuda.
The station describes its goals as "to inspire pride in Bermudian culture, history and identity and to encourage Bermudians to vote and participate in their government."
Bermuda is a quasi-independent commonwealth and a territory of the United Kingdom, located in the Atlantic Ocean, some 700 miles from the coast of North Carolina.
"WQED made history 54 years ago when it first went on the air -- a fledgling station with the help of the Pittsburgh community," George L. Miles, Jr., president and CEO of WQED, said in a prepared statement. "We are proud and honored to share our knowledge, our staff, and our experience with Bermuda's first community television station."
CITV is currently operating on a limited schedule, with programming most days from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wait until WQED introduces them to the concept of "pledge programming." They're going to love those Suze Orman/Deepak Chopra marathons in Bermuda.
PBS 'NewsHour' in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh: Is the Pennsylvania primary over yet?No, not yet. And that's why the PBS "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" will air Monday and Tuesday from the studios of WQED-TV (13) in Oakland, according to the Beaver County Times.
Correspondents Ray Suarez and Paul Solman are already in town and will appear at several events this week, including a forum tomorrow at Pitt.
Beaver Co. man hopes for a 'Deal'
Pittsburgh, National News: A New Brighton area man is hoping for a chance to compete on NBC-TV's "Deal or No Deal."The Beaver County Times reports that Nate Lampone, 22, of "aced his first three auditions." A four-minute video was filmed Monday at the Westin Convention Center Hotel, Downtown.
Tryouts were held Saturday at The Mall at Robinson, attracting 10,000 people, according to the Times Lampone camped out for more than 11 hours to get a chance to compete on the game show, hosted by Howie Mandel.
"Deal" currently airs at 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays on WPXI-TV (11), WJAC-TV (6), WICU-TV (12) and WTOV-TV (9).
Cable operators reassure subscribers
Pittsburgh: Many viewers are still confused about the transition to digital TV, reports the Tribune-Review.Local telecom companies are trying to reassure them that their analog TV sets don't need a converter box if they're connected to a cable system, but consumers elsewhere aren't so lucky. A woman in Florida claims her cable company told her she'd need to rent new converter boxes for all five of her TVs, at a cost of $6 each per month.
Dennis Cutrell, general manager of Citizens Cable in Mt. Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, tells the newspaper his company's system is already all-digital, and signals will be converted to analog for subscribers' TVs.
"We'll have to provide that for our customer base, and we are going to have to absorb the cost," he said.
'DUQ engineer receives honor
Pittsburgh: Chuck Leavens, director of engineering and IT management at WDUQ-FM (90.5), was the recipient of the 2008 Engineering Achievement Award from the Association of Public Radio Engineers. Leavens received the award last Friday (4/11) at the organization's annual conference for maintaining a listserv for public radio engineers. Leavens has been in broadcast engineering for over 35 years and has performed engineering and on-air duties at several stations. He has also done voiceover work for local and national clients. He began his work at WDUQ in 1989 where he oversees the technical work from the studio to the transmitter as well as maintaining the station's website which he launched in 1995.Travel Channel spotlights Pitt's Cathedral
Pittsburgh, National News: It's not the bar in Boston where everybody knows your name, but Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning was good enough for former "Cheers" star John Ratzenberger.Host of the Travel Channel documentary series "Made in America," Ratzenberger and a camera crew in November toured the iconic skyscraper classroom building at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.
The resulting footage will appear on Wednesday's episode, according to the university's newspaper, Pitt Chronicle. The show airs at 9:30 p.m.
Ratzenberger talked to Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and other university staffers about the building's unique history, its one-of-a-kind "Nationality Rooms," and the peregrine falcons that nest on its roof.
A 42-story building designed in "Gothic Revival" style, the Cathedral of Learning was designed in the 1920s, but Depression financial conditions slowed construction. Thousands of Pittsburgh area schoolchildren helped raise money for the work. (more)
Pittsburgh's youngest DJ, 1963
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Radio stars were becoming "brief and brighter," reported the Pittsburgh Courier 45 years ago. "Brief in size, that is."The weekly had a feature story on the young lady it called "the youngest radio star in the nation." She was Darlene MacLloyd, 10, who hosted a half-hour show of advice and music for kids at 5 p.m. Sundays over Carnegie's WZUM (1590).
Darlene was the daughter of Bishop Clifford N. MacLloyd, an entrepreneur, popular "spiritual healer," and founder of St. Philip's Orthodox Science Church on Herron Avenue in the city and Frankstown Avenue in Penn Hills.
The newspaper described Darlene MacLloyd as "confidence personified" behind the WZUM console.
"Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the station of hope," Darlene opened each episode of "Darlene's Diary," according to the April 20, 1963 issue of the Courier.
WZUM had signed on in July of the previous year, programming a mix of ethnic music including rhythm and blues.
The focus of "Darlene's Diary" was on "better behavior and obedience to parents and others in authority," the newspaper noted. "When she is stumped by questions mailed in by her listening public, the little 'pro' confers with her dad and comes forth with the answer." (more)
The golden age of Altoona radio?
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: Before deregulation, even small towns often had spirited radio competition, noted Walt Frank recently in the Altoona Mirror.In a feature story for the Sunday paper, Frank looked back at the wild and wooly 1960s and '70s days of that city's WFBG and WVAM.
"It was a hate relationship," remembered Dick Richards, former WFBG disc jockey. "They didn't like us, and we didn't like them. We were the top dog, and that stuck in their craw."
Former competitors WFBG and WVAM are now both part of Forever Broadcasting's Central Pennsylvania cluster.
Longtime local radio station owner Cary Simpson says the rivalry between Altoona broadcasters "was extremely flamboyant," but not "cutthroat."
"You want to win but you don't want to kill the other team," he said.
Curve on the air
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: WHPA-FM (93.5) will remain the flagship station for the minor-league Altoona Curve baseball team, according to a press release.
But a marketing agreement signed with WHPA competitor Forever Broadcasting will also provide exposure for the Pittsburgh Pirates Class AA farm club on its Central Pennsylvania stations, which include WALY-FM (103.9), WRKY-FM (104.9), and the three "Froggy" stations in the I-99/U.S. 220 corridor.
"We are mutually committed to building this relationship," Curve General Manager Todd Parnell said in a prepared statement, "and we are looking forward to continuing this partnership for years to come."
Forever also will receive sponsorship of the first base dugout at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona.
WHPA, a classic rock station and owned by Larry L. Schrecongost's Vernal Enterprises, has been the Curve flagship since 2006.
Previously, the Curve's flagship was Forever's news-talker WFBG (1290).
Licensed to Gallitzin*, WHPA is carrying all of the Curve's 142 games during the 2008 season, which opened April 3. (more)
Retro TV comes to WJAC
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: Equity Media's Retro Television Network is coming to Central Pennsylvania.
The tiny network's affiliate will be Johnstown's WJAC-TV (6), which will begin distributing the network's lineup of vintage dramas and sitcoms early next year on one of its digital channels.
Digital TV owners using indoor or outdoor antennas in Pittsburgh can already watch RTN on one of the streams of WJAC's sister station, WPXI-TV (11). It can also be seen on Comcast Digital Channel 207 in much of Pittsburgh.
"RTN has generated lots of positive feedback to our station, so it makes all the sense in the world to expand this franchise," Mark Barash, program director of WPXI and WJAC, in a prepared statement. "Once word of RTN gets out in the Johnstown, Altoona, and State College market, I think the viewers will respond as they have in Pittsburgh."
Mayor busy; Radio hosts take bet
Pittsburgh:Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien (no, not that Larry O'Brien and no, not a relative of mine) called KDKA's morning show Wednesday morning to place a bet with Mayor Ravenstahl over who would win that night's hockey playoff. However, Ravenstahl was unable to make that call due to a staff member resigning amid controversy. Therefore, Mayor O'Brien made a "one-sided" wager with hosts Larry Richert and John Shumway. According to the Ottawa Metro, O'Brien's bet was going to be that the Mayor with the losing team would have to visit the other's city and watch the next game wearing the winning team's jersey. Instead, O'Brien told the morning hosts that if the Senators won the game, the KDKA Morning Show would have to broadcast from his office in Ottawa. The hosts accepted even though some logistics would have to be worked out for broadcasting over the border.
Well...nevermind the logistics. The Pens won that game 4-0.
Remember TV Sign-offs?
Pittsburgh:It's not a very common thing to see a TV station sign-off anymore. That's why this little gem is so appealing.
That's former KQV Announcer Henry DaBecco giving the tech specs, address and telling you to listen to 1250 WTAE Radio and Sara Lockard through the night.
One YouTube Commenter remarked that after Pittsburgh's Channel 4 would sign off, he would, as a DXer pick up WRC-TV out of Washington, DC.
Enjoy.
"Speedy Delivery" - the movie
Pittsburgh:If you're looking for something to do this evening, why not take in a movie? "Speedy Delivery" is showing at the Regent Square Theater at 8:00.
The movie is the result of over 40 hours of footage from the summer of 2006 following David Newell - the man better known as "Mr. McFeely" the "Speedy Delivery" man on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. The idea for the movie came after director Paul Germain met Newell at the opening of Pittsburgh Mills Mall in 2005. Germain was impressed at how genuine Newell was and the two struck up a fast friendship.
The 26-year-old filmmaker told the PG's Barbara Vancheri that a subsequent visit to Family Communications - the production company Rogers found in 1971 - "I thought, in making a documentary about him, people could benefit from seeing the way that David has chosen to live his life. Playing this character and interacting with people in a very positive way on a very regular basis."
Aside from the 40+ hours of footage, Germain sought permission to include clips from the actual Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood program and included interviews with Newell's family, Rogers' wife Joanne and staff from Family Communications.
The entire movie was shot on a $4000 budget - most of which went to fuel and equipment.
"Speedy Delivery" starts at 8:00 tonight and tickets are $7. ($5 for card-wielding members of WQED and the Pittsburgh Children's Museum.) Regent Square Theater is located at 1035 South Braddock Avenue.
RMU cablecast marks 10th
Pittsburgh: If you're a broadcaster or writer who got your start working on Robert Morris University's "Colonial SportsCenter," the school would like to hear from you.
The 30-minute student-produced program, which airs on the university's in-house cable network, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a special broadcast at 7 p.m. April 18, according to a news release.
The show can also be seen via Comcast cable "on demand" in the Moon Township area.
Alumni are invited to join students and faculty on the Moon Township campus for a reception one hour before the broadcast.
"CSC" includes highlights of Robert Morris sports, news and interviews, and commentary, and has served as a training ground for journalists from around the country, including Ryan Recker of KVOA-TV, Tucson, Ariz., and Matt Alvarez of WCMH-TV, Columbus, Ohio.
Past honors for "CSC" have included a "mark of excellence" award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2004, according to a university spokesman.
For more information, call Carla Swank at (412) 260-9267 or email carla.swank@gmail.com.
Hardman estate to be auctioned
Pittsburgh: The estate of the late radio, TV and movie producer Karl Hardman will be auctioned this Saturday in Moon Township.Hardman, who died last year at 80, was a collaborator with the late Bob Trow and others on Rege Cordic's beloved KDKA (1020) morning show.
In 1962, Hardman formed his own advertising agency, which produced commercials and so-called "industrial films" for companies like PPG, U.S. Steel and Alcoa from its studios on the South Side.
Hardman and his partner, Marilyn Eastman, closed the agency in 1999.
The auction is a treasure trove of 20th century Pittsburgh broadcasting and advertising history.
According to a listing on the Johnson Auction Service's website, the items to be auctioned include "hundreds of boxes" of tapes and electrical transcriptions from the Cordic show and other productions, recordings of old TV and radio commercials, and promotional photos and films from defunct local corporations such as J&L Steel and Mobay Chemical.
Hardman and Eastman also collaborated with George Romero on production of the original "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968.
Memorabilia and documents relating to that film are being sold as well.
In addition, many items of vintage hi-fi, studio and film gear are being auctioned, along with Hardman's 1937 Packard and three Jaguar sports cars.
The auction, at the Flaugherty House banquet hall, begins at 10 a.m.
KDKA Radio wins several awards
Pittsburgh:KDKA received a total of eight awards - three first place - at the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association competition Saturday night. The top honors came in the Continuing Coverage, Sportscast and News and Sports Talk Program Categories.
Judges (who were from Illinois) were impressed with the August 9, 2007 coverage of severe weather which hit the region. "Great use of eyes and ears on the street for info. Great use of officials for useful information," they said.
Other awards included a June 20, 2007 sportscast by Jeff Hathhorn; Fred Honsberger won a first place and a second place award for two programs last year; and a September broadcast anchored by Paul Rasmussen and Rose Ryan-Douglas.
Complete details and a crew photograph available at the KDKA Website.
UPDATE: Other local stations received awards too.
WDUQ took home 4 awards including a 1st Place for Katherine Fink's report on the first Craft Congress which was held in Pittsburgh.
KQV's Elaine Effort received 2nd Place in the Public Affairs category for her 12/23/07 edition of "Pittsburgh Profile's" which focused on adopting older children.
Washington PA's WJPA brought home 1st Place for Regularly Scheduled Newscast in the small market category. Tony DePalma was the anchor for the 11/7/07 noon newscast highlighting election results.
In Television, WTAE brought home 3 awards including a 1st place for a Jim Parsons report on "Dangerous Drinking Water."
WPXI received 8 awards. The station racked up the "Continuing Coverage" Category falling in 2nd and 3rd only to Philly's KYW-TV. In 2nd Place was WPXI's coverage of the Convention Center's collapse and its structural deficiencies. In 3rd was Rick Earle's investigation of care issues at the VA Hospital.
KDKA-TV won 6 awards including a 2nd Place for Feature Reporter Dave Crawley's "Doggy Dip". This was an "ode to the end of summer" where a local wave pool is open to dogs. What appealed to the judges? Why Dave's poetry of course! Said they, "A feature bright with writing light. Appealed to the judges. Just right! Dr. Seuss would be proud."
WGRP changes to "Classic Country 940"
Misc. Pennsylvania: Greenville area station WGRP 940 (which is owned by Beacon Broadcasting) has flipped from sports to classic country. The station had been a simulcast partner of WLOA 1470 in Farrell, who is still carrying the "Sporting News Radio" network. Meanwhile, WGRP is now known as "Classic Country 940", which plays country legends from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Plus the 1,000 watt daytime signal on 940 covers a decent area between Erie and Youngstown. (Fear not Pirates' fans, the station still has the Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasts as well.) The only other classic country outlet in the region is daytimer WKQW 1120 "Wildcatter Country" in Oil City. The website www.classiccountry940.com is currently under construction.No static at all
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Seventy years ago this week, a New York inventor turned the broadcasting world on its ear and made a very powerful enemy.
It would take a while for the rest of the world to realize how incredible his new invention was --- but it's hard to imagine the world of broadcasting without it.
The invention was FM radio, and 70 years ago this week, on April 10, 1938, Major Edwin Armstrong signed on the world's first FM radio station.
Using the experimental call sign W2XMN, it broadcast with 600 watts at 43.7 MHz from a tower in Alpine, N.J., just across the Hudson River from New York City.
The first broadcast day lasted only five hours; regular broadcasting didn't begin until July 1939.
Pittsburgh's first FM station went on the air in 1940, when the Post-Gazette's WWSW (970) received its license for an FM station at 44.7 MHz. KDKA signed on its FM outlet at 47.5 MHz on April 4, 1942.
Ten years after Armstrong's station opened, Pittsburgh had six FM stations, including WKJF-FM (93.7), KQV-FM (98.1), WJAS-FM (99.7) and WPIT-FM (101.5), which all broadcast for the first time in 1948.
All had successful AM sister stations except for WKJF, which billed itself as "the first and only exclusive FM station in the city." Opened in July 1948 on Mount Washington, WKJF was owned by Agnes Reeves Greer, wife of the publisher of the Morgantown Dominion News and Post newspapers, which also owned (and still does) WAJR, Morgantown, and WDNE, Elkins, W.Va.
Other local FM stations included WMCK-FM (104.9) in McKeesport and WMBS-FM (105.7) in Uniontown. Wheeling and Youngstown had two FM stations each --- WKWK-FM and WWVA-FM, and WKBN-FM and WFMJ-FM, respectively.
Frankly, none of them were attracting many listeners, and a few (like WMCK-FM and WMBS-FM) eventually were closed.
There are a lot of reasons why FM had a hard time catching on, and there are some parallels to the current transition from analog TV to digital TV. (more)
40 years ago
National News:You'll see lots of coverage today of the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
But you're unlikely to see anything as powerful and gripping as this four-minute video produced by cable TV's History Channel. It features singer-songwriter John Legend.
(PBRTV propeller-beanie tip: John Scalzi.)
Another victim of CBS cuts has local tie
Pittsburgh:We reported earlier in the week that the CBS budget cuts affected KDKA-TV here in Pittsburgh, but several CBS O&Os fell victim to problems. WBBM Chicago reportedly let a lead anchor and another anchor-turned-health reporter. The Pittsburgh tie comes as the station's lead sports anchor, Mark Malone was also affected by the cuts.
Malone, the former Pittsburgh Steeler turned sports reporter, was on the air at WPXI several years ago.
Planning board OK's 107.1 tower
Pittsburgh: A Westmoreland County township planning commission has given its approval for Greensburg-licensed "Sam FM" WGSM-FM (107.1) to erect a new tower, according to the Tribune-Review.
The 100-foot tower on Solomon Temple Road in Unity Township, outside of Latrobe, will replace a 35-foot tower that was built in 2002.
A one-time FM sister station to the former WHJB (620) in Greensburg, WGSM was acquired by Pittsburgh's Sheridan Broadcasting after it swapped its 105.9* MHz signal for cash and a weaker one on 106.7 MHz in Beaver Falls.
The Greensburg FM was used to fill holes in WAMO's coverage area until the 106.7 stick was moved closer to Pittsburgh. Sheridan then moved the 107.1 tower --- formerly located near the Irwin exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike --- out to Chestnut Ridge to avoid interference with 106.7.
Michael Horvath of WGSM's owner, Renda Broadcasting, told the Unity planning commission that the station's signal has suffered in much of the county since then because of the mountainous terrain.
Renda purchased WGSM, formerly WSSZ-FM, from Sheridan in 2006 for a reported $2.2 million. The station broadcasts a variety hits format that leans toward the '90s.
The planning commission's recommendation will have to be approved by the township's board of supervisors. (more)
WPTS plans summer program
Pittsburgh: WPTS-FM (92.1), Pitt's student-run radio station, is offering a summer program for high-school students interested in broadcasting, according to a press release.
The program will be held Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from June 24 through July 31 at WPTS' studio located in Pitt's student union in Oakland.
Students will learn how to produce an hour-long broadcast two times for week. Presenters from several local radio stations are expected to visit with students; last year, participating stations included KDKA (1020), WDVE-FM (102.5), "Kiss FM" WKST-FM (96.1), ESPN radio's WEAE (1250) and WAMO-FM (106.7)
The cost of the program is $200 and registration is required. Call (412) 648-7990.
(Disclosure: The writer is a Pitt employee. Opinions expressed at PBRTV.com are not those of the university or any other organization.)
KDKA's Miller announces bowling match for presidential candidates
Pittsburgh:
KDKA Radio Talk host Kevin Miller has invited Presidential Candidates John McCain (R), Hillary Clinton (D) and Barack Obama (D) to "Kevin's Kingpin Primary" which, according to a press release, is a competition for political bragging rights.
Miller, who bowls on a league known as "The Outlaws" at Mars Lanes in Butler County - believes he was the first to introduce bowling's popularity into the Pennsylvania primary campaign - long before Obama visited an alley in Altoon and Clinton's April Fool's Day "bowl-off" challenge to her opponent. The host - a frequent guest on cable talk shows - says he mentioned the idea on CNBC's "Hardball" and on CNN over the last several weeks.
The match will take place on Friday April 18 from Noon - 3 PM at Mars Lanes and will air live on KDKA. Listeners who wish to participate on the team of their choice can register at KDKAradio.com. Once there, they will be asked to state in up to 50 words why they want to bowl on their candidate's team. Miller will choose team members from the best entries.
Already signed up is Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato who will be Clinton's team captain. Morning host Larry Richert will serve as "celebrity bowling commissioner."
"People who bowl are the people who these candidates need to make it happen, during the primary and general elections," said Miller, whose bowling average is 125. "We hope to get a non partisan preview of who will win in April and November."
KQV - the place for news
Pittsburgh:KQV News Director Frank Gottlieb checked in with PBRTV today. Gottlieb said, "KQV is Pittsburgh's Knowlegable, Qualified Voice for news. We've been here when you need to know from downtown Pittsburgh studios since 1919."
Gottlieb says the station was first in bringing listeners the news that the jury in the Cyril Wecht trial was deadlocked and ordered to continue deliberation next week. He added that while reporters Elaine Effort and Walt Golden were covering that story, the station was airing live updates from a major fire in Brockway and gathering reaction on the effort to combine city and county governments.
The station is available via 1410 AM and www.kqv.com.
We (still) get letters!
Pittsburgh, Mailbag:Although PBRTV switched over to a Reader Comment formatted blog rather than maintaining a mailbag, we still occasionally get some letters from you wonderful readers. Letters such as this from Carol.
Can you please tell me what show was Kay Neumann on in the early days of television? She was a cook who had a high-pitched voice and was a heavy woman. I cannot remember what show she was on.
Eric's Response: You came to the right place, Carol. I had to remember where I had seen a picture of Kay Neumann. It happened to be in a cookbook published back in 1991 by a then Post-Gazette food critic. Neumann first appeared on "Kay's Kitchen" which is said to have started on WDTV-TV (3), later KDKA-TV (2). In 1959 she moved over to WIIC where she hosted a talkshow (non-cooking) called "Kay Calls".PS - If you are still pining for our old mailbag, it's still here!
Polka your eyes out!
Pittsburgh: Local polka disc jockey Frank Powaski will hold his fourth-annual all-night broadcasting marathon this Friday and Saturday, according to Pat Cloonan of the McKeesport Daily News.Cloonan reports that Powaski, who will celebrate his 40th anniversary in radio this May, will kick off the 14-hour session at 5 p.m. Friday on WKFB (770). When that daytime-only station signs off at local sunset (7:30), Powaski will go across the hall to the North Versailles studios of its sister station, WKHB (620).
Powaski usually does three hours on Sunday afternoons on WKHB, but the marathon serves to kick off his summertime-only "Friday Night Polkas" show on WKFB.
Cloonan notes that Powaski is not asking for donations. "It's not a fund-raiser," Powaski said. "It's just to promote polka music."
Take that, Bob FM.
Chedwick headlines car cruise
Pittsburgh: "The Daddio of the Raddio" will appear at an upcoming car cruise in Irwin, Westmoreland County, a spokesman announced.Porky Chedwick is slated to be the guest of honor at the borough's 17th annual car cruise from 12 to 5 p.m. April 26. The show will be held on Main Street in Irwin's business district, just off Route 30.
DJ George "Georgeo" Recelle of Scottdale-licensed WLSW-FM (103.9) is scheduled to provide entertainment.
The cruise is organized by the Irwin Business and Professional Association. For more information, call (724) 864-3840.
WTAE-TV wins Peabody Award
Pittsburgh: WTAE-TV (4) has won one of broadcasting's most prestigious awards.
The station's reporting on rampant overspending by the state's student loan agency has been honored with a George Foster Peabody Award by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The achievement was announced today by the Peabody board. Winners will be honored at a dinner June 16 at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Peabodys are awarded by a 16-member group of experts, including broadcasters, writers and artists, and are chosen after being screened by faculty, students and staff at the University of Georgia.
WTAE was honored for what the board described as a "relentless legal campaign to obtain public records of a state-run student loan program (which) netted evidence of financial misconduct and pushed the state to rewrite an antiquated right-to-know law."
The station's series of reports, which began in June 2006 and were anchored by investigative reporter Jim Parsons, detailed lavish travel expenses, bonuses and salaries paid to executives at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, or PHEAA.
PHEAA's president was eventually forced to retire, and in February a Commonwealth Court judge ordered the agency to reimburse WTAE, The Associated Press and the Harrisburg Patriot-News legal expenses incurred in trying to obtain its spending records.
AM 740 sold to MZ
Erie-Meadville: News from across the pond in Toronto (courtesy of Milkmanunlimited.com) reports that Standards / Oldies station CHWO AM 740 has been sold to "MZ Media" Inc for 7.3 million (Canadian). The station had been owned by Michael Caine of "Prime Time Radio, Inc." The station was owned by the CBC before that with the call sign CBL before the CBC decided to move CBL to the FM dial in the Greater Toronto Area. Meanwhile, Caine saw the 50,000 watt blowtorch as a way to dramatically extend his station's coverage area from the 5,000 watt station it was on. Thus, AM 740 made it's debut in January of 2001, which was good news for those in several areas without a nostalgia based station. (This would later include Erie after WRIE 1260 flipped to ESPN sports.) The format on AM 740 is expected to remain intact.PBRTV writer fired
Pittsburgh: A correspondent for Pittsburgh Radio & TV Online was fired last night after editors discovered he had been fabricating stories.
The writer, who called himself "Lirpa Sloof," posted stories with Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Erie datelines, all of which turned out to be completely made up.
"He was very prolific," PBRTV Editor in Chief Eric O'Brien said. "And he made great pizza. That's why I hired him."
But when complaints began filtering into PBRTV's World News Headquarters north of Pittsburgh, editors were forced to factcheck a series of erroneous stories. They were traced to "Sloof."
"We found his greasy fingerprints all over them," O'Brien said.
Experts are calling it the worst journalistic hoax in Pittsburgh since WIIC-TV replaced its 11 p.m. news with "Charlie Chan" movies.
PBRTV correspondent Jason Togyer said the website is now examining the resumes of other recent hires, including I.M.A. Fraud and Seymour Butts.
Local AM station gets FM translator
Pittsburgh: No April Fool's joke: The Federal Communications Commission has granted Waynesburg's WANB (1580) permission to simulcast its programming over an FM translator.Last month, the commission granted special temporary authority to the 720-watt, daytime-only station to broadcast on 105.1 mHz, 24 hours per day.
It's not the first time the FCC has granted such a temporary waiver, though they are rare. (more)
Y-town's Nicotra to WTAE
Pittsburgh, Youngstown: No fooling: WTAE-TV (4) has hired reporter Amber Nicotra, according to the Post-Gazette.
Nicotra comes from Youngstown's WKBN-TV (27) where she worked as the morning anchor. Before that she worked as an anchor/reporter at WTRF-TV (7) in Wheeling and as an assignment editor at WPXI-TV (11).
Nicotra is a graduate of Duquesne University and North Catholic High School and will be one of the morning news reporters taking over for Marcie Cipriani, who will report throughout the remainder of the day.
CBS cuts eliminate 10 positions at KDKA-TV
Pittsburgh: This isn't very funny on April Fool's Day. CBS O&O stations all around have fallen victim to budget cuts over the last few weeks. KDKA-TV (2) and WPCW-TV (19) were affected with about 10 positions eliminated. According to the Post-Gazette, John Cater's former anchor/reporter position will not be filled after all. Likewise, Don Cannon's contract is up this summer and it is likely that he will not return. Cannon has been off the air since late summer '07 with various health issues. The rest of the positions cut were behind the scenes and it appears likely that nobody on the air will be let go anytime soon.Erie TV stations to shut off analog signals at Midnight
Erie-Meadville: Very Breaking News: In a very surprising move, executives at all of Erie's TV stations decided to beat the deadline for analog stations to cease broadcasting. At midnight tonight, Erie Pennsylvania will become the nation's first all digital TV market. This despite the fact that most digital stations in the market have yet to go full power. When asked about this issue, one executive said "Well, I guess more people will be reading books if they do not have cable or satellite." No doubt, there will be a mad rush to area electronics retailers for DTV converter boxes, even before most have their converter box coupons. Questions pertaining to the sudden switch will be handled by the local lawfirm of Didwee, Pullur & Legge at 1-800-APR-FOOL.Stations turn off main signal to focus on HD
Pittsburgh:With HD Radio sales not doing well, several Pittsburgh stations have opted to turn off their main signals to focus on their HD2 signals. The stations making the change have shown consistently poor ratings over the last few years. A list of the stations has not been released as yet, but word has it that most of them fall below the top 10 on the 12+ Arbitrons.
"We realize that we will abandon our listeners who lack HD radios, but we feel things couldn't get much worse," said one exec of a local station cluster. "If we perfect our product on a signal to which few people listen, we'll be all ready for them when they finally make the transition."
The move is planned for April 15.
Obama gets equal speakout on KDKA
Pittsburgh:No fooling: Just like his opponent, Barack Obama got some time on KDKA Radio this morning. In the 12-minute interview, Obama denied that he's encouraging Hillary Clinton to drop out of the Democratic primary. He said Clinton should stay in the race as long as she wants and he would compete with her to the end.
This was the first radio interview Obama granted to a Pittsburgh station during the race. A podcast is available at kdkaradio.com
Stan Boney to take on Don Guthrie in ring
Youngstown:Breaking News: I had not seen this on WKBN or WYTV last night but apparently there will be a "Battle of the Broadcasters" boxing match according to an e-mail I received from Warren, Ohio. The match will take place on April 11th at the Chevrolet Centre between WYTV's Stan Boney and WKBN's Don Guthrie. Apparently, this match was in the works months before WKBN & WYTV began sharing resources under the same roof. Both Stan & Don decided to go ahead with the 12 round bout since it was for charity. All proceeds will benefit the AMS meteorology fund. By the way, Y-103 afternoon jock "Smokin' Bill" will serve as referee. I'll look into ticket information & update this story for you.
Z-102.3 to shift focus on Talk, not Rock.
Erie-Meadville: Breaking News: I received some somewhat shocking news from Z-102.3 evening jock Adam Reese. He said that the higher powers at Citadel broadcasting wanted to make a few minor changes to the "Z." He stated that Citadel has been so impressed with the syndicated "Bob & Tom" show that they want to try an experiment that has produced some surprising results in other markets. Z-102.3 will become "All Bob & Tom, All The Time" according to Reese. The format will consist of classic B&T shows plus a feature called "Bob & Tom, off the Microphone." It's sort of a gripping "reality show" type of program with more personal moments than what is featured on the main program. In protest to this move, "94.7 Bob FM" PD Joe Lang has announced that the Connoisseur station will play nothing but artists named Bob on their station. You'll hear artists like Bob Seger, Bobby Goldsboro, Bob Dylan, Bobby McFerrin, Bobbie Gentry and so on. He's calling "Bob FM" the singing Bob that is "Bobbier" than Z-102.3. More details as they develop.Probe tackles region's growing Griffin problem
Pittsburgh:KDKA-TV (2) reporter Marty Griffin announced today that he's launched a "full-scale investigation" into KDKA (1020) radio talk show host Marty Griffin.
Separately, KDKA radio's Griffin has declared "all out war" on what he calls "tastelessness" by KDKA-TV's Griffin.
"We have a menace on the loose in our community, and it's time for us to take action," Griffin told his radio audience. "We need to tell the bureaucrats at the City-County Building that we're not going to take this any more."
The battle has provided gripping moments for viewers and listeners. On tonight's KDKA-TV 5 p.m. news, footage showed Griffin and a camera crew confronting the radio host in a parking garage at Gateway Center, where Griffin refused to answer questions.
Longtime local observers say the ongoing tussle between Marty Griffin and Marty Griffin is more dramatic than a 2001 incident where Jim Parsons of WTAE-TV (4) accidentally clocked himself doing 75 mph in a 55 mph zone, or the 2004 case when Rick Earle of WPXI-TV (11) inadvertently had the station's cafeteria closed after finding several health code violations.
Arbitron semi-demi-quasi part XVII trends released
Pittsburgh:Arbitron's semi-demi-quasi-part-XVII trends released today show little change in the Pittsburgh radio scene.
The top stations among listeners 12 and older were WDVE-FM (102.5), KDKA (1020) and WDSY-FM (107.9).
The top-rated morning shows among listeners 54 and older remain KDKA's "Is John Cigna still on?" followed by WJAS's "Jack Bogut" and WDVE's "Jimmy Krenn and the other guy, not Paulsen."
WDVE continued its ratings dominance despite broadcasting nothing but a steady 1-kilohertz tone for hours on end. That news drove three members of the programming staff at CBS Radio's Pittsburgh FM cluster to drink poison.
Insiders say CBS Radio management in New York will not fill the local vacancies.
A Clear Channel spokesman credited WDVE's continuing success to the station's long heritage in the market, and to the mind-altering drugs that have coated "WDVE Rocks" window stickers for more than 20 years.
In a related story, due to a transmitter malfunction, WPTT (1360) has also been broadcasting nothing but a 1-kilohertz tone for hours on end.
Arbitron figures indicate there has been no measurable effect on WPTT's ratings, either.
WQED, UPMC clone Fred Rogers
Pittsburgh:University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and WQED-TV (13) announced today that they have cloned Fred Rogers.
Using DNA found in hair and skin fragments on a sweater once owned by the late children's TV host, doctors say they have successfully grown a duplicate in a lab at UPMC Shadyside.
Once memories of the beloved public television icon are loaded into the clone's brain, said a WQED spokesman, it will be asked to create a new children's series that can run for at least as long as Rogers' landmark "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
Critics of public television call the cloning effort a tacit admission by WQED staff that they're scraping the bottom of the programming barrel.
"Actually, we're also loading in some memories from Deepak Chopra, Suze Orman and Dr. Wayne Dyer," a WQED official confided. "And maybe some doo-wop songs."
He and other members of the WQED board are worried that a new Fred Rogers might insist on creating "educational" television, instead of something more marketable.
"The whole puppet-trolley thing was nice in its day, but it doesn't move merchandise or pledge premiums," the official told PBRTV. "And that's what we're all about these days."
The new effort, funded by grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation and financial contributions from viewers like you, is actually the second attempt to clone Rogers.
The first clone, developed as a joint venture between WQED-TV and Dr. Emcee Square, a host on low-power commercial station WBGN-TV, turned into a "Zombie Rogers" that attacked the panelists during a September 2007 taping of "Off Q."
Although Zombie Rogers ate the panelists' brains, the program continued as scheduled and no viewers apparently noticed.
A close friend of Rogers who asked not to be identified said the cloning efforts raised troubling ethical and moral questions.
"Meow meow weird meow meow creepy meow think I'll meow meow move to West Virginia Public Television," the anonymous source said.