PBRTV NEWSWIRE ... PBRTV NEWSWIRE ... PBRTV NEWSWIRE ...
Effort being made to name a street for Chedwick
Pittsburgh:From Ed Weigle:
Folks: I was made aware of an intriguing effort to get a street in Homestead named after Porky Chedwick. With some luck, this can be realized. Certainly, if ever there was an individual who was more deserving and globally influential, from that part of town, it's got to be Porky. For our generation, his influence is more identifiable than striking workers and overzealous Pinkerton guards, 100 years ago -- God Bless 'em all, just the same! My friend, Nick Pantano, who hosts a blog focusing on Pittsburgh oldies (I actually learned about it here), sent the link along. If the moderator doesn't mind, I'll share it with you.
By the way -- Several years ago, I wrote Mayor Murphy of Pittsburgh the same kind of proposal. I never received a response.
Let's see if we can make this happen.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/porkychedwick
Be well!
Ed Weigle
Syndicated Grayson for KDKA overnights
Pittsburgh: After a year or so of a delayed airing of Dennis Miller followed by the Premiere Midnight Radio Network, KDKA-AM (1020) now has a syndicated source from within CBS. KMOX (St. Louis) based Jon Grayson is being heard overnights. He has also picked up WBZ Boston and WCCO Minneapolis. According to Tom Taylor, Grayson has been with KMOX since 2000 and his program focuses on pop culture, current events and politics.WQLN DT reception now much improved
Erie-Meadville: Over this past week, WQLN DT 54-1 (50) had a tower crew on site in order to improve over the air reception of the station. The temporary antenna was moved much closer to the top of the tower than it was previously. The station is still at low power, but moving the antenna up has helped to increase the station's coverage area. However, it may take some time before WQLN is at full power due to it's permanent antenna issues.Retro Television NOT gone...
Pittsburgh: According to DCRTV, the Retro Television Network is not gone. There was a small dispute with one of the video distributors which took the channel off briefly. All's well and the service is back in service. See it on Channel 11.2.Jazz FM is on the air
Erie-Meadville: A follow up to a recent story regarding WMCE 88.5/104.9 flipping it's format from a mix of classical, jazz and adult alternative to become Erie's jazz station. Their website had stated that the flip would occur in February but it appears that they decided to move ahead with the format flip this month following a month of classical Christmas music. A lot of the programming appears to be syndicated but some locally based shows and weekend ethnic programs will remain on the Mercyhurst main campus station.Retro Television gone?
Pittsburgh: From DCRTV: The Retro TV Network (RTN) has apparently gone belly-up due to lack of advertising revenue. We're a little confused though because a check of the channel (A.K.A. "11.3") over the weekend still seemed to show classic programming from between the 1950s and 80s. If this is true, then it's a double whammy for WPXI and their digital subchannels. NBC discontinued its "Weather Plus" which aired on 11.2 up until the beginning of December 2008. Nothing has replaced it yet.Baughman also on WJAS; Shovlin shifts attention to Promotions
Pittsburgh:Alert reader Joe asked us as to the whereabouts of Chris Shovlin - and near as we could tell he hasn't gone far. But a check to the WJAS Website shows that Chris Shovlin is no longer a part of the Bogut in the Morning Show. Instead, Hank Baughman is now the regular newsman. A quick observation to all three Renda station websites - including 'JAS shows that Chris still holds the position of Director of Marketing and Promotions. PBRTV later found out from a reliable source that Shovlin's promotions assistant recently moved on and the position has not been filled due to budget concerns leaving Shovlin to focus his attention on that. He is also the voice for various Robert Morris University sporting events as well as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He has been with Renda Broadcasting for over a decade.
Baughman has been with Renda Broadcasting and WSHH since the mid-1980s when the station was Pittsburgh's key beautiful music station.
(UPDATED: Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 8:48 a.m.)
1390 WNIO goes HD
Youngstown:Clear Channel chief engineer John Clarke has notified us that Nostalgia station 1390 WNIO is now broadcasting in HD as in HD Radio. He states that the carrier was turned on New Years Eve and will only be HD during the daylight hours due to the station using two different tower locations for day & night broadcasting. The 9.5KW power output should help with the HD signal covering the local area. Though I am getting it on my trip into Middlefield, Ohio as I type this on Saturday (1/3/09). Look for HD during the day on sister news talk outlet 570 WKBN in the near future as well.
"Klink and O'Brien?"..."O'Brien and Klink?"
Musings From Eric:In case you missed it - and it's likely you did - I was an impromptu guest on KDKA-AM (1020) Friday night around 9:30. Ron Klink - the former KDKA-TV anchorman-turned-Congressman-turned-government relations guru was the featured host keeping the seat warm for Monday's return of Mike Pintek. Klink had emailed me earlier in the day and had mentioned that Thursday night's program was made up of 3 hours of Pittsburgh broadcasting memories and that he intended on opening up the final hour of Friday's show to more of the same.
We had plans to go to Hartwood Acres for the lights, but figured we'd be home in time to listen to the show. Well, naturally the final Friday night of the light show was crazy and we ended up being only halfway through the show at 9. Nonetheless, we tuned in. The callers were mainly focused on the whereabouts of some of Pittsburgh's beloved radio hosts - everyone from Jack Wheeler to Joe Gearing. (Psst...Hi Joe!) Despite being closer to the KDKA transmitter than home, I decided that we needed to pull over and call in. The idea to pull over was good because that's when I became Klink's impromptu guest.
And who was that female everyone was thinking of who was at one time on KDKA from 10 p.m. - Midnight? It could have been Suzie Barbour (now at the Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown), more recently Carol Lee Espy or even Elizabeth Day. The world may never know!
So, anyhow, if this is your first visit to PBRTV after having listened to the show, Welcome! The deadbeat webmaster is a little behind on updating some of the information, but he'll get it right someday. It's a 2009 resolution!
WQED Changes Schedule
Pittsburgh:Beginning Monday, WQED-TV (13) will become the place to be if you are kid. The new daytime lineup will consist of an 11-hour block of children's programming beginning at 6 a.m. Program Director Chris Fennimore tells the Post-Gazette that the switch reflects the available daytime audience. If you are looking for programs like "Sit and Be Fit" or "OnQ", they are moving to a new digital subchannel called "WQED Create Channel".
Apparently there were several possibilities from which to choose in creating the new subchannel, but Fennimore felt that "Create" had the most broadcast appeal. "Create" runs programming ranging from cooking to travel and will feature programs like "Ask This Old House" and "Best of the Joy of Painting". The channel will also be home to two blocks of programming - one at noontime which will feature "Charlie Rose" and a rerun of "OnQ"; the other beginning at 9 p.m. which will supply the West Coast feed of "The News Hour", "Black Horizons" and "Tavis Smiley".
If viewing over the air, WQED (as we've always known it) is 13.1; Create is 13.2 and the Neighborhood Channel is 13.3. Check your cable provider for channel numbers. Incidentally, WQED will be the only local station to remain on its channel after the February 17 switch to all-digital.
"Life's a pitch, and then you buy..."
Pittsburgh:That’s what 50-year-old infomercial sales guru Billy Mays claims. It might surprise you to know that this pitch man is a native of McKees Rocks. In fact, if it hadn’t been for an opportunity at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show in the early 1990s, Mays probably wouldn’t be very well known.
When Mays graduated from Sto-Rox High School, he headed off to Atlantic City and started selling items along the boardwalk. He learned his tricks from the more-experienced salesmen who gladly took him under their wing. “I was there as an apprentice,” Mays told the Tribune-Review, “If you can make it in Atlantic City, you can make it anywhere in the world.” Mays said the other salesmen saw his potential and simply offered tips on how to improve his schtick. But it was that Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show where Mays was given his biggest break. Just mere hours into selling a product, the other salesman wore out. Mays was ready and took the mic and carried the show the rest of the day. A few years Mays was hired to sell Orange Glo on HSN.
This spring you’ll see Mays on the Discovery Channel reality series, “Pitchman: Gadgets to Glory.”
FCC to visit Blasco Library
Erie-Meadville: News Courtesy of WJET TV 24. Mark your new 2009 calendars for a stop at the Blasco Library. The Federal Communications Comission will be returning to Erie on January 15th at the Blasco Library, located at 160 East Front Street at the Bayfront. The FCC will hold two programs regarding the upcoming DTV transition in February. The program times will be at 2pm and 6pm at the Library's "H.O. Hirt Auditorium." This will be your last chance to ask the FCC questions you may have regarding the transition with a month before it actually takes place. The programs are free and open to the public. Quick Note: The time for the second program is 6pm, not 6:30 as I have stated earlier.Compare analog to digital DTV signals
National News: If you have been curious how well a digital TV station will come in compared to the current analog station you may watch over the air, check this site out courtesy of the FCC. Go to http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets. You can choose any market in the country and compare a station's analog coverage area to it's digital coverage area. It will also show areas gained or lost with the upcoming transition as well as areas served by another network affiliate that could fill the void of losing another station. Thanks to AVS forum for this useful tip.WYNE is now 24 hours (online)
Erie-Meadville: Good news from Captain Dan at WYNE 1530. He made it official announcing on his morning show that you can listen to WYNE online 24 hours a day. The webstream for WYNE was only on during the time the daytime only radio station itself was on the air. He went 24 hours on Christmas with their collection of holiday tunes. You can catch WYNE online at http://wyne.mercyhurst.edu/wyne.asx.Merry Christmas
Pittsburgh:
On behalf of Tom Lavery and Jason Togyer, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for making PBRTV what it is.
Eric O'Brien
The 2009 Youngstown Holiday Wish List
Youngstown: With my location somewhat between Erie and Youngstown, it is my pleasure to bring you my first annual "Youngstown Holiday Wish List." The same rules apply to this list as the previous Erie list. So here we go with 1.) Putting "The Freq" out of it's misery. The Beacon FM station at 107.1 (WEXC) out of nearby Greenville has featured a Christian Rock / Rap format that hasn't gained any traction since the format replaced oldies a few years back. Meanwhile, Beacon has also replaced sports on it's two AM stations WGRP 940 and WLOA 1470 with classic country. My wish here is that the format be moved to the FM side in order to be more of a competitive FM station in the Youngstown market. Even if the format went back to oldies, you'd see a stronger station near Youngstown. 2.) Fox Youngstown having it's own HD signal. The station has a much better picture thanks to being on WKBN's DT signal. With only 3 full powered HD stations in the Mahoning Valley, Fox is limited to it's over the air HD on WKBN's special 3rd channel for events like the Super Bowl last year and the Daytona 500. A separate full powered HD signal for Fox would be great, however they will probably have to settle for a low powered station for the time being. 3.) Increasing power for the HD Radio stations. This is more of an FCC matter but increasing the power of the HD side of the Valley's HD stations on the radio side could improve listenership of HD. There are possible interference issues with such a power increase, but I'd be curious to see how much interference there would actually be with a power increase of 10% of what the analog station puts out. 4.) Like in Erie, let's hope that local talent is embraced and not cut any further on the local airwaves. To you & your family, have a Very Happy Holiday Season.The 2009 Erie Holiday Wish List
Erie-Meadville: Welcome to my first annual "Holiday Wish List" as it relates to the Erie / Meadville region. This list is not intended to be retransmitted in any shape or form without the express written permission of NASCAR, The National Football League, Major League Baseball, The Pro Bowlers Association, Eric O'Brien, Jason Togyer, Molly, John Facenda, Don LaFotaine and finally "Yours Truly." 1.) My holiday wish list will start with a much too common occurance in Erie radio, pink slips. It's an unfortunate situation where various talented personalities and behind the scenes people are being let go due to budget constraints. For every personality let go, Erie loses another local connection to a particular station. My Holiday Wish here is a need to stop this bloodbath of firings and embrace local talent on Erie airwaves in 2009. 2.) Find a way to get WYNE 1530 either an FM translator or a full fleged FM station. "Captain Dan" Geary is now in charge of the 1,000 watt daytimer from Mercyhurst North East and puts out probably one of the best sounding oldies stations in the country. The webstream has certainly helped but the station needs an FM presence on the dial. Otherwise, you're stuck with the same old corporate owned commercial FM stations that keeps cutting talent and plays the same songs over and over and over...... 3.) Jack Tirak's dream of converting all of Erie's TV stations to Digital TV (HDTV in particular). His wish will hopefully come true on February 17th, 2009. All full powered analog stations will be shutting off their signals come 2/17/09. We should all remember Jack on this very special day. 4.) It would also be nice to have another way to remember Jack's vision as he has been a great influence on a lot of people, including myself. Maybe a scholarship or something along those lines. OK it's a short list but you're welcome to add your thoughts here. In the meantime, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you & your family all of the best this Holiday Season.Yule Log for WPXI's RTN Sub-channel
Pittsburgh:From 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve until 7 p.m. Christmas Day, WPXI's RTN channel will air a yule log. (I wonder if it's in high definition?)
For Gastmeyer, Brooks - the time is right to retire
Pittsburgh:Andy Gastmeyer of WPXI-TV (11) and Marilyn Brooks of WTAE-TV (4) are retiring this month - both after many years of service to their respective stations.
Gastmeyer has no quams about telling it how it is. The "no features, no fluff" format provides less and less satisfaction for the general assignment reporter who has been with the station 24 years. "I guess I'm one of those dinosaurs", Gastmeyer told the Post-Gazette, "I had it instilled in me that in this business, you comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. You're a surrogate for people who don't enjoy the privileges we in the business enjoy. And there is less and less of that in this highly competative market of Pittsburgh."
For Brooks the reason isn't lack of satisfaction. The recent death of her dog and a close-friend who is ill at a young age have inspired the long-time medical reporter to want to live life. "I want to wake up and go for a long walk, and I don't want to have to put on my war paint. In a way, it's kind of sad to go, but then I think, 'No more deadlines, oh whee!' I'm a happy camper," she said.
Before coming to Pittsburgh, both reporters worked in DC. Brooks covered the end of Nixon's Administration for WTTG-TV while Gastmeyer covered White House happenings for two news services which are no longer in existence. Both plan on remaining in Pittsburgh. Gastmeyer will continue to write and tell stories - a website yet to be finalized is in the works. He may teach, but he really wants to travel. Brooks may attempt to get a PhD in public health and may try her hand at teaching.