A good time to be busy
March 13, 2019When I open my browser on my computer, PBRTV opens with it. Much to my surprise, it has been nearly a month since I last posted anything. (My boss has made mention of this fact, too!) I have been pretty busy of late – work, my health, and actually taking the time out to be with friends have taken priority.
Let’s face it, though, there really has not been a lot to write about lately given the nature of the heavily consolidated business radio has become. (FWIW: We’ve all read at least one article about how “radio is dead” or “AM radio is dying” or… well, I’m not going to perpetuate that drivel here. Do you have an idea on how to make it better rather than pining for what was, I’m all ears!)
Let’s take a look at a few things we’ve missed over the last month.
Scott Tady of the Beaver County Times alerted us to the fact that WYEP (91.3) has hired a new “Evening Mix” host in Liz Felix. Liz takes over for Cindy Howes who moved back to Boston. Felix has worked at AAA stations in Cincinnati and Akron, Ohio. She will begin April 1.
WMCK.fm moved into some new digs in February. WMCK.fm is the internet-only radio station serving McKeesport since 2015. It had been operating out of a small Sunday School room in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church since it’s start and quickly outgrew its space. Their new home is at the Tube City Center for Business and Innovation which may be better recognized as the Daily News (the former McKeesport newspaper that the Tribune-Review killed off in a slow burn) building just blocks away from the church. The new center opened on February 11 and will host media, government, education and business operations. (This editor hosts a program – remotely – on this online outlet.)
The always-energetic Frankie Day celebrated his 14th anniversary on the air this past weekend. He invited friends, family, station employees, and musical acts to celebrate with him with pizza and wings. Day’s real name is Frank Dittig and until 2014, he was the owner of D&D Office Plus in North Versailles. In 2005, after a discussion with the management at Broadcast Communications, Inc’s WKFB (770 Jeannette; and later 97.5 W248AR Monroeville), he went on the air as Frankie Day and has been an unstoppable force in the oldies community ever since. When asked why he celebrated at 14 years and not 15, the 77-year-old Dittig said, “I attended two funerals last week and it hit me that we can be taken at any time. So why not celebrate now?”
We’re still trying to locate a guest for the next PBRTV Podcast. (Some people keep taking all the good ones!) But if you have an idea for someone we can interview, email us – info@pbrtv.com
Do you have a news tip for PBRTV? Send us an email – info@pbrtv.com. While you can contact us through our social media pages, it is best to send us an email.
I’ve been hearing Frankie Day talk about Marion each morning for several years now. We finally get to see her. Good for you, Frankie! I hope everything is going OK for you from a health standpoint, Eric. The long silence had us worried.
Good to see you back to posting, and I know you’re around, just hearing you on one of the stations yesterday, it might have been WEDO, interviewing someone about the food backpacks for underprivileged children.
I don’t think AM radio is dying, it’s another media outlet out there that needs to adapt, like it always has.
I hear Frankie Day sometimes, he’s on so much, like an oldies powerhouse! I also sometimes get caught up in an edition of Our American Stories as well.
Maybe WMCK-FM could get a station on the air, even something small, operated under Part-15 guidelines, if a larger station isn’t feasible or would take too much to administer. There are organizations that operate Part-15 stations to add another voice to their repertoire , like Ken Hawk’s station in Saxonburg, and KCHUNG radio on the west coast.
It’s another way of taking action to show that AM radio is not dead, an avenue that’s available to every US citizen to legally broadcast under the Part-15 rules.
Boomer