Serena Remembered: Larger Than Life
May 13, 2023If one were to ask Alan Serena about his stature in the Pittsburgh broadcasting industry, he would imply low-key.
“I am a background guy,” Serena once said. “I never aspired to be the front man.”
Most would agree. Serena, who was known for his fandom of the Rolling Stones, preferred the back of the stage as opposed to the footlights.
“I didn’t want to be Mick Jagger,” Serena said. “I am more like Charlie Watts, staying in the background and keeping the beat.”
And for many years, he did just that.
The longtime Vice President of Operations for Greentree-based Renda Broadcasting Corporation died Friday after a four-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to his son Michael.
“(He) stood 6 feet, 5 inches tall, but (was) larger than life to family and friends,” said Michael Serena of his father.
Serena was born in McKeesport on August 22, 1952, developing an interest in radio at an early age when he observed a live broadcast along McKeesport’s Fifth Avenue in the early in 1950s. His mother Audrey also worked as a secretary for WEDO, which further amplified Serena’s interest, according to Michael Serena.
Serena graduated from South Allegheny High School in 1970, then went on to major in Speech Communication from West Virginia University. He obtained his B.A. from WVU in 1974.
Serena spent most of his career working for Renda Broadcasting founder and president Tony Renda starting in the 1970s, after Renda purchased WIXZ in 1974. In 1985, Serena formed Serena Communications and purchased WIXZ from Renda in order for the latter to satisfy FCC-mandated ownership requirements that prohibited a licensee from holding more than one AM and one FM in a single market. As Renda had acquired WJAS (AM) and WSHH (FM), WIXZ had to be spun off to a new owner.
Serena would go on to own WIXZ for the next decade. After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated the ownership restriction, Renda reacquired WIXZ, which would later be rechristened as WPTT and adopt a local talk format. Serena then rejoined Renda Broadcasting Corporation and oversaw the company’s growth to 25 stations.
Besides the Rolling Stones, Serena’s hobbies included watching WWE Wrestling, fine dining, and West Virginia Mountaineers Football.
Serena is survived by his wife of 43 years, Susan; his three sons, Michael, Adam and Albert; and three grandchildren, Emma, Joshua and Julian.
The Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements for Alan C. Serena.
