10 years...
Pittsburgh: It was brought to my attention last night (and how can it be possible) that it has been 10 years - right around this time - since WTAE Radio met its demise. You might remember back in May that we made note of the 10 year anniversary of Larry O'Brien's (no relation) retirement from the station. Can it really be?!WYTV staffers may not have jobs much longer
Youngstown: Tomorrow (11/30) will more than likely be a tense day at WYTV in Youngstown. That’s when employees will get their paychecks. But it’s not the pay they’re worried about. It’s finding out whether they’ll still have a job after 12/9. That’s the day when WYTV’s broadcast operations will be consolidated at WKBN/WYFX in Boardman. Advertising sales and senior management will remain at ‘YTV’s building.Meanwhile, employees who are offered jobs have until 12/4 to accept or reject their new employment. After that, on 12/7, employees of WKBN/WYFX will learn whether they still have jobs or will be furloughed.
Andrea Wood of The Business Journal of Youngstown (ONLINE: Subscribers only) also reports that WYTV news anchors Vince Bevacqua and Gina Marinelli will be out of a job 12/9. Ironically, Marinelli left WKBN/WYFX two years ago for WYTV.
The WKBN and WYFX combo was purchased in March by New Vision Television based in L.A. and Atlanta. WYTV was purchased by Parkin in August. Parkin is a new company whose financing was backed by New Vision. Before you say that it cannot be done due to market size, the FCC has allowed the deal because two different individuals or companies own the broadcasting license and programming decisions are made separately. Operations come from shared service agreements.
Both New Vision and Parkin are offering voluntary buyouts and severance packages.
PBRTV Hat tip: Andrea Wood; The Business Journal of Youngstown Ohio
More Youngstown Yuletide
Youngstown:In recent days, standards station WNIO 1390 has made the holiday flip to Christmas. This follows the flip by Clear Channel sister station WBBG 106.1. Another surprise by yet another CC station is WMXY "Mix 98.9." They are playing a lot more holiday favorites to the point where I thought they too had flipped. UPDATE - BOTR stated that Mix 98.9 plays an hour of non stop Christmas music from 6 - 7pm, leading into Delilah's Christmas program.
WSEE features report on it's digital signal
Erie-Meadville: Last night (11/28/07) WSEE featured a report on it's new DTV signal. The report focused on how the new signal is now being fed to regional cable systems like Youngsville cable in Warren county. Viewers there wondered what the cable system did to improve WSEE's picture quality. The recent purchase of digital receivers by Youngsville cable and WSEE putting it's DTV signal on the air back in October helped to eliminate the grainy analog signal viewers there were used to seeing. Kudos to WSEE also for getting the word out about the February 17th 2009 changeover from analog to digital. They will feature a report on what viewers can do in order to keep receiving WSEE and other Erie stations once analog signals are shut off in 2009.WJAC takes over news operations at 8, 23
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: WJAC-TV (6) announced Wednesday that it will begin producing the 10 p.m. news on Fox affiliate WWCP-TV (8) and will simulcast its own news at 11 p.m. on ABC affiliate WATM-TV (23).
WJAC is an NBC affiliate co-owned with Pittsburgh's WPXI-TV (11) and Steubenville's WTOV-TV (9). According to a joint WJAC-WWCP press release, the arrangement begins Jan. 14.
The Tribune-Democrat reported that all of WWCP's reporters and anchors will lose their jobs. In all, about 15 positions will be eliminated.
WWCP and WATM are owned by Peak Media of Pennsylvania, which according to FCC documents is controlled by Washington, D.C., area investors Joy Baxt, Colleen Reed and Kathleen Byrnes.
WJAC, like its Pittsburgh and Steubenville sister stations, is owned by Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, parent company of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Dayton Daily News, and other newspapers.
"We are pleased to undertake this joint venture and are gratified a fellow local broadcaster has put their trust in the Channel 6 News Team to produce their news product," said Dick Schrott, WJAC vice president and general manager, in a prepared statement. "Similar ventures are taking place in many television markets across the country due to the heavy expense of producing local news and the ongoing large capital investment required."
In the same statement, Frank Quitoni, WWCP president and general manager, said the station's news department, though "hard-working" and "professional," had operated at a financial loss for years, "a loss that is not sustainable."
The news team includes former Pittsburgh radio sports reporter Jim Penna, who serves as WWCP's news director and lead weekday news anchor, along with co-anchor Sherry Stalley, sports director Greg Whitmer, and chief meteorologist Travis Koshko.
"Delivering news to our community is extremely important to us," Quitoni said. "After being approached by WJAC, we decided to partner up and have them provide a news production service for our stations. While we regret the cutback in personnel, it is the only way we can continue to offer a 10 p.m. news for our viewers and clients."
Penna broke the news to his staff on Tuesday night. "I don't think the general staff had any indication," he told the T-D. "This time of year, it's certainly not something that is top of mind."
Stalley told the newspaper she was "stunned" by the announcement. "The feedback from the public had been wonderful. But with the way the market is, I shouldnt have been surprised. It completely blindsided me."
Quitoni said the laid-off employees will have their contracts honored or receive severance payments.
Correction dep't.
Pittsburgh, Erie-Meadville:
Fellow PBRTV correspondent Tom Lavery notes that the 88.7 mHz signal for which Duquesne University has applied is in Cranberry Township, Venango County, not Cranberry Township, Butler County, as I incorrectly assumed and reported.
The application, available on the FCC website, clearly bears that information out.
As the map above illustrates, the full-power, Class B station, with an effective radiated power of 50kW, would throw a signal over Oil City and Clarion, and would reach areas near Grove City and Slippery Rock as well.
I apologize for the error. --- Jason Togyer, PBRTV Correspondent
New gig for Dameshek, calls for 93.7
Pittsburgh: A tipster notes that Dave Dameshek, host of "The Sports Contraption" on the late, unloved "Man Station," WTZN-FM (93.7), has landed firmly on his feet.And at Dameshek's old digs, the reincarnated "B94" is getting new calls.
Dameshek has been picked up by Los Angeles ESPN affiliate KSPN (710) and will host his own afternoon drive time talk show from 4 to 7 p.m. Pacific time.
A sports reporter for Adam Carolla's syndicated morning program, Dameshek is also a TV comedy writer, having worked on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Show" and Comedy Central's "The Man Show."
According to a KSPN press release, Kimmel is expected to make regular contributions to Dameshek's show, along with Bill Simmons of ESPN.com.
(For those of you playing at home, 710 in L.A. is the former KMPC, which was once owned by Gene Autry, which seems appropriate to mention at Christmas time. Congratulations on getting back in the saddle again, Dave.)
As for the new call letters at WTZN, Scott Fybush reports CBS has asked the Friendly Candy Company for "WBZW." FCC records indicate the application was filed last Tuesday (Nov. 20) and the new calls should be in use today.
The station held the WTZN call letters only since April 2. It had previously been WRKZ. The "WBZZ" calls used by B94 from 1981 until 2004 are now assigned to an FM station in Malta, N.Y., and were not available. (And before you ask, WJOI is being used in Tidewater, Va., while WKJF is on a low-power TV station in Pinconning, Mich.)
Things that make us go 'hmmm'
National News: We spotted this on TV Guide's website this morning. Click on the image to see the full page, as it appeared just after 8 a.m. today. The page has since been changed, and we can't find the video:
I'm assuming this was a mistake, and that SpongeBob SquarePants didn't really appear on ABC's "Desperate Housewives."
On the other hand, he sure does seem excited by whatever he's looking at. (A bikini bottom, perhaps?)
And that's all we're going to say about that. You know what they say: "What happens in a pineapple under the sea, stays in a pineapple under the sea."
No static at all
Pittsburgh, Erie-Meadville, Johnstown-Altoona-State College: Over at NorthEast Radio Watch, Scott Fybush takes a closer look at the 132 non-commercial educational FM licenses applied for in Pennsylvania.We noted last week that Duquesne University had applied for a license in Cranberry Township, Venango County, on 88.7 mHz; as Scott points out, the owner of Pittsburgh's WDUQ-FM (90.5) also has asked for licenses in three other Pennsylvania communities.
It sounds to us like 'DUQ is trying to build a regional public radio network, much like WVXU-FM in Cincinnati did when it was owned by Xavier University ... which, appropriately enough, is also a Catholic university and even an Atlantic 10 basketball rival of the school on the Bluff.
. . .
UPDATE: PBRTV correspondent Tom Lavery notes that Duquesne University's application for 88.7 mHz is for Cranberry Township, Venango County, not the Cranberry Township in Butler County. I apologize for the error. --- Jason Togyer
Keep your knees loose
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: The "holidays" have now firmly been thrust upon us. I've already heard "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" and "Here Comes Suzy Snowflake," and "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas" can't be far behind.
I'm not sure if the 1983 film "A Christmas Story" has run on TV locally yet, but it will soon enough, and according to WTBS' website, the cable TV superstation will air the movie continuously on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
There are probably few people alive in the United States who haven't seen the film. For the benefit of any unthawed cavemen reading PBRTV today, the comedy, set in a rundown northern Indiana mill town during the Great Depression, stars Peter Billingsley as a young boy named Ralph Parker who desperately wants an air rifle for Christmas. Irascible Darren McGavin plays his father and Melinda Dillon is Ralphie's long-suffering mother.
The film was only a modest success when it was released 24 years ago this month. A quiet little film about the 1930s, lacking a big-name cast, stood little chance at the box office against "Scarface," "Terms of Endearment," "The Right Stuff" and "The Big Chill."
But cable TV, which badly needed content in the mid-1980s, showed the film repeatedly, creating a faithful audience that has now attained mythical proportions.
Last week, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people were expected to flock to Cleveland to see the house where the exteriors for the movie were shot (most of the film was made in Canada).
The film's script has been adapted for live productions by community theaters and you can now buy your very own leg lamp like the one that Mr. Parker wins in a contest. (Say it all with me: "Fra-jee-lay. It must be Italian!")
. . .
Indeed, "A Christmas Story" has become indelibly linked in the American psyche with Christmas.
No one would be more surprised, I suspect, than the late Jean Shepherd, the curmudgeonly, cantankerous, occasionally profane and often profound radio and TV personality who wrote the short stories that were adapted into the movie. Shep narrates the movie as well.
It might surprise fans of "A Christmas Story" to learn that Shepherd wasn't a cornball, misty-eyed nostalgia buff. A few acerbic asides during the movie only hint at the subversive, off-the-wall personality that informed his earthy writings (many of which originally appeared in "Playboy" and other men's magazines).
Shep began his radio career in high school at WJOB (now 1230 kHz, then at 1200) in his hometown of Hammond, Ind., a city along Lake Michigan not far from the steel mills and oil refineries of Gary. After a stint in the U.S. Army during World War II, he worked at WCKY, WKRC, WLW and WSAI in Cincinnati and KYW in Philadelphia before arriving at WOR (710) in New York in 1955.
For most of the next 22 years, late-night listeners up and down the East Coast could tune in WOR's powerful 50,000-watt signal and listen to Shep's quirky broadcasts, a mix of old records, original stories and commentaries on events of the day ... (more)
More stations flip to Christmas
Erie-Meadville: The oversaturation of Christmas music continues to pop up on the FM dial. Once again, Joe Vilkie's "Cool 101.7" has made the flip to Christmas in the Meadville area. However, the station is still carrying some normal programming on the weekends like "AT40, The 70's" and "Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember." Meanwhile "96.7 The River" in Mercer is also ditching it's satellite delivered AC format for those holiday hits.Thiel's new FM: Yes, really!
Pittsburgh, Erie-Meadville: Happy Thanksgiving! Except to our handful of Canadian readers. To them we say, "Welcome to Thursday."
PBRTV is thankful to hear from Bill Beil, vice president for auxiliary enterprises and chief technology officer at Thiel College in Greenville.
We asked Beil why the college decided to re-apply for a non-commercial educational (NCE) FM radio license less than a year after signing WTGP-FM off the air.
He writes:
The answer has to do primarily with FCC rules, and with the challenges of a student-run radio station at a small college. We relinquished the license because the station had not broadcast for a period of a year, and the license automatically lapsed by FCC rules.
The application for a new license occurred because the faculty expressed an interest in renewing the broadcast outlet. The College's Communications Department expects to make use of the reborn station as a teaching laboratory for broadcast communications classes. Students involved in broadcasting at the College have indicated that they would appreciate the ability to reach the Greenville community over the airwaves.
We received strong support, encouragement, and guidance from alumni who were members of the radio station staff in years past as we prepared our application for the license. The fortunate circumstance of a window for NCE applications has made this project possible. We are hopeful that the FCC will grant our application, and that we will have the opportunity to return to the airwaves with non-commercial broadcast service for the students and the community.
Any alumni or friends of Thiel College interested in helping get the new FM station on the air are welcome to contact Beil (after Thanksgiving) at (724) 589-2300 or bbeil@thiel.edu.
The holiday tunes for Pittsburgh...
Pittsburgh:Here's the scoop on the holiday tunes - just in case you're keeping score.
WSHH began its Christmas music run on 11/16 and will continue it through it's traditional "36 Hours of Christmas" on 12/25. PD Ron Antill told the Post-Gazette that the station was successful with the flip last year and decided to repeat it this year. (FWIW, We've noticed that the change does not yet include the John Tesh Show running overnight.)
WLTJ began its Christmas format on its HD2 Channel a couple of weeks ago. Tomorrow (11/21) the two formats will be reversed through Christmas. HD2 will carry the AC format while the main signal will be Christmas themed.
We've been waiting to see when WWSW would make its annual flip...and it looks like it won't be making the full flip this year. However, the Christmas music is flowing via webstream on 3wsradio.com. The station, meanwhile, will try a novel approach and gradually program more and more Christmas music as we get closer to Christmas.
Thiel? Really?
Pittsburgh, Erie-Meadville: Scott Fybush of NorthEast Radio Watch and several PBRTV readers want to know ... why is Thiel College in Greenville, Pa., applying for a new license on 88.1 mHz?
The application, which was reported by PBRTV on Friday, comes less than a year after Thiel asked the FCC to cancel the license of its old station, WTGP-FM (88.1).
Indeed, Thiel announced in a press release in January that WTGP "has been phased out" and that future content would be webcast-only.
Does it have anything to do with the pending change in administration at Thiel? As the Sharon Herald reported, former college President Lance Masters resigned to take a job in Philadelphia in February, one month after the decision to cancel WTGP's license.
Perhaps with the new president's pending arrival, the administration is taking another look at the radio station situation.
PBRTV has an email into a Thiel spokesperson, and when we learn more, you'll learn more. Stay tuned.
New Warren (Pa.) Station Gets Callsign
Erie-Meadville: News from Scott Fybush at fybush.com reports that the new CP for a station in the Warren, Pa. area at 102.7 has a callsign. The station will be officially known as WNAE-FM Clarendon (with it's tower site actually near Sheffield), which will have the same call letters as the AM sister station at 1310. I am not able to find a lot of information regarding the format of the new station once it signs on. It could possibly be a simulcast partner to WNAE, which would help during nighttime hours when 1310 powers down to 94 watts.In 1937, things were looking up
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Pittsburgh's NBC Red Network affiliate was a little louder and prouder in November 1937.
"Cloud-capped on many a day at the farthermost tip of its towering, slim 710 feet is the new vertical antenna which a month ago soared to completion over the trim Saxonburg, Pa., transmitter of station KDKA, its fiery night tip already a spectral sight to motorists and a friendly beacon to airplane pilots," reported the Pittsburgh Bulletin-Index magazine.
The unidentified but flowery writer, apparently under the influence of 1930s Timespeak, added that "it took a crew of nine men but 72 hours to sling and bolt its five-foot spiderweb of welded, streamlined (to cut down wind pressure) steel sections into place."
The new diamond-shaped radiator, which tapered to a base of only 18 inches, weighed 60 tons. Buried at the bottom of the tower were 50 miles of copper wire, radiating in a 700-foot circle to form a grounding system. Eight smaller antennae around the main tower were intended to cancel nighttime interference.
The system was designed by engineers working for KDKA's parent, Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. "By such dogged ruses of research, transmitting efficiency has been stepped up to a new record," the Bulletin-Index said, "KDKA's clear signal multiplied by ten."
Since signing on in 1920, KDKA had received permission to raise its power several times, from its original 200 watts to 50 kW in 1927.
Along the way, it experimented with several types of antennae, including four wires strung horizontally from the chimneys at the Westinghouse factory in East Pittsburgh and several complicated diamond- and ring-shaped aerials from a site on Greensburg Pike in nearby Forest Hills. (The Forest Hills site, which KDKA used from 1927 to 1929, is now known as the Westinghouse Recreation Center.)
The station's first permanent vertical tower was designed in 1929 by famed Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad, whose amateur radio station 8XK was the direct ancestor of KDKA.
But the tower was never satisfactory; at night, radio waves bouncing off of the atmosphere canceled the waves transmitted along the ground, resulting in bad interference problems for listeners just a few miles from Pittsburgh.
Westinghouse resolved to replace the tower, but its first attempt, in October 1936, was a disaster. The new tower buckled and fell over shortly after being erected.
The new tower, designed by U.S. Steel's subsidiary American Bridge Co., stood fast for more than 56 years, though KDKA moved it from Saxonburg to its present transmitter site near Allison Park two years later. If Westinghouse would have received permission, it even would have carried a 500 kW "superpower" signal, like WLW in Cincinnati was briefly allowed.
From there, the tower transmitted news of World War II, the Kennedy assassination and the moon landings, along with three Pirates World Series victories and the whimsies of Rege Cordic, "Uncle Ed" Shaughnessy, Jack Bogut and John Cigna.
In June 1994, "Group W" erected a new tower and demolished the old one. The steel was cut into slivers and encased in clear Lucite; the pieces were then distributed as a fundraiser for the Free Care Fund at Children's Hospital during KDKA's 75th anniversary the following year.
An Announce-It-Yourself Football game
Pittsburgh: (PG) Boy oh boy - I don't know who would have paid heck if this had happened during tonight's Steeler game! Those watching WPGH-TV (53) over the Comcast Cable feed were watching the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers without sound. Around 1:00 PM an audio switch on the transmitter quit feeding the sound to Comcast which wasn't restored until around 2:20 PM. The over-the-air signal still carried the audio.Classy 100 flips to Christmas
Erie-Meadville: Last year, it was the former "Froggy 94.7" making the flip to Christmas 24/7. This year I was curious if "94.7 Bob FM" would sort of keep up the holiday tradition and "Play Anything Christmas." Well, the holiday sounds have moved up the dial to 99.9 "Classy 100." In the past, the station would go Christmas for Thanksgiving & Black Friday before returning to it's AC format until Christmas Eve. You will also be able to hear Delilah with a Christmas version of her show. She has both versions of her show available to Christmas & non Christmas AC stations. You may be able to catch her normal fare elsewhere on the dial depending on where you live in the region.AIR award winners announced
Pittsburgh: From the better-late-than-never department ... word has been received at PBRTV of the winners of the 2007 Pittsburgh Achievement in Radio Awards, sponsored by the March of Dimes.The awards ceremony was held Nov. 8. (In our defense, we've been sickly. Cough, cough. And the mail delivery here isn't like it used to be. And the sun was in our eyes. Ahem.)
KDKA (1020) won for "best news coverage," while the station's Paul Rasmussen and Rose Ryan Douglas tied for "best newscaster."
WAMO-FM (106.7) won for "best station sponsored community event" and took both awards in the public-affairs category.
Monty, Chris and Zeke of WDSY-FM (107.9) won for "best morning show," Scott Alexander of WZPT-FM (100.7) won "best midday show on a music station," while his afternoon co-worker Jonny Hartwell was honored for "best afternoon show on a music station."
The "round mound of sound," Kevin Miller of KDKA, won the award for best midday talk show and was named "best new talent in the market," while John McIntire, formerly of WTZN-FM (93.7), was named best talk show host overall.
Best afternoon talk show awards went to Fred Honsberger of KDKA, while Mike Tyler of WDSY won "best evening show on a music station" for "Big Country Nights."
Bev Smith's syndicated program, which originates at WAMO (860), shared the award for "best evening talk show" with "Pittsburgh Gamenight" on ESPN's WEAE (1250).
KD's Jeff Hathhorn was named best sports reporter, while Bonnie Diver of Metro Networks was named best traffic reporter.
In the college division, Pitt's WPTS-FM (92.1) copped three awards, including "best sports play-by-play," while Robert Suhr of Point Park's WPPJ (670 kHz carrier current, and online) was named "best news or public affairs host."
A complete list can be read at airawardspgh.org, and soundbites are also available.
Y-town jock to B94
Pittsburgh: All Access is reporting that "Flick," night-time jock at Youngstown's "Kiss FM" WAKZ-FM (95.9), is the first on-air personality at the reconstituted "B94" WTZN-FM (93.7).
The online news site says that Ryan Mill, who was promoted to B94's program director just a few days earlier, is focused on "assembling his airstaff," including a "'hot' morning show."
On his MySpace page, Flick reports that he's "looking for a place in Da Burgh."
A Niles, Ohio, native, the 21-year-old attended the Ohio Center for Broadcasting in Cleveland and says he's now "living the dream."
Many groups seek new FM licenses
Pittsburgh: The St. Vincent De Paul Society is seeking a radio license in Uniontown, according to the Herald-Standard.
The proposed non-commercial educational FM station would be located at the society's thrift store on North Mount Vernon Avenue, the newspaper says.
In addition, PBRTV has learned that members of Knights of Columbus Lodge 1400 in Bellevue have applied for a license in Evans City, Butler County, under the corporate name "Fourteen Hundred Inc." The proposed station would broadcast on 89.7 mHz with 3.7 kW of power.
Those filings are among 132 new non-commercial FM applications in Pennsylvania received by the FCC during a recent "filing window." A majority of the applications are from religious groups.
. . .
In Uniontown, Roy Sarver, executive director of the local council of St. Vincent De Paul, told the H-S that the station would likely be an affiliate of either ETWN or Relevant Radio. Local programming might be added later, he said.
Relevant Radio, based in Green Bay, Wis., currently owns WZUM (1590) in Carnegie, but its signal is poorly heard in Fayette County.
The application filed with the Federal Communications Commission indicates that St. Vincent De Paul has asked for 2.5 kW on 88.7 mHz FM from a tower located about halfway between Connellsville and Confluence. The station would be licensed to Connellsville, but its primary signal contour would not include Uniontown, according to the map on the FCC's Web site.
In addition, listeners in Uniontown trying to hear 88.7 mHz would likely face some interference from another religious broadcaster, Charlotte, N.C. based Bible Broadcasting Network, whose 16 kW WYFU-FM (88.5) is licensed to nearby Masontown and broadcasts from a tower in southern Greene County.
. . .
Of 11 dozen new educational FM licenses requested in Pennsylvania, many, if not most, are from Christian churches or religious broadcasters.
Pittsburgh-area applications include:
- 88.1 in Ellwood City, Beaver and Lawrence counties, from Aquinas Academy (a private Catholic school in Gibsonia);
- 88.1 in Greenville, Mercer County, from Thiel College;
- 88.7 in Grove City, Mercer County, from Solid Rock Broadcasting of Tupelo, Miss.;
- 88.7 in Cranberry Township,
ButlerVenango County, from Duquesne University; this 50 kW allocation would presumably rebroadcast Pittsburgh's WDUQ-FM (90.5); and - 91.7 in New Stanton, Westmoreland County, from Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp., parent organization of WYEP-FM (91.3).
It will likely take months, if not years, before the FCC sorts through the applications.
. . .
The licenses, if awarded, would add to an already crowded non-commercial band in Pittsburgh. Few frequencies remain open.
Besides low-powered FM translators, existing full-power non-commercial FM allocations in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties include stations on 88.1, 88.3, 89.3, 90.5, 91.3 and 91.7.
In addition, there are stations on 88.9, 89.7 and 90.7 in the Johnstown area, 90.3 and 91.9 in Meadville, and 91.1 in Grove City.
It must be Christmas!
Pittsburgh: WSHH (99.7) has adopted its all-Christmas format. The "flip" took place this morning. (Nobody has listened yet, but we suspect that WWSW (94.5) has done the same.) The flip typically occurs the same day as the City of Pittsburgh's Light-Up Night event. WLTJ's (92.9) HD2 Channel has been playing Christmas music for a few weeks now.WBBG 106.1 goes All Christmas
Youngstown: It's that time of year once again when various stations begin making the flip to "All Christmas, All The Time." It's either a temporary change or a lead in to a different format once Christmas is over. (I have also noticed that WBBG has stopped using the "Big 106.1" handle not too long ago.) This morning @ 9am, WBBG 106.1 became the first station in the Mahoning Valley to flip from Oldies to Christmas. They and sister station WNIO 1390 usually play wall to wall holiday favorites in the region. Fear not sports fans, WBBG will continue to carry Ohio State & Pittsburgh Steelers games as will be the case once WNIO flips. 1390 carries NASCAR, Ohio State and Cleveland Cavaliers games.WDUQ remains strong with pledges; Killpoint Cancelled
Pittsburgh:WDUQ's Fall fund-raising campaign proved to be successful despite coming at the same time the station was required to drop a Planned Parenthood underwriting campaign. GM Scott Hanley told the Post-Gazette that the station came within 3% of the $275,000 goal, despite some listeners having yanked their pledges surrounding the controversy over the underwriter. The station is now reviewing internal guidelines on underwriting.
In other news, don't look for a second-season of the Pittsburgh-based, Pittsburgh-filmed "The Kill Point". Although the show had healthy ratings during its first season, Spike TV announced a new lineup of reality shows in which there was no room for the program. A Spike TV spokesperson told the Post-Gazette, "We are out of the serialized one-hour business. We need programming that we can repeat." The show had been in a holding pattern since August and although network execs were looking forward to the concept for the second season, all communication between the network and writer/producer Todd Harthan ceased when the buzz of the writers' strike began.
Veterans' Day special
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Twenty years ago, Robin Williams made a University of Pittsburgh alumnus world famous.
In the hit movie "Good Morning, Vietnam," released during Christmas 1987, Williams played Adrian Cronauer, a motor-mouthed disc jockey on American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN), the radio stations operated in South Vietnam for the benefit of U.S. servicemen and women during the Vietnam War.
The movie, directed by Barry Levinson, depicts AFVN in the mid-1960s as a group of somnolent DJs running "beautiful music." Williams' character brings Top 40 music and a high-energy personality to Vietnam, bucking the chain of command and being threatened with court-martial or worse.
The real Cronauer was a native Pittsburgher who went to Pitt and in 1958 joined a group of students trying to launch an AM carrier-current radio station on campus. Their first attempt to turn on the transmitter inside the student union, then called Schenley Hall, reportedly blew fuses all over the building.
The station eventually went on the air as WPGH; in 1987, Cronauer told Pittsburgh radio writer Adrian McCoy that students literally "cannibalized our parents' stereo systems and put a station together" with the help of a $250 grant from the university. Cronauer also worked part-time as an announcer at WQED-TV (13).
But by the time the Pitt station was on the air full time, Cronauer had transferred to American University in Washington, D.C., to major in broadcasting. Though he needed only 11 credit-hours to graduate, the draft board was pressuring him to enlist, so he volunteered for the Air Force in 1962. (more)
Commission rejects WKHB move
Pittsburgh: For the second time, the Federal Communications Commission has rejected a proposal to move the city of license of WKHB (620) from Irwin in Westmoreland County to Brentwood in Allegheny County.
According to a story by Pat Cloonan in the McKeesport Daily News (subscriber-only link), the FCC told Broadcast Communications Inc. on Oct. 26 that changing the city of license would have "no net service benefit" to the market while removing "the obligation to provide service" to Irwin. The FCC generally rejects proposals to move stations if they leave a "city of license" without any broadcast service.
The proposal was first rejected back in March 2006, but BCI refiled the application and asked the commission to reconsider it. BCI argued that Irwin's small population did not justify a radio station license when Brentwood (with more than double the number of residents) had no license at all. In addition, BCI noted that because WKHB's tower would remain in the same location, no one would lose the station's signal.
But the FCC's letter restated the commission's original objections to the move and argued that the refiled application should not have been accepted.
A 5.5kW daytime, 50W nighttime station, WKHB is co-owned with Jeannette-licensed WKFB (770) and Waynesburg's WANB-AM/FM. WANB-FM (103.1) was recently given FCC permission to raise its power and relocated to Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County.
(Full disclosure: Both this PBRTV writer and PBRTV Editor in Chief Eric O'Brien are part-time employees of BCI.)
High school sports coverage has pros, cons
Misc. Ohio: Buckeye CableSystem's sports network gives high school athletes in northwestern Ohio plenty of TV time, notes Toledo Blade sportswriter Steve Junga, including broadcasts of sports like girls' volleyball.
But that exposure can be a double-edged sword, as the girls volleyball team at Toledo Central Catholic found out ahead of its tournament match today in Dayton. Though their games were televised this season, their opponent's games haven't been, and Central hasn't found any video to help them prepare.
That leaves Central at a competitive disadvantage. "I wouldn't count on them not having seen us," Coach Melissa Belcher tells Junga. "I'd have to believe they have. BCSN is one of the best things to come from northwest Ohio, but sometimes it can be your worst enemy, come tournament time. Any school from around the state can easily access copies of matches."
(Buckeye CableSystems is owned by Block Communications, parent company of the Blade and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)
Plenty of New Applications for the Non Commercial FM Band
Erie-Meadville: With recent news of LECOM applying to sign on with a new FM station, I decided to check out the FM Query on the FCC website. In addition to LECOM wanting a station at 89.3, there are a few other groups looking at that same frequency. They include one for North East from Alabaster, Inc. with a power output of 27,000 watts. (The same group also wants a translator for Meadville at 89.9) In Corry, Muncy Hills Broadcasting is looking at 89.3 as well as Inspiration Time, Inc. for Union City. ITI currently owns WCTL 106.3 and a string of translators in several areas. It would appear that 89.3 would offer separate non commercial broadcasting in contrast to 106.3. Up a click from 89.3 is 89.5, where there are 4 applications filed including one from Call Communications, who is looking into a 50,000 watt signal. It should be interesting to see how this shakes up. Lastly, there is an application for Edinboro at 90.1 from Vision IDX at 1,800 watts. Finally, a couple of call letter changes to share. The new Majic stations are now WXMJ 104.5 Cambridge Springs & WHMJ 99.3 Franliln.Talk show host to sit in a dunk tank
Pittsburgh:
KDKA Radio talk show host Kevin Miller recently told listeners that he would sit in a dunk tank if Luke Ravenstahl won the election for Mayor. The results came in on Tuesday and Miller will be broadcasting live from Noon - 3 tomorrow (11/9) in Market Square, Downtown. In exchange for a donation to Special Olympics, passersby will get the opportunity to throw footballs and dunk the host into a 500-gallon tank - despite temperatures in the mid-40s. Mayor Ravenstahl has been invited to attend the event.
LECOM Seeks Radio Station License
Erie-Meadville: In Thursday's "Erie Times-News" (11/8/07), there is a very interesting article regarding The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) seeking a voice on the Erie airwaves. The college has filed an application with the FCC for a new station at 89.3 FM with a power output of 8,200 watts. The station would broadcast from the "Rocket 101" tower site in Ripley, New York after an agreement was reached between LECOM & Connoisseur Media LLC. According to LECOM spokesman Pierre Bellicini, the non commercial station would broadcast medical information once all of the pieces are put together in about 2-3 years, pending FCC approval of the license.Catching up with Ed Blank
Signal-to-Noise: Commentary by Jason Togyer
There's something missing from your Tribune-Review these days. The movie critic's job is empty after 14 years of being Blank.
Ed Blank left the newspaper in February. ("I very specifically resigned," he points out.)
The culprits were the paper's insistence on shorter reviews --- really just blurbs, he says, that left no room for criticism or analysis --- and an increasing number of dumbed-down films that had little need for criticism or analysis anyway. "There are many movies I have no need to write more than three or five inches about," he says.
Blank, who launched his career as a critic covering radio and TV for the late, lamented Pittsburgh Press, hasn't disappeared. He's showing up regularly these days as a guest host on WPTT (1360).
And he's focusing his energies on a worthy cause, handling publicity and recruitment for the state and local organizations of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (he's Irish on his mother's side), helping spread the word while looking for worthy causes to which the group can offer public service.
If you'll pardon a cliche, it's a far cry from the "glitter of tinseltown," or at least the Pittsburgh equivalent. As the Press' radio-TV critic during the late '60s and early '70s, Blank relentlessly reviewed every new show on all three networks and public television (there were no inexpensive videotape players and relatively few shows were pre-screened for critics) and he conducted the only in-depth interviews that some local broadcasters ever sat down for.
But he's best known for his movie criticism, which expressed unpredictable opinions and was informed by a film buff's true love of the art. And though Blank has given up writing about movies every day, he hasn't given up on cinema.
He does look harder to find quality. (more)
Cumulus prepares 19 stations in 10 states for sale
Youngstown: Radio & Records reports that Cumulus Radio is preparing to sell 19 of it's stations by moving them into a trust. "Stratus Radio LLC" will be the name of the company which will prepare selected stations to be sold to 3rd party bidders. This move is being made in order to follow FCC guidelines regarding station ownership in any given market. In the Youngstown market, Cumulus currently owns several popular stations in both Ohio & Pennsylvania. They include WYFM 102.9 & WPIC 790 (Sharon), WHOT 101.1 & WBBW 1240 (Youngstown), WQXK 105.1 & WSOM 600 (Salem), WWIZ 103.9 & WLLF 96.7 (Mercer).Dead horse dept.
National News: Via Aaron Barnhart's TVBarn.com, here's an eloquent and well-argued speech about media consolidation, delivered to the Federal Communications Commission by Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president and CEO of the Media Access Project, a non-profit law firm that defends First Amendment cases involving broadcasting and the Internet:Sadly, in the wake of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, and the consequent growth of large regional and national ownership groups, the number of good broadcasters is diminishing, and the number of mediocre broadcasters is increasing.
Locally originated news and public affairs programming is but one important measure of commitment to local service. There are about 1,400 full power commercial TV stations in the United States, and another five or six hundred Class A stations. According to the RTNDA, less than 800 of those 2,000 stations originate newscasts. 2,000 minus 800 is 1200. How can the Commission possibly make the statutorily mandated determination that those 1,200 stations are operated in the public interest? I don't think it can.
It is even worse with radio. Thousands of stations do little or nothing, and thousands more outsource their newsgathering to a single company which carries essentially identical newscasts on scores of stations. Indeed, one company alone, Metro Networks (which is owned by Viacom, itself a group owner) provides newscasts for more than 2,000 of the nation's radio stations. Where is the viewpoint diversity in that?
Broadcasters who carry no news or public-service programming, Schwartzman said, "should be asked how they merit a free license for exclusive use of scarce publicly owned spectrum when they don't provide something --- anything --- designed to serve the public interest, as opposed to their own private interests."
Among other recommendations, Schwartzman and MAP called on the Commission to return to the days when minimum amounts of news and public-affairs programming were mandatory; reduce licensing terms from seven to three years; and to deny cable TV "must-carry" access to stations that air more than 12 hours daily of home shopping or infomercials.
We can think of more than a few radio and TV stations in Pittsburgh that would be in trouble if any of his recommendations were accepted.
You can download the entire speech (PDF reader required) by clicking here: Schwartzman testimony
A chill in the air
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: In honor of this Saturday's tribute to Bill Cardille, MMNF went over to YouTube, where there are a surprising number of "Chiller Theater" clips. (Try searching on "WIIC.")This clip, which looks to be from the late '60s, features "Chilly Billy" in an acting tour de force "transvestiting himself through the airwaves" using his "super female voice."
Erm, yeah, that's what he said.
The Cardille tribute, hosted by WJAS (1320) and WPXI-TV (11), is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Byham Theater, Downtown, and will feature Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners, Walt Maddox, Harold Betters, Wee Jams and "much, much more," as they say. Bruno Sammartino, "Terminal Stare," "Stefan the Castle Prankster" and other Cardille video associates are expected to appear as well.
As of this morning, tickets were still available and prices started at $25. Call 412-456-6666 or visit www.pgharts.org. Proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, whose Labor Day telethons have been hosted in Pittsburgh by Cardille since 1971.
(And of course, don't miss the fan website, "Chiller Theater Memories.")
Consolidation, round 2
National News: Virtually everyone --- from the left, center and right --- seems to think that further consolidation of radio and TV ownership is a bad thing.
Yet virtually all of them think it's going to happen, no matter what they say.
The Federal Communications Commission's most recent public hearing on "localism" in broadcasting was held Wednesday, after less than a week's notice. It's one of six hearings the commission has had to receive public comments on "localism."
But virtually everyone involved understands that the FCC's official concerns about "localism" are actually coded language that means "preserving local content while revising station ownership rules."
As a result, the latest hearing (which could be the last before the FCC issues new ownership rules) was mainly a parade of protests from groups as philosophically different as the left-wing Prometheus Radio Project and the conservative Parents Television Council, but united in their opposition to more broadcast consolidation.
Only one speaker --- representing the National Association of Broadcasters --- defended consolidation, saying media companies need to group print, TV and radio properties together to remain profitable in a marketplace divided by new listening and viewing options on satellite and the Internet ... (more)