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)
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)
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)
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.
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)