Radio/TV Notes
April 1, 2016
No foolin’ around here today. (Sorry!)
- WZUM (1550 Braddock) is now in the hands of Pittsburgh Public Media. AM Guys LLC and PPM closed the deal on Wednesday, March 30. PPM’s jazz programming will begin on 1550 at Noon on Saturday, April 2. Soon to follow is an FM Translator at 101.1 for which PPM got approval a few weeks ago. CLICK HERE to learn how you can make a donation to help the non-profit maintain their stations.
- Our favorite cub reporter happened to hear audio on WMNY (1150 New Kensington) late Thursday morning (3/31). No word on sister station WGBN (1360 McKeesport). Both stations are owned by The Rev. Loran Mann’s Pentecostal Temple Development Corporation and have been silent under an STA due to unknown… or uncertain shall we say… reasons. Meanwhile, WMNY is up for sale through CMS Station Brokerage.
- Wendy Bell’s gaffe last week that led to her release from WTAE this week has certainly sparked up a fecal storm. Many on both sides of the issue have taken to social media to express their disapproval – some calling Bell racist while others feel her “freedom of speech” has been stifled. The situation has been the topic of talk radio, and, with thanks to (we think) the Associated Press, has gone national and even international. AJM Broadcast Educator has written several articles on the topic this week and THIS ONE gives the reasons why people calling Bell a racist should stop and why people calling it a violation of her Freedom of Speech should stop. Today, the Post-Gazette’s Tony Norman shares his take in the paper.
- Finally, after KGO in San Francisco tossed the remaining news staffers out on their ear yesterday, former staffer Claudia Lamb wrote a piece on how the business has declined over the years… and that’s putting it nicely!
WZUM, I heard it. Someone announced that the station was sold and to stay tuned for jazz programming tomorrow at noon, that would be 4-2-16.
Thanks for the good run AM Guys, I was glad to hear that you brought soul and the WZUM name back to the airwaves, AM especially, where we need more music programming. My tastes might be farther along than pop music, but I enjoyed listening once in a while, especially on old radios, because it was music, independent and not run by a national radio corp.
I also heard WMNY back on the air, with gospel music and a local announcer, and saying things like ‘Gospel is here to stay’, so maybe they are really back.
Boomer
Without much fanfare AM 1550 switched over the jazz, just like that. I was hoping for something special, maybe a heartfelt message from the former owners at a time like this, but nope. I remember some of the great format switch promos, like the Louie Louie marathon on 970, 104.7 Pure Energy loop, WWCL Classy 101, and 106.7 switching to heavy metal after a DJ protest.
I welcome our new jazz overlords! Good to hear Bill Hillgrove doing the jazz and to hear a voice on the air talking about the music, that’s refreshing.
I made an aircheck of 2 hours of the change over, 11 am to 1 pm, with the switch in the middle. Posted for a limited time only.
http://boomerthedog.com/WZUM-Soul-To-Jazz-4-2-16.mp3
I’m right on the 2.5 millivolt local contour as seen on Radio-Locator. I’ve heard better high frequency audio on this receiver. I suggest their processing is too high, knocking out some of the highs’ definition. I hope the jazz guys can improve on this, and add C-QUAM AM stereo too.
Boomer
Wendy Bell’s dismissal puts in a lurch a station has been too cheap to hire weekend and backup news anchors. WTAE’s insistence on making sports anchors Andrew Stocky (WTF is the sports director doing anchoring news anyhow?) and Ryan Recker anchor the news bears out a tightwad policy that is predicated largely on a provincial institutional prejudice against sports … and it’s now biting the station in the hind quarters