Happy 85th birthday, Bob!
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Wednesday marked the 85th birthday of one of the most influential comedians of the 20th century.
With his longtime writing and performing partner Ray Goulding, Bob Elliott influenced generations of broadcasters, including the original cast of "Saturday Night Live," Jay Leno, David Letterman and Keith Olbermann.
Elliott's birthday will be celebrated with a reception today in New York, and earlier this month, he was interviewed on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."
To a younger generation, Elliott might be best known as the father of comedian Chris Elliott. The younger Elliott's stage persona of an overconfident goof trying to be debonair builds on his father's 50 years of playing pompous dimwits with delusions of adequacy. (more)
Tribe moves to MyYTV
Youngstown: Cleveland Indians fans looking for Tribe games on "Fox 17/62" in the Mahoning Valley will have to tune elsewhere. This season, you can catch up to 20 games on WYTV's digital sub channel "MyYTV." The channel is available on area cable systems and over the air with a digital TV or converter box on channel 33-2 (36).Paulsen bows out
Pittsburgh: After about six weeks of co-hosting an evening talk show with John Steigerwald, Scott Paulsen has told KDKA (1020) "thanks, but no thanks," according to the Post-Gazette.
The show, which aired from 7 to 10 p.m. weekdays when not preempted by paid programming, was on a "trial basis" through Monday.
The P-G's Adrian McCoy writes that Paulsen "didn't want to work the nighttime hours but had agreed to it on a trial basis," and is "keeping his options open for other possibilities at KDKA or elsewhere."
In a fictional, election-themed entry posted Friday on his website, Paulsen wrote that he's "going back to my position as all-night counter person at the Adult Maxi-Mart and 25 Cent Video Preview Booth World just off the interstate," where he'll be "cleaning the walls of trucker excrement."
Hey, like the old joke says, isn't that showbiz?
Cline to do mornings at Q92.9
Pittsburgh:Radio Online is reporting that John Cline has been tapped to take on the morning shift at the re-invented WLTJ. Cline previously worked at WZPT in the mornings before falling victim to CBS budget cuts.
WLTJ re-imaged its format and wiped out the staff on Easter becoming "Q92.9."
TV Hill...what remains won't be there long
Pittsburgh:We came across a video tour of WPXI's first and former home on Television Hill on YouTube. (Unable to be embedded.) The YouTube user (whom we suspect is a WPXI employee...or huge fan) took some final video of the building during the month of March and joined it with some photos from 2007. Our understanding - through the grapevine - is that much of the building will be torn down except for the original structure which remains as a transmitter building.
I would be interested in obtaining some artifacts from TV Hill - a sign, a set piece, whatever. If you have access to such, please contact me.
WSEE, WICU & WBEP to carry Tribe games this season
Erie-Meadville: 2008 will be the 3rd year that WICU 12 & WSEE 35 carries a handful of Cleveland Indians games this baseball season. Each station will carry 5 games a piece. There are also 10 additional games available on WBEP, which until recently was only available on area cable systems. The CW affiliate is now also available over the air on WSEE's sub channel at 35-2 (16). However, you will need either a TV with a digital tuner built in or a conversion box for your current TV if it's an older model without a digital tuner. (Your current antenna should work work for reception.) WBEP is also not currently available on either satellite service. Schedules are at http://www.wicu12.com/sports/ and http://www.wsee.tv/indians.html.Cops X-out scam artist
Pittsburgh: A scam artist who claimed he worked for "The X" WXDX-FM (105.9) scammed nearly $2,000 from Pittsburgh-area residents by promising to turn over bogus "prizes."Pittsburgh police allege that Alan Carter McDonald, 58, of Baldwin Borough would tell victims that he could get them concert tickets, TVs and other prizes from WXDX if they would provide upfront cash for "shipping costs."
Naturally, McDonald didn't work for WXDX, and the 14 victims (who lost an average of $127 each) never got any prizes. Court records indicate that McDonald had used a similar scam years before, claiming to work for other radio stations.
According to the Post-Gazette, Allegheny County Judge David R. Cashman yesterday sentenced McDonald to two years' probation and $1,775 restitution.
There's no word on why the victims thought a 58-year-old former steel worker would be a promotions assistant at a rock radio station, but P.T. Barnum and W.C. Fields might be able to explain.
XM tribute to Armstrong
National News:XM Radio's "60s on 6" host Terry "Motormouth" Young will be doing a tribute to Jackson Armstrong from 4:00 - 8:00 PM this Friday. Armstrong died at his North Carolina home over the weekend. You can expect to hear a number of clips from the various stations where Armstrong worked.
Each Friday, Young hosts a tribute known as "Sonic Sound Salutes" which features a top-40 radio station from the 60s. (Pittsburgh's KQV has been featured at least twice.) Airchecks are a part of the fun of these special programs.
Courtesy of DCRTV
WEAE names GM
Pittsburgh: WEAE (1250), the ESPN network radio station in Pittsburgh, has named a new general manager, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times.Mike Thompson comes to WEAE from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., where he was new media program director. He previously served as program director of ESPN's New York City outlet, WEPN (1050),
WEAE remains an ABC-owned station, though most of the company's other radio properties were sold to Citadel last year. ABC and ESPN are owned by The Walt Disney Co.
Although WEAE shares facilities on Ardmore Boulevard with its former TV sister station, which is an ABC affiliate, WTAE-TV (4) is a separate operation owned by Hearst-Argyle Television.
Hillary clears things up on KDKA
Pittsburgh:
Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton told KDKA's Larry Richert that she misspoke last week when she said she dodged sniper fire during a goodwill trip to Bosnia in March 1996.
During the 10-minute interview this morning - the first given to Pittsburgh media before the April 22 primary - the Senator said, "I have written about this and described in many different settings and I did misspeak the other day. This has been a very long campaign." She went on to say that the military took great care of her and even took some extra precautions going into the war zone. "Last week for the first time in 12 years or so, I misspoke." Clinton told Richert that she did not believe the error would affect her credibility.
Clinton is in between campaign appearances in Uniontown last night and Greensburg today.
A podcast of the interview is available at KDKAradio.com
XM, Sirius merger OK'd
National News: After more than a year of study, the U.S. Justice Department has given its official OK to the merger of rival satellite radio providers XM and Sirius.
The Federal Communications Commission must still rule on the merger, but as one analyst told the Reuters news agency, Justice's approval makes it unlikely that the FCC would rule differently.
The merger was opposed by traditional AM-FM radio stations and some members of Congress on grounds that the merged service was a monopoly that would stifle competition.
Among the congressmen against the XM-Sirius merger is U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, a Democrat from Forest Hills.
Doyle is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and is the vice-chairman of the subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. (more)
Taylor returns to B-94
Pittsburgh:
After B-94 left the airwaves in 2004, Melanie Taylor moved over to WTAE-TV to take over the morning traffic reporting duties.
Of course, B-94 is back and Taylor will be back on 93.7 again come April 1 when she joins the Buckhead and Bubba Morning Show.
(Hat Tip: NorthEast Radio Watch)
'Your Leader' silenced
Pittsburgh, National News: Scott Fybush of NorthEast Radio Watch is reporting the death of Jackson Armstrong, former "13Q" WKTQ (1320) personality who was also a fixture on Buffalo's WKBW (1520), and who could recently be heard in Pittsburgh after sunset via the 50,000-watt signal of the short-lived revival of "KB Radio" at the present-day WWKB.
According to a message posted on Armstrong's MySpace page by his daughter, the 62-year-old DJ, whose real name was John C. Larsh, died Saturday at his home in North Carolina.
Armstrong's daughter writes:
If you knew him at all, you would know that he wouldn't want you to be sad for a moment. He would want you to remember all the good times, what he gave to radio and to the world. He would also want you to help fight to bring back the personality in radio if at all possible.
He loved being a DJ almost as much as he loved being a father and that says A LOT. He put his blood, sweat and tears into both and never gave up what he believed in. He was honest, brave and could tell a joke like no other!
He was the best at everything he did and I know that he touched each and every one of us. I dont know how he would sign off this letter, maybe it would be "Yoooooouuuuurrr LLLlleeeadaaa!" or just straight up "Jack it up" either which way he would have done it better than anyone.
Please remember him in all that you do, pass on kindness, be true to yourself and to those you love. If you have any questions, please email me at JackArmstrong08@gmail.com Very sad, devon larsh fischer ....Jack's middle daughter who loves him greatly - he was an exceptional person
Armstrong also worked briefly at KDKA (1020) after his two-year stint at 13Q. His radio career spanned 46 years altogether.
More details as they become available.
WLTJ now known as Q 92.9
Pittsburgh:
Proclaiming itself as "Pittsburgh's Best Music Mix" WLTJ is now known as Q 92.9. The change apparently occurred on Easter.
It seems that the music format hasn't changed much, but some of the rumor mills seem to think the entire airstaff has been wiped out. There is also a computerized voice after each song which announces the song and the artist followed by a liner. The Legal ID remains WLTJ Pittsburgh, but we suspect that a callsign with a "Q" in it may be in the works.
More as we hear it.
UPDATE: A reliable source tells PBRTV that many WLTJ personalities cleaned out their offices and picked up their last paychecks this morning. No word yet on the number of layoffs, or if anyone was retained.
UPDATE #2: In a Post-Gazette interview, PD Chuck Stevens said that the format is merely being tweaked to create a more contemporary sound saying that the "Lite-FM" identity "had been around a long, long time. We felt it was time to bring it into the new millennium."
The station will run jockless for a few weeks.
Amelia Segal Joins Jet TV
Erie-Meadville: Weekends for Tom DiVecchio & Tom Atkins at Jet TV & Fox 66 will not be as busy as they have been lately. The two Toms' have been spliting the weekend shift ever since Brian Neudorff left Erie for Rochester a while back. That was the case until this past weekend when meteorologist Amelia Segal made her Erie TV debut. Amelia will serve as weekend meteorologist and will help out when severe weather hits the Erie region. She is a 2007 graduate of Penn State with a degree in meteorology and is working towards her AMS (American Meteorological Society) seal of approval.Look out below!
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix:
On this date in 1965, millions of viewers watched a devastating crash live on their TV screens.
It was the Ranger 9 spacecraft, which was beaming pictures of the Moon's surface back to Earth at the moment it plowed right into a crater.
The crash was intentional. In fact, NASA's scientists had designed the spacecraft for a kamikaze mission.
It was an era when it seemed like U.S. space flight triumphs were coming on a daily basis; just a day earlier, NASA had launched its first two-person spacecraft, Gemini 3, with crewmen Gus Grissom and John Young.
Gemini 3 orbited the Earth three times, traveling 80,000 miles before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Dominican Republic.
Ranger 9 was the last of three Ranger-class space probes successfully launched by NASA in 1964 and 1965 to capture video and still images of the Moon's craters.
The spacecraft, launched March 21, 1965, from Cape Canaveral, carried six slow-scanning RCA-made video cameras, which beamed images back to Earth in the 900 MHz band --- above the highest available UHF TV channels, in a frequency range now used for pagers, cell phones and two-way radios.
The views "alternated between sharp definition and a lighter and slightly fuzzy picture," UPI reported. "Scientists said the pictures were better than could be obtained from Earth under any condition."
Ranger 9's cameras began sending images back to Earth at 8:49 a.m. Pittsburgh time, and all three major American TV networks interrupted scheduled Tuesday daytime programming to show the video live.
In Pittsburgh, that meant pre-empting "Captain Kangaroo" on KDKA-TV (2) and "Ricki and Copper" on WTAE-TV (4), according to local TV listings.
NBC's "Today" show, running on WIIC-TV (11) and WFMJ-TV (21) in Youngstown, joined the moon broadcast as part of its regular coverage. (more)
"Chico" to return to Erie airwaves
Erie-Meadville: According to our friends at Fybush.com, Mike "Chico" Bormann will be returning to the Erie airwaves next week (3/31/08). Chico will host "Chico & Company", which will be the first locally based sports talk program over on Citadel's "ESPN 1260 The Score" (WRIE) since the format flip from adult standards in January of 2007. He was previously on Connoisseur stations WFNN 1330, WJET 1400 and also co hosted mornings for a brief time on country outlet WTWF "93.9 The Wolf." Chico & Company will air from 4-7pm, which will go head to head against his former "Fan" co hosts Jim LeCorchick & Chris "Red" Hughes with their 5-7pm show on "Fox Sports Radio 1330 The Fan." Speaking of "The Fan", the Erie Seawolves games will be returning to 1330 after airing on WJET 1400 last season.E-Mail: Use of KDKA-TV callsign usage still a concern
Pittsburgh:
Hi Eric,
You have probably have gotten a ton of e-mails already if not yet you probably now about this. I was watching KDKA TV News This Morning and on the bottom of the screen the scroll said, CBS 2 HD will be going all digital on Feb. 2009. Will KDKA be called CBS 2 HD instead of KDKA TV News?
Ryan
Eric's Response: Nope...you're the first...and only.
Again...I don't know why people worry about this. I have not heard anything to the effect that KDKA will be known as "CBS 2" now or ever. Look at the weather ball at the transmitter tower on Perry Hilltop - it says "KDKA" on it. Look at the station's on-screen bug, it has the CBS eye (cause they are a CBS O&O), a "2" and "KDKA".
Even if such a change takes place, I'm sure it will still be KDKA. If it's not on screen, Pittsburgh will still call it KDKA. If it switches callsigns back to WDTV...Pittsburgh will still call it KDKA! And while it will be airing on Channel 24 rather than Channel 2, it will most likely still be called "Channel 2."
TV News: Just the Facts...please!
Musings From Eric:If you took part in Rob Owen's recent feature about TV news, you weren't alone. Owen received over 100 responses. Most, if not all are posted online. But there's also a condensed version for the paper which summarizes what most people want - More news; less fluff; less banter; less coverage.
The responses were varied when it came to the little things. And while many of them seem to have come from people who remember Bill Burns and his 15-minute newscast, younger viewers expressed their displeasure too.
So, to do my part, I thought I would offer a few thoughts of my own.
(more)Everybody talks about the weather
Pittsburgh: It's a movement! It's a trend!Or maybe it's a coincidence.
Anyway, Post-Gazette columnist Ruth Ann Dailey has the same beef with local TV weather reports as the Observer-Reporter's Terry Hazlett.
But Dailey has brought in an expert consultant: Former WPXI-TV (11) chief meteorologist Dennis Bowman.
"Absolutely it's over the top," Bowman, presently a freelancer and part-time on-air personality at KDKA-TV (2), tells Dailey. "Every time there's going to be a couple inches of snow, they send reporters to the grocery stores to show people getting milk and bread. It's like it's 1884 all over again!"
Gotta love YouTube
Pittsburgh, Musings From Eric:The more I visit YouTube, the more I find classic TV station IDs, news openings and anchors in their younger years. (No offense Hank...)
Hank Baughman's long list of Pittsburgh jobs continues at WSHH where he has held the morning news post for the last 20 years. According to the YouTube Comments, Pat Finn went on to become a game show host and Dave Sullivan's whereabouts were unknown. As for the whereabouts of the WIIC call letters, they appear on a local low-power TV station.
Celebrating Hillgrove
Pittsburgh: OK, we're a little late on this. (Sometimes the packet boat to PBRTV's Mon Valley Bureau is slow.)
But with the Pitt Panthers playing in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament today, it seems like an appropriate time to mention that the last issue of the University of Pittsburgh's alumni magazine had a nice profile of Bill Hillgrove.
Hillgrove has called Pitt men's basketball games alongside college basketball hall-of-famer and former Pirates shortstop Dick Groat for 29 seasons. "Bix" also will soon mark 40 years as the "Voice of the Panthers" football broadcasts.
In addition, writer Justin Hopper notes that Hillgrove is about to celebrate 14 years doing play-by-play on Steelers broadcasts.
Hillgrove tells Hopper his favorite Pitt Panthers' football play was the 1976 touchdown run by Tony Dorsett that broke the all-time college football rushing record. (more)
Local TV's snow job
Pittsburgh: If surveys are correct, writes Terry Hazlett in the Washington Observer-Reporter, then most viewers watch local TV news to get the weather.But it doesn't do much for the news team's credibility when they spend so much time blowing minor snowstorms out of proportion, he says.
Scaring viewers is "unnecessary and unprofessional," Hazlett says.
"If there's a winter storm watch --- not even a warning, but simply a watch --- stations have begun going on air earlier in the morning, if only to tell us to 'drive carefully,'" he says. "And if we do receive a couple inches of snow, reporters are stationed all over surrounding counties so each can dip his glove in the white stuff to guesstimate the number of inches of snow and warn us to stay off the roads."
Charlie Rose suffers Black Eye
National News: From the things you would not expect to see on PBS, I was very surprised to see late night talk show host Charlie Rose with a shiner. The low keyed Rose looked like he was in a St. Patricks day brawl with his black eye. However, he was not a guest wrestler on the WWE's "Monday Night Raw." He apparently tripped in a pothole while walking down 59th street in Manhattan. He was trying to save his laptop during the fall & made a rather quick decision to save the computer instead of his face. You can see Charlie Rose monday - friday nights on WPSU 3, WQED 13, WNEO/WEAO 45 & 49 and WQLN 54.Niki Weirich joins Stan Boney at WYTV Newsdesk
Youngstown: A follow up to our story regarding Stan Boney at WYTV. He has recently moved to the anchor desk and now has a new co anchor for the 5 - 6:30pm and 11pm newscasts. Niki Weirich has replaced Angee Shaker as co anchor. According to Ohio Media Watch, Angee is leaving WYTV for "family reasons." Meanwhile, Niki had been previously anchoring "First News on Fox", the 10 pm newscast over at sister stations WYFX / WFXI. There is currently no anchor named on the WYFX website, but that newscast is once again anchored by Whitney Ward. She had previously anchored the 10pm newscast before moving over to WKBN to anchor the 6 & 11pm news with Dave Sess.Resolution in Cope's honor
Pittsburgh: Three Allegheny County legislators have introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives honoring the late broadcaster Myron Cope, reports Pat Cloonan in the McKeesport Daily News.
The former Steelers broadcaster, WTAE (1250) talk show host, and WTAE-TV commentator died Feb. 27.
The resolution was introduced by U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, an Upper St. Clair Republican whose district included Cope's home, along with U.S. Reps. Mike Doyle and Jason Altmire, both Democrats.
"When I was growing up, a Steelers game wasn't a true Steelers game unless Myron Cope was there to give the play by play," Altmire said. "This Congressional Resolution salutes Myron Cope not only for his talent, but also for his legacy of service, which left an enduring mark on Pittsburgh."
The resolution is available online at the Government Printing Office website (PDF).
Among other achievements, it commends Cope "in recognition of his commitment to the Pittsburgh community and the cause of eliminating autism," for raising $2.2 million for the Allegheny Valley School by donating proceeds from the Terrible Towel, and for helping to create the Pittsburgh Vintage Gran Prix and the Myron Cope/Foge Fazio Golf Tournament to benefit children with autism.
When Irish eyes are smilin'
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: I can't think of a better way to celebrate this beautiful St. Patrick's Day than with a charming, green-eyed Irish lass.But all of the charming Irish lasses I called told me they're washing their red hair today, so I'm stuck writing the Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix.
Today's installment celebrates the long-running radio sitcom "Duffy's Tavern," a quintessentially New York City program that spent several years being taped ... in Puerto Rico!
. . .
"Duffy's Tavern" debuted on July 29, 1940 over CBS stations nationwide, including Pittsburgh's WJAS, Uniontown's WMBS, Youngstown's WKBN and Wheeling's WWVA as part of a short-lived summer anthology series called "Forecast."
The half-hour comedy sketch, set in a Skid Row bar, was created by Ed Gardner, a native of the Astoria, Queens, section of New York City, who also played the starring role.
Over at the Audio Classics website, Martin Grams Jr. has compiled an exhaustive history of Gardner and "Duffy's Tavern," from which many of the details of today's Nostalgia Fix are taken.
. . .
Here's the condensed version: Gardner began his show business career as a theatrical agent for vaudeville comedians, then became a producer.
By the late 1930s, he had migrated from the stage to radio, where he was writing scripts and producing shows for some of the medium's biggest stars, including Rudy Vallee, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Bing Crosby, Al Jolson and Fanny Brice.
But Gardner didn't get his big break as a performer until he had to compete with a dummy. (more)
Crawley dusts off poem
Pittsburgh: KDKA Radio's website has KDKA-TV reporter Dave Crawley's first-ever piece of published poetry! 13-year-old Dave wrote "Ode to the Bucs" in 1960 just after winning the World Series. It was published in the Detroit Free Press soon thereafter. The irony? It would be another 28 years before Crawley came to Pittsburgh.Rare roadtrip leads to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, National News: With the Presidential primary heating up in Pennsylvania, all eyes are looking at us. In fact, it's even attracting a program which rarely moves from its WETA home in DC. For the week of April 21, Jim Lehrer and The Newshour will be coming to Pittsburgh and WQED to do a week's worth of programs. According to TVNewser (via DCRTV), the broadcasts will not only focus on the primary but critical national issues in the eyes of Pittsburgh as well as our cultural scene.Dish Network CEO blames NFL
National News: On a recent "Charlie Chat" broadcast on Dish Network, Dish CEO Charlie Ergen explained why the NFL Network is no longer available on their Top 100 package. He blames the NFL for allowing an NFL Network game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants to also air on CBS & NBC last season. He felt that this move to air the game on free TV was not fair to those who already pay for the NFL Network and voided their multi year agreement to keep the network available on the Top 100 package. Thus, the NFL Network is now only available to those who have their Top 200 and higher packages. Do you agree with this move? Also, who do you side with when it comes to the NFL vs. Cable battle. Several cable companies refuse to carry the NFL Network because they want it on a sports tier package while the NFL wants it on basic cable. Cable companies feel that the network on basic would increase costs for all subscribers, including those who do not want the network. Share your thoughts here.Weekend Giveaway Provides Plenty of Irony
Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Misc. Ohio:The Pittsburgh area FROGGY stations (WOGI 98.3, WOGG 94.9, WOGH 103.5 & WOGF 104.3) have come up with a last-minute contest for the weekend. "ELIOT SPITZER WEEKEND recognizes the bad behavior of the [nearly] former crime-fighting Governor of New York." Beginning this afternoon and running through Sunday evening, FROGGY fans will need to listen for an audio sounder using the theme from "Dragnet". That's the cue to call in and win the song "Cheatin" on Sara Evans' Greatest Hits CD.
But wait...there's more!
CD winners aged 18 and over will qualify to win the Grand Prize: A Two-night stay at the Super 8 Motel by CHEAT Lake near Morgantown WV!
Complete rules at www.froggyland.com
(SIDE BAR: Normally PBRTV doesn't publicize station promos and giveaways, but who could resist the humor in this one?)
CBS roundup marks 70th
Pittsburgh: The CBS World News Roundup is celebrating its 70th anniversary today, notes Pat Cloonan of the McKeesport Daily News, in a story that unfortunately isn't online.According to contributor Elizabeth McLeod on historian Jeff Miller's Web blog, it began as a 35-minute "radio tour of Europe's capital cities," a day after Adolf Hitler's forces annexed Austria to a growing German Third Reich.
According to other histories of CBS, Vienna correspondent William L. Shirer fled to London at the request of European bureau chief Edward R. Murrow to provide an uncensored account of Hitler's Anschluss (union) of the two German-speaking nations. Some say it was a response to live reports rival NBC Radio had been providing from Vienna on a network that then included KDKA in Pittsburgh.
Whatever the case, another special aired the following evening over a network then heard over WJAS here.
By the end of 1938, Bob Trout, anchor for those specials, was doing a regular nightly broadcast.
Although the World News Roundup is not heard on CBS' Pittsburgh owned-and-operated station, KDKA (1020), it is carried by Uniontown's WMBS (590), which has been a CBS networked station for much of its existence. It airs at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
"World News Roundup is a centerpiece of our morning offerings," WMBS morning host Jim Morgan tells Cloonan. "It really shines."
CBS claims the program is the longest running daily news presentation in broadcasting history.
Incidentally, users of iPods or other digital media players can subscribe to a daily podcast of the World News Roundup ... evidence that this radio institution is making the transition to the 21st century.
"Won't You Be My Neighbor" Days begin Saturday
Pittsburgh:Saturday (3/15) is the start of a 5-day celebration known as "Won't You Be My Neighbor" days. The celebration is, of course, a tribute to the late Fred Rogers who would have turned 80 on 3/20. The Post-Gazette lists a number of events happening during that period - everything from the groundbreaking of a Fred Rogers statue to discounted and free admission to area attractions at various times throughout the five days.
The festivities conclude with Rogers' birthday when everyone around the world is asked to don their favorite sweater. "Sweater Day" is also a part of Pittsburgh's 250th Anniversary.
Former President Clinton stumps for Hillary in Erie
Erie-Meadville: The Democratic Presidency battle has already begun in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Former President Bill Clinton made a stop in Erie in support for Hillary on Wednesday afternoon (3/12/08) at East High School, which holds an estimated 1,500. If you were not in attendance, you could catch Bill's speech on WICU, WJET and WSEE. With Pennsylvania being a key state in the primaries, you can expect a lot more visits to the Erie area as well as the rest of the state by both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Not to mention all of the TV advertising by both candidates between now and the primary date of April 22nd.Allan Carpenter joins Rocket 101 Morning Show
Erie-Meadville: I received this news straight from long time friend (& fellow Fort LeBoeuf grad) Allan Carpenter himself yesterday (3/11/08). He told me that he will now be a part of the "Rocket 101 Morning Show" with Mojo McKay & Natalie Massing. While he will handle news for the station, he will also no doubt lend his quick wit to the mix. Something he really hasn't had a chance to do since he was on with "Captain Dan" on the former "Froggy 94.7" over a year ago. Allan will be pretty busy as he will also continue to record news updates for "94.7 Bob FM" and "Jet Radio 1400."Stan Boney to handle News and Weather duties at WYTV
Youngstown: Longtime WYTV 33 Meterologist Stan Boney will co anchor "33 News" with Angee Shaker. While Stan will be moving to the news department, he will also continue to handle the weather segments during the 90 minute 5 - 6:30pm newscast. He filled in for Angee a few weeks ago & viewers were very impressed with how smoothly things went with Stan as the anchor. His transistion will begin on on March 17th. Tip of the hat to Ohio Media Watch.Hanna homes to Harrisburg
Misc. Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh-based Howard Hanna Real Estate Services has created a version of its "Sunday Showcase of Homes" for central Pennsylvania, reports the Patriot-News.The show will air at 11 a.m. Sundays on WHTM-TV (27), Harrisburg's ABC affiliate. Hanna, which launched its first TV show in 1988, also runs "Showcase of Homes" programs in Cleveland, Erie and Youngstown.
Prepare for the deluge
Pittsburgh: Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and their allies are expected to flood the airwaves with political advertising in the weeks before the April 22 Pennsylvania primary.Rob Owen of the Post-Gazette reports that the price of a single 30-second political ad during the 11 p.m. local news can approach $2,000.
The two candidates spent $12.5 million in Ohio and Texas alone during the two weeks before those states held primaries.
Radio will benefit as well as TV; according to Owen, "Obama for President" was the number one radio advertiser in the nation during the last week of February.
Battery not included
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix: Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix was out sick last week. (Don't worry, our mom wrote Eric a note.)We're back today, and we've got something a little bit different. Usually MMNF focuses on programming or personalities, but neither does much good if the audience doesn't have a receiver.
And we're betting that a lot of PBRTV readers had a little transistor radio like this new, mint condition Westinghouse we picked up at a swap meet last month.
Maybe yours was an Easter or Passover gift, or maybe you bought one for yourself with your paper-route or babysitting money.
Either way, if you were a kid in the '60s or '70s, chances are you carried an inexpensive radio like this one. (more)
Arbitrends: Winter P1
Pittsburgh:The Winter Phase 1 Arbitrends are out for Pittsburgh with some surprises. (Remember this is 12+...still impressive but doesn't mean a whole lot. It's also a trend...not a book.) WSHH has pushed its way into 3rd place pushing long-standing WDSY down a notch to 4th. The margin is nearly half a point. WWSW and WRRK are headed toward the bottom of the top 10 again. In fact, this is WRRK's lowest showing since the flip to "Bob-FM" in 2005. Still on an uphill climb is WBZW (The new "B-94") which is showing better than any of the previous books.
Showing up at the bottom of the list are Morgantown's WCLG-FM and Sharon PA's WYFM-FM. Surprised? Yeah, so was I.
Thanks to R&R.
On the lighter side
National News: This just in from The Onion: The FCC has given its official OK to nudity on broadcast television "as long as it's Alyson Hannigan."On the other hand, if her How I Met Your Mother co-star Jason Segel were to take off his clothes, "that would result in a fine of up to $500 million."
(It's a joke, son.)
Goshorn profiled
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: The Altoona Mirror catches up with 73-year-old Roy Goshorn, who recently retired from WRTA (1240).A Bellwood native, Goshorn's long and distinguished career included stints as an anchor at WBAL-TV, Baltimore, and as a reporter for ABC-TV.
While at the network, Goshorn was assigned to the White House and traveled with President Nixon during his historic trip to China.
Good news, bad news
Youngstown: "Mixed emotions" has been defined as "watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac."You can forgive people in Youngstown if they felt mixed emotions, too, over all of the international media attention that was focused on their city before yesterday's Ohio presidential primary.
As David Skolnick of the Vindicator points out, the cameras weren't there to capture life in a typical Ohio city.
"Many of the newspaper articles and television pieces on the Mahoning Valley highlight the area's struggling economy, particularly in Youngstown, its largest city," he writes. "Few are complimentary of the city's appearance."
Take the cameraman from ZDF --- Germany's public TV network --- who got "excited when driving past abandoned industrial buildings."
Someone needs to sic the governor of West Virginia on them. He'll learn 'em some manners.
Here's what the Germans had to say about Youngstown. I can't read it, but I'm pretty sure they're trying to buy Mr. Burns' power plant.
Super-cali-fragi-aw-to-hell-with-it
Pittsburgh, National News: ABC-TV's reality show "Supernanny" is looking for local families who need ... well, a "super nanny."
Terry Hazlett of the Observer-Reporter says that the network is hosting an open casting call from 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Boscov's in South Hills Village.
An accompanying press release says the show is seeing families "from a variety of backgrounds" and is especially interested in "teen moms; parents with mean girls or bullying boys; culturally diverse parents; and divorced parents who are both seeking help."
Notes Terry: "While you're not likely to be nearly as embarrassed as knucklehead contestants who agree to appear on 'Moment of Truth,' be warned that your parenting skills might not be cast in an especially good light."
That's a nice way of putting it.
I'll be more blunt: They're going to make you look like an idiot in front of 8 million people. If you're starved for attention and only have two working brain cells, well, the line forms on the right.
The show's seen locally at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on WTAE-TV (4), Johnstown's WATM-TV (23), Youngstown's WYTV-TV (33) and Erie's WJET-TV (24).
Hello, he must be going
Pittsburgh: Stop emailing. Stop posting comments on message boards. Sorry, but all the pleading in the world ain't gonna bring him back.
So says Doug Hoerth. When he says he's done with radio, he means it, and after working at some of Pittsburgh's biggest stations, getting a job on some suburban signal holds absolutely no allure.
"Add to that the fact that I'm 61 years old and no one here in Pittsburgh wants me," Hoerth told PBRTV recently, "and you say 'thank you, God bless you,' and go off stage.'"
After 27 years in the market, including at KDKA (1020), KQV (1410), the former WTKN (970), and a lengthy stint at the former WTAE (1250), Hoerth was given what O'Brien and Garry used to call "the cruel shoe" by WPTT (1360) in December.
But he does have a sincere message for his listeners, including those clamoring for his return.
"Thank you for listening, number one, and for those who enjoyed what I did --- an extra thank you," Hoerth says. "For those who hated what I did: Thank you for your masochism. It really doesn't matter, as long as you listened." (more)
Monday EVENING Guest-sponsored Nostalgia Fix
Pittsburgh, Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix, Youngstown:(I hesitate to place this under the "Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix" for fear that the 'owner' of that feature might be slightly offended. He might bite. In fact, I don't know where Mr. Nostalgia is today...perhaps he was so busy remembering he forgot?)
Bill from Connecticut emailed us this morning. Prior to moving to CT in 19-- (we'll not share his approximate age) Bill lived in Beaver Falls and spent some time in Youngstown as well. Two announcements brought back some memories to Bill. He writes,
" The announced sale of WHKZ-1440 in Warren (OH) brought back some memories. In the early post-WWII years, WFMJ (now WNIO) was a conventional 250 watt Class IV in Youngstown on 1450. Similar Class IV WHHH (or possibly WRRN at the time) was on 1400 in Warren, about 13 miles distant. Both subsequently upgraded to 5 kw, but much engineering coordination was required during the conversions because each station's new frequency - 1390 for WFMJ and 1440 for WHHH - was adjacent channel to the other's current frequency! Overnight testing - each required 6 towers for nighttime operation - was probably workable, but I have no idea how they tested during the daytime without creating serious QRM to the other station!"
Sounds like a bunch of fancy footwork was necessary in order for the experiments to take place! Hearing of Myron Cope's passing, Bill was also reminded about WWSW's AM frequency change. Talk about a sneaky, yet wise, decision!
"Again, in the early post-WWII years, the old 250 watt WWSW-1490 was the Steelers' "flagship" (if not their only) station! Their conversion to 5 kw on 970 - with 8 sticks - merited a full page Sunday feature in, I believe, the Post-Gazette. Somehow I remember reading that the engineer was one Butch Hinsdale, who must have performed hundreds of mechanical rotary calculator calculations to create the proper pattern! To draw their listeners to their much more powerful new dial position, WWSW brilliantly made the conversion during half-time of a Steeler game!"
Bill notes that you can see a satellite photo of the 8-tower array in Ross Township by entering WBGG (AM) in at http://www.radio-locator.com/?xyz=2. Click on Transmitter location, then satellite, then center and magnify as necessary.) Better yet, we've got it right here...
Thanks Bill for your contribution!
Terrible Towel shows up on 'SNL'
Pittsburgh, National News: In a National Tribute to Myron Cope, a Terrible Towel showed up at the end of the "Weekend Update" segment on Saturday Night Live (3/1). Mock-anchor Seth Myers' father grew up in Pittsburgh and Myers remains affectionate toward the city. We didn't see it, but Myers apparently pulled the towel out from under the desk after the segment ended.Mann's church buys Ohio station
Pittsburgh, Youngstown: From the Tribune-Review's gossip column, "Whispers," we learn that Pittsburgh's Pentecostal Temple Development Corp. has purchased Salem Communications' WHKZ (1440), licensed to Warren, Ohio, for $550,000.The development corporation is a venture of Pentecostal Temple Church in the city's East Liberty neighborhood. The church was founded by the Rev. Loran Mann, former WPXI-TV (11) anchor and reporter, and also owns New Kensington-based WGBN (1150). The station airs a gospel format.
Much of WHKZ's schedule consists of a simulcast of religious programming from Salem's WHKW (1220) in Cleveland; presumably that simulcast will end once the sale closes.
WHKZ has been a religious station since 2001 when it was purchased by Salem, which also owns Pittsburgh's WPIT (730) and WORD-FM (101.5). It broadcasts at 5,000 watts directional from two towers during the day and six towers at night.
Two KDKA hosts on the top 250
Pittsburgh:
Two of KDKAs talkers have made it to the prestigious "2008 Talkers 250" group. Mid-day man and newcomer Kevin Miller and long-time afternoon man Fred Honsberger join the list. Honsberger gets double honor as he was named 75th on the list putting him in the "Heavy Hundred" - the list's top 100.
In an email to PBRTV, Program Director Marshall Adams said, "The talkers 250 is an elite group when you consider the radio industry in this country employs 5,000 talk hosts." Adams also congratulated the producers of the program for their efforts.