Salamon out at CRB
National News:Former Pittsburgh broadcaster Ed Salamon has left his Executive Director position at Country Radio Broadcasters. According to AllAccess, Salamon has been with the company since 2002. Prior to that, he was President at Westwood One and previously helped launch United Stations Radio Network. Salamon programmed WEEP-AM (1080) in Pittsburgh.
Salamon's exit comes after a year-long review by CRB where a "number of adjustments" have been made to keep the organization growing "in this very challenging economic climate." The company does anticipate further changes.
The Lave is back (no tricks here!)
Misc. Pennsylvania: OK while this may not be Earth shattering news, it's news in which I wanted to share with my co-writers. I'm back and ready to keep an eye out on both the Erie and Youngstown markets. With the recent layoff I have experienced, I have been sorting things out after spending 12 years at WQLN Public Media. While those options are no longer broadcast related jobs since they are becoming more & more extinct like the dinosaur, I still have an interest in what's going on in two similar sized markets. I am also pleased that high speed internet has recently become available in my neck of the woods thanks to the fine folks at Windstream. Feel free to share any thoughts or news you may have at my new email address Radiolave@yahoo.com. That address is also open to all readers of my stronger than dirt articles as well.Joe not saying it will?
Musings From Eric:I caught a WTAE-TV promo the other evening regarding the dreaded winter forecast. In it, there was no mention of Joe DeNardo coming out of his hole to see his shadow. Has the current team of Stephen Cropper, Dimitrius Ivory, Erin Keinzle and the almost un-credited Michael Haynes been around long enough without Joe that they can handle it on their own?
Joe is still credited at ThePittsburghChannel.com.
WTAE testing new repeater signal
Pittsburgh:For those of you "over the air" viewers who have been bereft by WTAE's weak digital signal, it's almost time to rejoice! Testing has been taking place on their new repeater signal on the WQED tower in Oakland on Channel 22. 'TAE engineer, Dave Kasperek tells the Post-Gazette that it meets and in some ways exceeds expectations. The new service is designed to serve the East End and may help viewers on the South Side with reception issues.
The tests are being run between 8 and 11:30 each evening this week. To pick up the signal, you will have to rescan your digital TV or converter and look for Channels 4-3 and 4-4. Continued efforts to get WQED's new digital channel 13 up and running are hampering efforts to put WTAE's new signal on until next week at the earliest.
Speaking of repeaters, in doing the new tower site maps, we've noticed a fair number of repeaters are in the works for WPXI and a few for KDKA.
WLSW has new format
Pittsburgh: Noticed today by Alert Reader/Listener Clarke Ingram, WLSW (103.9) Scottdale appears to have a new format. The station is now airing a satellite 60s and 70s format throughout most of the day parts. Jeff Gerard remains a part of the station in the afternoons from 3:00 - 7:00. The weekend programs will remain in tact.WPXI hires a new news director
Pittsburgh: WPXI's GM and acting ND Ray Carter announced today that Mike Goldrick will become the news director at the station on December 1. Goldrick will be leaving the same position at WHEC in Rochester, NY where he has been for 3 years. His resume includes being Executive Producer at KOMO-TV in Seattle and WSOC-TV in Charlotte as well as other positions in other markets. Goldrick is a graduate of the University of Florida, is married and has 3 children. The news was released to the staff (and the Post-Gazette) in a letter from Carter.Hip Hop is back but only online
Pittsburgh: Tom Taylor reported today that former WAMO-FM programmer Ron Atkins has launched a website with urban music, a listener club, contests and weather that's been missing from the Pittsburgh airwaves for about two months. A quick glance at the site shows that "101 The Blaze" is all about Pittsburgh.Tower Map 2 is up
West Virginia: The new tower map for the Ohio Valley Region has been created and posted. Enjoy!WGBN pays FCC fines as it expands programming
Pittsburgh:Pat Cloonan of the McKeesport Daily News (not available online) reported Tuesday that the FCC issued a $5000 fine to WGBN's licensee Pentecostal Temple Development Corporation after an inspection two years ago. The company is affiliated with the Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ in East Liberty where The Rev. Loran Mann is pastor. Mann told Cloonan last week that the fine is being paid and the issues are receiving attention. "It teaches you to run your house better. We were a little lax on things so we made the corrections," he said. It was discovered that WGBN (1150) failed to maintain a year's worth of files on issues and programming as well as operating at reduced power on one tower instead of two. The station was also running it's studio-to-transmitter link on an unauthorized frequency - not the one on the license. The station had failed to get a special temporary authority from the commission after one of the towers was damaged in a storm and had to be dismantled. Mann said he expects that the station will be back to full power in the next couple of weeks pending scheduling with the tower maintenance company.
Meanwhile, WGBN is working on installing a receiver to get programming from Sheridan Broadcasting's American Urban Radio Network. It will help to fill some of the gap vacated when WAMO left the air.
Site Anniversary; Thanks, Online with Bill A. & Tower sites
Musings From Eric:Before I begin, I would be remiss if I didn't let you know that today (October 21, 2009) is PBRTV's 11th birthday. Yes, it has been 11 years since Dave Hughes and I began collaborating on a site which would be akin to his DCRTV.com. Thanks for 11 great years. Here's to more!
To celebrate our anniversary, I will be Online with Bill Alexander tonight at 10:06. We will discuss the state of media in the Pittsburgh area. Programs in June and August drew in all kinds of listeners. You can find Bill's Internet-only program at http://www.onlinewithbillalexander.com/. Tune in, call in and enjoy!
Thank you to all of you who adjusted my lack of thinking and brought 98.5 WKEL in Confluence to mind when I mentioned it the other night. I will concur with a message poster that it seemed to be coming in way too clearly for where I was and it is.
While I am here, let me point you to Scott Fybush's site and the fact that the WAMO calls have been taken up to the Scranton area- They now grace 91.3 FM in Carbondale. Could they be parked there as a favor or have they left the Pittsburgh region for good?
Lastly, I am working on new tower site maps for PBRTV. The first one is up and focuses on the Pittsburgh Region. I ask your patience while I make these maps as it cannot be done quickly. The information is listed on Google Maps and is created by reviewing information on radio-locator.com and fcc.gov. Next one due out will be the Ohio Valley Region. Enjoy!
Hakuna matata, Westmoreland County
Pittsburgh: As reported by Scott Fybush in NorthEast Radio Watch, Bedford's 1600 has abandoned the WHJB call letters.
That left them up for grabs ... and Renda Broadcasting's St. Pier Group has reserved them, apparently* for its 107.1 FM signal, licensed to Greensburg, according to the Federal Communications Commission's database.
The move comes almost exactly 75 years after the original WHJB signed on from the Penn-Albert Hotel in Greensburg -- Oct. 28, 1934, to be precise, according to Fybush's wonderful 2009 Tower Site Calendar.
The supreme irony, of course, is that 107.1 signed on in 1966 as WHJB-FM, the companion station to what was then WHJB (620), a heritage full-service AM. If the call letters land back on 107.1, they'll have come full circle.*
After stints doing "stereo country" and disco at WOKU, 107.1 became a classic rock station and was eventually sold to Sheridan Broadcasting, which used them to fill gaps in the signal of its late, lamented WAMO-FM.
Then Sheridan spun the station off to Renda, which could now use the heritage call letters "WHJB" on the signal.
Returning the heritage calls to the Greensburg airwaves could bolster Renda's efforts to re-establish 107.1 as a Westmoreland County-focused station.
The 620 signal, known as WKHB since 1999, is now licensed to Irwin and owned by Bob Stevens' Broadcast Communications Inc., which will soon launch a Westmoreland County FM station of its own on 103.1.
Cue "The Circle of Life."
(Full disclaimer: The editor of PBRTV is a Broadcast Communications employee and the author of this post is an occasional fill-in producer. Opinions expressed at PBRTV are not those of BCI or any affiliate and no connection is expressed or implied.) (more)
98.5 on air?
Musings From Eric: The last time we heard about 98.5 FM, it was a repeater for "He's Alive Network" which was coming out of Glenshaw in the North Hills. The signal was turned off when Keymarket moved 98.3 to Duquesne from Charleroi. Well, tonight while scanning the dial, we heard the K-Love format on 98.3 but then tuned first adjacent to the right and found 98.5 playing the same K-Love format. Was this really 98.5? Yes, it was. Does it have a license? No, it appears not. What gives?Biweekly picnics set for Mistick, Roddey
Pittsburgh: Former Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey and Duquesne University law instructor Joe Mistick will resume their political tussling on local TV, starting next week.
"Roddey and Mistick on Nighttalk" joins the Monday night lineup on WPXI-TV's Pittsburgh Cable News Channel, according to Bob Karlovits of the Tribune-Review.
The hour-long talkfest will air alternate Mondays at 8 p.m. on PCNC.
Roddey, a Republican, and Mistick (shown above), a Democrat, were regular panelists on WQED-TV's "On Q" until the latter wrote a column for the Trib ripping the station for its layoffs and calling out its management.
After the column ran, both men say the station stopped calling them to appear on WQED.
WQED-TV Vice President Deb Acklin denies any connection and told the Trib she wishes them well.
Disney selling...
National News: Tom Taylor is reporting that six Radio Disney stations in medium-sized markets are for sale. There is no word as to why, but one theory is that the format is making headway with online distribution, satellite and mobile devices. Albuquerque, West Palm Beach and Greensboro are three of the six markets where this was determined. No word on what will happen with Pittsburgh's outlet, although WWCS Canonsburg (540 AM) is owned by Birach Broadcasting which holds an LMA to air the Radio Disney format.WAOB calls now grace 860
Pittsburgh:Scott Fybush reports that the WAMO callsign is now "up for grabs" as WAOB now graces AM 860 as well as FM 106.7. The FM callsign was changed a few weeks ago. Will Eddie Edwards grab WAMO for 660? Stay tuned.
Oops...so we misunderstood...
Pittsburgh:Can you find it in our heart to forgive us? The all new PPM ratings are out for the Pittsburgh market and they even include the public broadcasters.
The top 3 are the same though - WDVE, KDKA and WDSY hold the top spots. Sisters WRRK and WLTJ see some of the best numbers they've seen in a while. CHR rivals WKST and WBZW see almost identical numbers. WEAE blew its rival WBGG out of the water. WAMO--FM showed up in 14th in its last measurement while sister WAMO-AM showed up relatively close to bottom.
Complete numbers here.
First PPM readings out Monday
Pittsburgh:The first Pittsburgh ratings using the new Personal People Meters are due out on Monday. The new system, in which participants wear a small device which picks up a silent signal from the radio, is thought to be more accurate because it instantly picks up the signal rather than relying on people to remember to fill out a diary. Those taking part may wear the device for up to two years with new participants coming in on a regular basis. Ratings will now be tallied monthly, not just quarterly, and includes listeners aged 6-11. 1088 people are taking part in the Pittsburgh panel.
Negative attention has been given to the PPM device being criticized by minority broadcasters for under-representing minority listeners. It's a complaint which has opened the eyes of the FCC and attorneys general in many states. As a result, Arbitron plans to increase the overall sample size by 10% within the next two years. Former WAMO program director Ron Atkins told the Post-Gazette, "There are not enough panels out there to get a good read with the ethnic audiences. There weren't enough respondents out there on the young-ended stations. The urban stations are mostly a younger audience." He went on to say that stations like WAMO had a long-lasting and strong brand which was easy to recall which was a benefit in the old diary system.
Meanwhile, KDKA's program director Marshall Adams sees a consistency in the ratings so far saying that the PPM gives the station a much quicker feel for what attracts listeners.
Regular Musings
Musings From Eric:PBRTV will be 11 years old on the 21st of this month. Yes, it's a pre-teen website pre-dating the "blog" concept taking this Internet thing by storm. This site has come a long way over the years which is something I never expected when I started it. Sure, it's difficult to try and maintain a website when you have a life away from the computer, but I think overall, I've done pretty well. Again, thanks to Jason Togyer and Tom Lavery for their contributions.
Let me remind you to join me on Twitter. As if I'm not enough of a twit, I decided that I needed to join the crowd. The PBRTV Twitter page will occasionally bring you informational briefs about what's being covered on PBRTV, what WILL be covered on PBRTV, and the thoughts of your's truly. What's more is you can interact with me --- assuming I remember to check in! There are 80 followers and so far I've enjoyed the interaction.
I would also like to get this column back and running on a semi-regular basis. We'll start with monthly for the time being and see where it goes from there. I would also like to get back to the "Person Profile" feature which I started earlier this year. Please email me with your suggestions - and more importantly CONTACT INFORMATION!
Updates
Information has been refreshed on the Pittsburgh Market FM Page as well as the FM schedule pages 1 & 2. By the time most of you have read this, the AM page and AM Schedule page should be updated too! With all of the recent changes - WAMO/Froggy/660/etc - it was time to clean some of the information up as best as possible. By the way, you'll really want to check this FM Page because the one on the list of links on the right side is a "test pilot" which seems to be more outdated than the old outdated page. Stay tuned though more will be done as time allows.
G20 Redux
KDKA Production Director Kelly Pidgeon, right, shows off one of the non-protesters in Downtown Pittsburgh during the G-20 Summit. The man is sporting a sign saying, "I'm not a protester, just trying to get to work!" Now there's something you didn't see on the TV coverage! (Courtesy of KDKA Program Director Marshall Adams)
Savran recovering after surgery
Pittsburgh: KDKA-TV reported Monday evening that local sportscaster Stan Savran was in intensive care at UPMC Shadyside after quadruple bypass surgery. Apparently Savran experienced chest pains and felt ill during the Steelers game this past Sunday. There's no word on his current condition.It's 660
Pittsburgh:
Eddie Edwards is purchasing Alex Langer's WPYT (660), a 1,400-watt daytime-only station licensed to Wilkinsburg, according to KDKA-TV.
The station --- which currently airs a mix of brokered shows and programs from Langer's "National Radio Network" --- broadcasts from the 1550 tower in Braddock Hills.
Edwards plans a format of talk aimed at the African-American community, KDKA reports.
The deal is pending FCC approval. More details as we receive them.
UPDATE: The cost of the purchase is $500,000 and the FCC approval is expected to take about 90 days. Edwards hopes to get the new format on the air in January. First though, he needs to find a new studio and is hoping to find a location either in Forest Hills or Monroeville. Eventually his plan is to acquire an FM which would have classic R&B targeted to older listeners. Although Edwards was "happily retired," he decided to get back into the business to bring the African-American voice back to Pittsburgh and to give young minorities the opportunity to find jobs in the radio industry. He plans to hire 15 full and part-time people initially. E.O.
Tomorrow: Television!
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix:Here's an interesting artifact, courtesy of the fine folks at Internet Archive. "Tomorrow: Television!" is an instructional film from 1945, produced for returning GIs and designed to tell them about job opportunities in the fascinating new world of "television."
At about 1:30 into the film, look for some behind-the-scenes action --- complete with 1939-vintage equipment --- at General Electric's experimental station in Schenectady, N.Y., WRGB.
RCA's legendary chieftain, David Sarnoff, shows up about seven minutes into the film to read stiffly off of cue cards for 30 seconds.
The producers also include Gilbert Seldes, a producer from RCA's rival CBS, who reports that the radio network has 62 people employed to create four hours of television per week, but they could easily employ "seven times" that number.
Seldes, whose 1924 book The Seven Lively Arts was adapted into a 1957 CBS anthology series, later helped found the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Remember, you men with radio and radar training are only a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the industry's needs, and for you "WACs, WAVEs and SPARS," there will be costume designing and makeup jobs.