Renda rumor mill running
Pittsburgh: The rumor mill is grinding about possible changes at Renda Broadcasting's Pittsburgh-market AMs, including WJAS (1320) and WPTT (1360).One rumor has the Pittsburgh-based company shuffling hosts at its music station, WJAS, while another has a wholesale format change in the works at news-talker WPTT. (UPDATE: A reliable source tells PBRTV these rumors are false.)
WJAS, which has a nostalgia format, has good overall numbers, but almost no listeners under age 34, according to Arbitron. (One source tells me that roughly three-quarters of WJAS' audience is over the age of 65.)
WPTT, licensed to McKeesport (with a possible pending move to "Mt. Lebanon"), has better demographics, but it's always been ratings-challenged, in part because of its anemic nighttime signal, which is 1,000 watts directional from Lincoln Borough, 12 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh.
This could all be fiction --- rumors and a quarter won't even buy a cup of coffee --- and we'll welcome any comments from Renda folks who want to correct the record. In the meantime, we'll stay tuned.
(UPDATE: As noted above, a reliable source tells PBRTV these rumors are false.)