PBRTV - Pittsburgh Area Radio/TV Mailbag PBRTV - Pittsburgh Area Radio & TV

PBRTV Mailbag July 1-12, 2001

Hi, I just discovered this site through DCRTV.com, and it's good to see such excellent coverage of the Pittsburgh region. Although I live in the suburbs of Washington, DC now, I grew up in north central mountains of West Virginia. Even being a good 2-3 hour drive from Pittsburgh, we received many of the area's TV stations, and a good helping of Pittsburgh radio. I remember listening to WDVE and the old WAMO at 105.9, and I remember when WSHH was easy listening. I still try to tune in WYEP when I'm in Pittsburgh, and I miss that sort of quality and variety of radio that is sorely missing in the Washington/Baltimore market. Got a question for folks who, like me, were a good distance south of the city: does anyone remember the old top-40 station, 97.9 WFGM in Fairmont, W.Va., when they were still the "Great 98"? This station, along with Morgantown's WVAQ, carried me through my younger years. Some time later, I tuned into 97.9 and was saddened to hear that WKKW had assumed this frequency. Can anyone clue me in on when and why the switch occurred, and does anyone remember the names of any old Great 98 radio personalities and perhaps where they are now? Also, in regard to your "where are they now?" section, I've checked the staff directory at West Virginia University and it appears that Lynn Hinds is no longer employed there. I wonder where he is now, because while attending WVU I took a Journalism class he taught which dealt with mass media. The name Lynn Hinds always seemed to ring a bell, but not once during a lecture did he ever reveal his former life as a long-time Pittsburgh broadcaster. I realized years later that I had probably first seen him long ago on channel 4 as a kid. As I recall, he was extremely knowledgable on the history of broadcasting and very interesting during lectures, but at the same time on the strict side. -Jason (July 12, 2001)
hi, i noticed the thing about KDKA switching rosie with Y&R. Actully, WRAL in Raleigh NC does the same so if they are trying to knock down oprah on WTAE then their doing a great move.----wjzfan (July 10, 2001)

Eric's Repsonse: Yes, well they've held off on that now. We'll see if it happens.
Eric, WZUM 1590 has the oldies back. Candy and Mike are on Monday thru Friday 3:00p to 4:00p. Big Ray is on Saturdays 1:00p to 5:00p. Phil (July 10, 2001
Dave Shallenberger is retired in Pittsburgh PA this is his daughter Stacy. (July 10, 2001)
Eric, Poster Ed may want to rethink that statement about how 3WS can do no wrong. Word is they have dropped R.D. Summers' night time show and will now voice track 6 p.m. to midnight with assistant PD Kenny Woods. Another $$ saving idea from your friends at Clear Channel? Vic (July 5, 2001)

Eric's Response: Yes, R.D. left at the same time most of the WJJJ staff did. I couldn't imagine a worse crime!
Hi Eric: I agree with your Washington vs Pittsburgh "Musings". Being from the Pittsburgh area, I can attest to the greater Pittsburgh area radio market performing "leaps" and "bounds" over what we are "forced" to listen to in the Washington, DC market. Stations that basically lack any sort of creativity with their homogenized play lists. The signal problems abound because of the east coast congestion - with the majority of the stations (especially on AM) having very restrictive directional signal patterns. An example is our news station WTOP with 50,000 watts on 1500 AM with a severe null to the west - you can hear the station in London, England however, you have a hard time hearing it west of the Potomac River. In order for WTOP to improve coverage, they simulcast with a directional signal on 107.7 FM and WXTR, Frederick, MD on 820 AM. Although this has improved their coverage, their are still parts of this area that lack a listenable signal. The local AM band is virtually non existent. As addressed numerous times in DCRTV Dave's mailbag, one can only wish for a local station with the class of WJAS. Run correctly with enough "signal", an easy listening/nostalgic radio station in the Washington, DC area would prosper. I believe that WJAS is always one of the top 10 stations in the Pittsburgh market. As you stated Eric, "we are truly blessed to have these stations in existence" - believe me, you are. Real Audio streaming has been nonexistent from the Pittsburgh area stations for quite a while - a favorite listening venture of mine while on the net. I really and truly miss Pittsburgh radio. Also, my thoughts and prayers are with Clarke Ingram and Alys. If memory serves, I believe that I worked with Alys at the now abolished U. S. Bureau of Mines when they were located at 4800 Forbes Ave. in Oakland. I worked in the film library until 1985 and was a freelance DJ. We talked about Clarke every so often and I believe that Clarke stopped by periodically. My memory isn't what it used to be. I read your PBRTV page and mailbag as often as I can. Please keep up the SUPER work!!!!! Doug Goffus, Falls Church, VA - President, Volunteer Radio Producers Guild WEBR Cable and Internet Radio (July 5, 2001)
Eric: What terrific news that Jay Mitchell is back on the air! As you know, 3WS can do almost no wrong with me, considering the accolades they've given my friend, Porky Chedwick. On WTAE, Jay put on perhaps one of the most "complete" oldies shows I've ever heard-- That is, he'd play the Pittsburgh oldies, but also feature some of the national hits which WEREN'T in the Top 20 (Hell, he'd even throw in a Dean Martin record now and then!). So impressed was I with Jay that I actually sought him out when I was asked to host the "Saturday Night Hall of Fame Show" on FM 104 (WLSW) for a couple pointers. When Hank Baughman and I worked in Johnstown at the station Hank owned briefly, there was a guy who actually used to scope Jay's show and play his whole damn playlist, song for song! (We rather felt that this was a type of appreciation that bordered on piracy, so the man's parade got rained on). I congratulate 3WS--again--and wish Jay all the best. He's a terrific jock. Now-- When is SOMEONE in town going to give my pal Rockin' Ron Chavis ("The Nighttime Dawg," once on WAMO, most recently on B-94) a slot? Here's a guy who has much more to offer than Bowser Auto Dealership commercials. When we worked together at a classic rocker, I used to stay after my shift just to watch this guy work and handle phones. He's the modern personification of "Cool" with any format out there. Think about it, Programmers! Ed Weigle (July 4, 2001)
Eric ~ I read about the person who was vacationing in Erie & picked up numerous out of town signals. I have received a number of out of town signals from Toronto, Buffalo, Cleveland & sometimes Pittsburgh. Urban WBLK does not have a Jamestown translator but I have pulled them in on occasion. I usually also receive 97 Rock WGRF 96.9, KISS 98.5 WKSE, and once in a while WBUF 92.9, now a Rock outlet there. From Toronto, Q 107 CILQ 107.1, CISS 92.5, EZ 97 at 97.3, CHUM 104.5. There are so many, it's hard to list them all. Any others, let me know on this board. Tom L. (July 2, 2001)
(in response to a previous message): The reason you don't see a lot of old 7 minute "shorts" like you used to is that many of these are seen exclusively on cable stations. I think that AOL-Time-Warner-Turner owns the rights to a majority of these shorts and are found on their stations only (TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, etc). Also, these new shows probably produce lots more ad revenue for the local broadcast stations. I remember seeing these shorts, plus some early "Japination" (example - Speed Racer) on both WPGH and (then) WPTT. BTW - I wonder if those old Picture Pages are still being shown on TV? Guess it shows signs of getting old? Dave P. (July 2, 2001)

Eric's Response: I haven't seen Bill doing Picture Pages in about 10 years. Although I did find a Mortimer Icobod Marker about seven years ago. By the way, do YOU remember the Picture Pages song? I do!
Eric, After an 18-year absence, Jay Mitchell was back on 3WS Sunday. He did two hours of Jim Harrington's show and said he was training on the new equipment. I guess this is for possible fill-in work. Jay used to do the all-night show on 3WS-AM in the late-70s. He also did a speciality oldies show before he left for WTAE. There was a big controversy because he took a box full of carts when he left. They contained rare records that he had dubbed. The station maintained the carts were their property. Mitchell said he'd give the carts back -- after they were erased. Not sure how that was resolved. It was a l-o-n-g time ago anyway. Nice to hear Jay back on 3WS and it's unusual for a station to admit that someone is doing a trial run. (July 2, 2001)

Eric's Response: I would imagine with all of the ownership changes made in the last 18 years, that Jay probably won't have to meet up with anyone who was at the station way back then.
Eric: Paul Mullan here from WWHC-FM in Oakland, Maryland. (Deep Creek Lake area). Should Clarke (Ingram) need some info on Congestive Heart Failure for his mom, I suggest http://www.jonsplace.org/. My dad died from CHF about three years ago, and Jon keeps up on the latest. I don't know Clarke, but I know what he's going through is a struggle. I enjoy your site. Keep up the good work... (July 2, 2001)

Eric's Response: It's truly wonderful to know that there are "comrades" out there who are willing to help. In the June, 2001 Mailbag there was a message from Clarke Ingram regarding his departure from WJJJ and a request for prayers for his mom, Alys, who suffers from CHF.
Eric, This past Friday I was vacationing in Erie, PA. How funny is it that I can actually pick up WBLK-FM 93.7 from Buffalo, NY (Urban)? That particular station only has a 47 kw signal, and it gives mostly all of Erie County a lot of coverage. Does it have a translator in nearby Jamestown, NY? And, while on the beach at Presque Isle State Park, I picked up several other distant FM's: WENZ-FM 107.9 (Z-107.9) (Cleveland; Urban) Awfully powerful!; WNWV 107.3 ("The Wave") (Smooth Jazz); and several other FM's in Canada as well. Very cool but interesting! Patrick (July 1, 2001)

Eric's Response: You have to not only consider the wattage, but how high on the stick the antenna is. If it's really high, the power can be cut because of the height. One example that many of us use is 104.7 FM in Hagerstown, MD. It was WWMD for a number of years. The antenna only put out 8300 watts of power, but the antenna was many meters up on the stick and the stick was on the highest hill in the area. Because of this, it made the station operate the same distance as a 75,000 watt station with an antenna at a more regular height.
Dear Eric, Remember back in the mid '70s to late '80s many independent TV stations across the country aired 7-minute cartoon shorts before and after school and on weekends? I don't see that happening anymore. WPGH used to do this a whole lot --- on a regular basis. I remember seeing 'toons like Bugs Bunny, Casper, Yogi Bear, Tom & Jerry, Mighty Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, Pink Panther, the list goes on. and at times, WPGH would shorten (edit) the 'toons for time constraints. The results are sloppy --- the film breaks, and the film projector lens get dirty. I guess most of the 'toons I used to see on TV were replaced by more modern 'toons like Rugrats, Pokemon, Digimon, SpongeBob, Buzz Lightyear, Powerpuff Girls, The Simpsons, South Park, etc. . . . . Most of the OLDER 'toons I mentioned above went to cable anyway. Much regards, Patrick (July 1, 2001)

Eric's Response: I don't remember the shorts, but I do remember "Picture Pages" with Bill Cosby. Ironically they were filmed here in Pittsburgh. Oh but I do remember when the Flintstones and Jetsons, Yogi and others were shown on WPGH or WPTT...and not on some cable channel specifically for cartoons. Incidentally, South Park is a favorite of mine. As awful as it seems, it's pretty realistic to the world we live in!
  • Return to PBRTV Mailbag Archive