TT:
There are those who can answer your question far better than I. Those who have far more experience than I do and far more expertise. However, I figured that I would try and answer your question with a brief and incomplete answer.
At one time Key 95 was tops in the J-town market; I'm not sure now due to my long since absence from the area. Anyway the key had the best jocks. They typically were the most professional and sounded as if they were from larger markets. The move from 95 to 96 was a mistake, in my humble opinion. However, I'm no expert, so I really can't say if it improved or deteriorated the key's cume. 96 used to be JNL; it essentially was an adult contemporary type of station. It flipped to country some years ago (with possibly a flip or two in between, I cannot remember). Now 96 and 95 flipped frequencies; my guess is that the stronger 95 freq. covered a larger area? Again, I don't know; others do. One item that was consistent throughout is that some of the Pgh stations "grabbed" ratings in the J-town market.
Prior to all of the above; when I was active; WCRO was "king". As with most of the AM dial; I think it was a talker for a while and now the station is of the adult standards format. Honestly though , I do not know; I haven't heard it in many years. The last I heard; It was owned by one of the school Districts (Bishop McCort?) in J-town.
There was also a period when GLU-92 was active rock. I think the ratings were acceptable (again, I do not know for sure) for a while. However, 92 flipped to CHR; I'm not sure what it is now. 99.1 carried "Quick rock" (a heritage from State College) at one time. Now, I believe its still a Rocky. Many years ago 99.1 was WIYQ, the country giant. Very potent ratings as it "covered" most of the area.
As with most rural areas; Country stations tend to dominate the landscape. I read once that the population of W-PA tends to associate itself with the "southern" way of life (or something like that); and may be one factor in why country and southern rock are popular here. Again, I don't know; there are those with expertise in this area that can certainly provide a better answer.
There are other fringe "small town" stations such as in Somerset; etc. As other posters here mentioned; most of the stations are owned by larger conglomerates; with a few smaller owners still around. I believe that the J-town market is still heavily affected by the Pgh stations. Because of this proximity; IMO its a tough market. I cannot provide any information on careers; as I am no longer in the business.
Again, I apologize for this very poor and incomplete description. There are those on this board who can provide much more accurate and detailed information (please feel free to fill in the blanks and correct the errors :-[). Normally, this board is a pretty good source of information; I check it often to "catch-up" Yes, there is the typical heated debate and name-calling; nonetheless, I find that on any and every board that I've visited. I do believe that most of the posters are good and provide good information when asked. Generally, when I see a negative post; I attribute it to the possibility that the poster is either having a "bad day" or perhaps had a bad experience with a former employer. It happens to all of us.
Anyway; welcome aboard and good luck!
"Generally, when I see a negative post; I attribute it to the possibility that the poster is either having a "bad day" or perhaps had a bad experience with a former employer. It happens to all of us."
It also may be a little saterical egging as well.... we DO or HAVE worked in radio after-all. Give me a chance to throw in a little humor and I'm THERE! :-*
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