Failed format flips

[SteelRocker]

I love listening to "Prehistoric X" on Sunday mornings, they play some excellent alternative tunes from the past. The "X" always seem to have 90s X weekends too, they seem to be very popular. Maybe a Revolution-type station would be an excellent format for Pittsburgh.

I like the Prehistoric show (though the title isn't my fave, LOL) better when they stick to the 80s. There's so much good music from then that never gets played anywhere, except MAYBE on WYEP. The 90s weekends, not so much - it seems like the same 90s tunes they play during the week.

Maybe WXXP v. 2/The Re-Revolution could succeed this time around as everyone who would listen to it now is grown up and has jobs, houses and money! ;D (Well, some of us do, hee hee.)

Some of the great progressive rock bands we played on X 15 were the Pooh sticks, Black 47, The candy skins, and Cell. I'm not sure if they play any of these bands on prehistoric X on 105.9. I'm guessing if any station, like you said, maybe WYEP is the only station that plays the bands I mentioned?

How about Dr. Detroit? Or was that song too early?

 

[toddjammin]

I love listening to "Prehistoric X" on Sunday mornings, they play some excellent alternative tunes from the past. The "X" always seem to have 90s X weekends too, they seem to be very popular. Maybe a Revolution-type station would be an excellent format for Pittsburgh.

I like the Prehistoric show (though the title isn't my fave, LOL) better when they stick to the 80s. There's so much good music from then that never gets played anywhere, except MAYBE on WYEP. The 90s weekends, not so much - it seems like the same 90s tunes they play during the week.

Maybe WXXP v. 2/The Re-Revolution could succeed this time around as everyone who would listen to it now is grown up and has jobs, houses and money! ;D (Well, some of us do, hee hee.)

Some of the great progressive rock bands we played on X 15 were the Pooh sticks, Black 47, The candy skins, and Cell. I'm not sure if they play any of these bands on prehistoric X on 105.9. I'm guessing if any station, like you said, maybe WYEP is the only station that plays the bands I mentioned?

How about Dr. Detroit? Or was that song too early?

Believe it or not, that song wasn't part of our playlist. Our rotation at X 15 consisted of hot, medium, light and gold songs. The hots were songs that were in the top 15 of each week from various alternative charts. Mediums were currents that were between 16-40 of each week from several alternative charts. Lights were brand new alternative songs, and golds were alternative songs that were 2 years old or more. Since X 15 was on the air from 1989-1995, we basically played songs from the late 70's through mid 90's.

The station was only 1,000 watts and was on from sunrise to sunset. Our motto was X 15 on the cutting edge of rock n roll. I never paid attention to ratings back then. Could anybody tell me how well X 15 did in the Arbitron back then?

 

[kenhawk1160]

I think it scored a couple of blips in Arbitron right around 1990, but they were also doing some things that they shouldn't have at the time...they were running 1,000 watts, but only one tower was up. They're not allowed to go more than 250 non-directional. Plus they were also running 24 hours at full power, which they were also not licensed to do.

They sure weren't making any financial inroads, though...lots of people put lots of time in there without getting a paycheck...even their GM.

 

[toddjammin]

I think it scored a couple of blips in Arbitron right around 1990, but they were also doing some things that they shouldn't have at the time...they were running 1,000 watts, but only one tower was up. They're not allowed to go more than 250 non-directional. Plus they were also running 24 hours at full power, which they were also not licensed to do.

They sure weren't making any financial inroads, though...lots of people put lots of time in there without getting a paycheck...even their GM.

I was one of them Ken that didn't get paid for working at X 15, which is why I only worked there once a week. I was only 18 in 1992 and wanted to DJ part time as a hobby. I quit a few years later when I found out how fishy things were at the station. I didn't trust my PD at all. My PD's name was Paul Goodman. Whether that was his real name is beyond me. I will never work for free again in my life, no matter how much I like a job.

 

[kenhawk1160]

I think it scored a couple of blips in Arbitron right around 1990, but they were also doing some things that they shouldn't have at the time...they were running 1,000 watts, but only one tower was up. They're not allowed to go more than 250 non-directional. Plus they were also running 24 hours at full power, which they were also not licensed to do.

They sure weren't making any financial inroads, though...lots of people put lots of time in there without getting a paycheck...even their GM.

I was one of them Ken that didn't get paid for working at X 15, which is why I only worked there once a week. I was only 18 in 1992 and wanted to DJ part time as a hobby. I quit a few years later when I found out how fishy things were at the station. I didn't trust my PD at all. My PD's name was Paul Goodman. Whether that was his real name is beyond me. I will never work for free again in my life, no matter how much I like a job.

You try to get people up there nowadays to do that...it's not going to happen. The industry was a little different a few years back, when people were fighting to get on the air. You don't have that anymore.

I knew Paul Goodman. I think Paul was using the station as a vehicle to try and score an A&R gig for himself at one of the record companies, according to what I was told by a couple of others working there.

I had spoken with the doctor who owned it at the time (this was early 1993) about taking it over (as GM) and switching to a format that would make money (a mix of local and syndicated talk plus time brokerages), but I demanded to be paid properly for my services (use of the "house" on site and a small salary plus commission structure) if I were to turn this dog around. Her reply was that it wasn't costing her anything to run it with her staff of "volunteers", ignoring the fact that one phone call from the wrong person could shut her down and yank her license, among other things.

 

[toddjammin]

I think it scored a couple of blips in Arbitron right around 1990, but they were also doing some things that they shouldn't have at the time...they were running 1,000 watts, but only one tower was up. They're not allowed to go more than 250 non-directional. Plus they were also running 24 hours at full power, which they were also not licensed to do.

They sure weren't making any financial inroads, though...lots of people put lots of time in there without getting a paycheck...even their GM.

I was one of them Ken that didn't get paid for working at X 15, which is why I only worked there once a week. I was only 18 in 1992 and wanted to DJ part time as a hobby. I quit a few years later when I found out how fishy things were at the station. I didn't trust my PD at all. My PD's name was Paul Goodman. Whether that was his real name is beyond me. I will never work for free again in my life, no matter how much I like a job.

You try to get people up there nowadays to do that...it's not going to happen. The industry was a little different a few years back, when people were fighting to get on the air. You don't have that anymore.

I knew Paul Goodman. I think Paul was using the station as a vehicle to try and score an A&R gig for himself at one of the record companies, according to what I was told by a couple of others working there.

I had spoken with the doctor who owned it at the time (this was early 1993) about taking it over (as GM) and switching to a format that would make money (a mix of local and syndicated talk plus time brokerages), but I demanded to be paid properly for my services (use of the "house" on site and a small salary plus commission structure) if I were to turn this dog around. Her reply was that it wasn't costing her anything to run it with her staff of "volunteers", ignoring the fact that one phone call from the wrong person could shut her down and yank her license, among other things.

Your right Ken. I think Dr. Reedy owned the station from 1992-1995. I'll send you a private message more about Paul Goodman and the station.

I think you would have been an excellent GM at X 15. I always listened to you when you were on the Rebel and thought you did a fantastic job.

The bottom line as you said, the station was not properly operated. It's a shame because I think it really could have succeeded if managed properly.

 

[kenhawk1160]

I think it scored a couple of blips in Arbitron right around 1990, but they were also doing some things that they shouldn't have at the time...they were running 1,000 watts, but only one tower was up. They're not allowed to go more than 250 non-directional. Plus they were also running 24 hours at full power, which they were also not licensed to do.

They sure weren't making any financial inroads, though...lots of people put lots of time in there without getting a paycheck...even their GM.

I was one of them Ken that didn't get paid for working at X 15, which is why I only worked there once a week. I was only 18 in 1992 and wanted to DJ part time as a hobby. I quit a few years later when I found out how fishy things were at the station. I didn't trust my PD at all. My PD's name was Paul Goodman. Whether that was his real name is beyond me. I will never work for free again in my life, no matter how much I like a job.

You try to get people up there nowadays to do that...it's not going to happen. The industry was a little different a few years back, when people were fighting to get on the air. You don't have that anymore.

I knew Paul Goodman. I think Paul was using the station as a vehicle to try and score an A&R gig for himself at one of the record companies, according to what I was told by a couple of others working there.

I had spoken with the doctor who owned it at the time (this was early 1993) about taking it over (as GM) and switching to a format that would make money (a mix of local and syndicated talk plus time brokerages), but I demanded to be paid properly for my services (use of the "house" on site and a small salary plus commission structure) if I were to turn this dog around. Her reply was that it wasn't costing her anything to run it with her staff of "volunteers", ignoring the fact that one phone call from the wrong person could shut her down and yank her license, among other things.

Your right Ken. I think Dr. Reedy owned the station from 1992-1995. I'll send you a private message more about Paul Goodman and the station.

I think you would have been an excellent GM at X 15. I always listened to you when you were on the Rebel and thought you did a fantastic job.

The bottom line as you said, the station was not properly operated. It's a shame because I think it really could have succeeded if managed properly.

I'm not sure if this station had ever really been managed properly since it went on the air in 1964. Anyone connected with the station who's monitoring this board can correct me if I'm wrong, as much of this is going on memory, which has faded a bit over the years.

It was primarily operated as a broadcast training school, and for the longest time, the on-air people had to go out and sell their own on-air time if they wanted to keep their programs. That was right around 1980, when it changed from WPSL to WRUA after being dark for about a year. Pat Bridges (now at WLTJ) was the first on-air personality there to go out and hustle for ads on her show, but she did it on her own...management made it a station requirement after that.

 

[Parttimer]

One of the strangest interviews I ever had happened there when they were becoming WRUA. The person who was to be the primary manager for Dr. Barua missed the appointment, so the sales manager interviewed me. (The place was off the air at the time, and looked like a bomb had gone off).Then the correct person showed up, and pretty much the only question he asked me was "can you take orders?" And then they hired the sales manager's husband for the on-air slot.

 

[dgendvil]

Do you any airchecks of the old WXXP-FM in the 80's?

 

[FightingIrish]

I'd love to hear if someone can describe that format to me.

"Double" country was just plain old country, played on station WWSW, which had long called itself "Double-Double". In other words, "Double" country wasn't a format, it was just a station nickname.

Just to be clear, this is the same 3WS that plays oldies now? (Sorry, I don't listen to the station so I don't know if they're really WWSW and too lazy to go over to R&R to check.)

Actually it was AM 970....

104.7 included WYDD as a jazz and free-form rock station, then it evolved into "Metro Music". Later it was Energy 105 (featuring Mike Fraser and the indescribably bad "Stereo Quad Suzie Wadd.") I think the Rebel was after that, then CC bought it and made it WJJJ, first as smooth jazz and later as Jammin' Oldies, and later yet as Urban AC. Then finally it became News/Talk 104.7.

YDD featured some great talent such as Steve Downes and Sean McDowell, and also at one point featured "Bumper Car Music with Barry Grant" in PM drive. Barry apparently couldn't cue up a record and faded everything in.

96.9 was WFFM FM97, one of the first "Soft Rock" stations in the country. After Benns Communications bought it, it became Y97, a hot AC format that leaned rock. At night, they tried both a jazz show and Classic Trax, one of the first attempts at playing what evolved into classic rock. The show was a big success but the GM wanted to be a soft AC which was Magic 97 (he liked Air supply, I'm not kidding). So it stayed a nighttime show for a while. This station also featured Don & Allan in the morning, quite possibly the worst morning show in the history of the market. Finally they decided to go all Classic Trax and brought Jimmy & Steve back from exile in Ft. Lauderdale. A new consultant pushed it from its original feel, more of the "Classic Hits" genre to a Led Zeppelin-Van Halen-AC/DC classic rocker, which eventually became 97 Rock. The Frischlings bought it, and gave Quinn a home in AM drive, until it finally faded away to become Bob-FM.

Down the hall from Bob, but at the extreme other end of the scale, is WLTJ, which has been a soft-rock/soft-AC outlet since the 80's. Their morning show, Gary Love and Beth Bershok, has been on the air together for almost 20 years now, by far the longest running morning show in the market, and virtually no one realizes it.

WYDD also had a CHR/"Rock of the 80s" hybrid format in 1983. They called themselves "The Heartbeat" or something like that. A fairly tame early alternative station.

Basically, it was the KROQ-style modern rock and new wave mixed with typical CHR stuff.

 

[kenhawk1160]

WYDD also had a CHR/"Rock of the 80s" hybrid format in 1983. I think they were consulted by Rick Carroll from KROQ. They called themselves "The Heartbeat" or something like that.

Basically, it was the KROQ-style modern rock and new wave mixed with typical CHR stuff.

They were marketing themselves as "Pittsburgh's Heartbeat" at the time. I still remember the TV commercials.

 

[Kurt Toy]

Should have also asked when I first posted, what about AM? Does 970 hold the record?

 

[Pratte4Life]

100.7 Mix Jamz.

The only reason why is back at Point Park I remember a ton of guys interning there.

And these may have been the greatest internships of all time. I don't know.

But what I remember is these interns really let it go to their heads.

I did a hard rock and metal show at that time on the Point Park student station- WPPJ- where I played a mixture of the station's music and my own that would fit the format.

And it would bother me immensely when these guys from 100.7 would completely redo the WPPJ record library and I'd get something in the cart pile that would read:

"Back in Black- AC/DC- Jamz Mix."

 

[PHIL Z]

I worked at WPSL AM Radio 1510 Monroeville Pa. in 1976 -77, Working as a DJ , Newsperson and Board Op. WPSL was A family Owned business.
We had a Professional Manager and Staff. WPSL was Named after it's Founder Punchy Sylvis Leib. WPSL signed on the air September 27,. 1964.
The First Manager Was Mr. Bill Lynch Hired away from WMCK 1360 Mckeesport Pa. He Brought Mr. Wilkes Hurley as Broadcast Engineer. We Played MOR Music [ Polka's 3-4 pm] weekdays. On weekend's Polka's along with an Irish Program, Oldies, and Church Services. We Had news Headlines at 15 min past the hour and a full newscast at 15 min before the hour. The Punch Board at 30 min past the hour listing local events for free. The Punchy Shopping Lark at 10 am our version of Tradio Again free to listeners. We Carried Gateway,Penn Hills, Franklin Regional and Plum High School Sporting events.
WPSL was Completely Local We Attended and reported on Area Town Meetings and Events. As Reported on your site WE DID NOT SELL OUR OWN TIME!
We could sell if we wanted to and were paid commission on our sales. But it was not required, We Were Paid Employees. WPSL Lanched many Careers. Frank Powalski, Sam Pugliano, Charlie Apple, Ken Meese. Just to name a few. We Also had State of the art Well Maintained Equipment to work with.
We Got our News From UPI. And read it on the air. When Ms. Leib Passed away her sister, Sarah Sylvis Thompson Took over as President of Monroeville Broadcasting The Owner of WPSL. Mr. Tony Garafallo Became GM, And Contuined WPSL as a Local station. Under Ms. Thompson through WPSL She helped raise money and plan for the Building of Forbes Regional hospital , She and her Father T.M. Sylvis were very involved with the Monroeville Historic Society.Buying A Historic Church And Farm House Along with Many Fixtures of that Era.
When T.M. Sylvis Passed away , Ms. Thompson Decided it was time to Retire With no quick sale in site she took WPSL Off the air, Making Sure that the Employees were able to get other jobs. In 1980 The Station was sold to Dr. Burra of Greensburg he changed the call letters to WRUA. Then the station moved on !!! I Know from Listening and talking to Employees in the 1980's many things changed. But Under the Builders and First Owners of WPSL. We Were treated very very well. Please Don't put our Station Down Before 1980. Philip Zmenkowski. Aka Stu Holiday.

 

[radiomayor2]

"double country" was an interesting few days/weeks as i remember.........the post-gazette still owned the station at the time....

all the music was carted out of town and brought in so the word wouldn't get out...but it got out....

it was the brainchild of then GM, charlie warner......

they had a client breakfast over in allegheny center and unveiled this new format.....and low and behold within a few hours most all the clients cancelled.......the clients were pi**ed that they diodn't get a heads up and got blind sided at the breakfast..

i was selling at a competing station at the time and was the receipient of a great deal of that business....

 

[Boss Radio]

Mayor, was Double Country Charlie Warner's fiasco? I seem to remember him going to Chicago a while before that.

John Gibbs wound up getting fired for that disaster, with Sid Berlin taking over and restoring the MOR format.

UPDATE: Just looked it up. Warner left Pittsburgh for Chicago in '74, so he was gone several years before Double Country came along.

 

[radiomayor2]

i stand corrected......it was gibbs............

sid berlin was the finest gentleman in the business at the time,,,,

 

[Snafu]

Paul Goodman was his real name and he landed in Monroeville right after being ejected from Y97 when they were still in that old building on the corner of Braddock Avenue and 13th Street. Last known whereabouts, Johnstown.

At 250 watts X15 didn't get anywhere because the antenna wasn't much above average terrain level. Barely made it into Wilkins Township. Interesting music, especially for someone not that far out of college radio, but the signal............

 

[toddjammin]

Paul Goodman was his real name and he landed in Monroeville right after being ejected from Y97 when they were still in that old building on the corner of Braddock Avenue and 13th Street. Last known whereabouts, Johnstown.

At 250 watts X15 didn't get anywhere because the antenna wasn't much above average terrain level. Barely made it into Wilkins Township. Interesting music, especially for someone not that far out of college radio, but the signal............

Actually, when I was a DJ at X 15 in the early to mid 90's, we were increased from 250 watts to 1,000 watts. I agree the signal still did suck after going on the parkway, except during a clear day when I could hear the signal in South Hills.

I do miss the music as I could only find X 15 music on satellite or internet radio. It would be great to have a format like X 15 on FM radio, but would probably never get the ratings.

I will say this. Paul was not a good program director at all at X 15. He would only pop in the building 5-10 minutes a day at best. If you wanna talk about a program director that was never around, Paul was it.

 

[NoTimeForSleep]

Paul Goodman was his real name and he landed in Monroeville right after being ejected from Y97 when they were still in that old building on the corner of Braddock Avenue and 13th Street. Last known whereabouts, Johnstown.

At 250 watts X15 didn't get anywhere because the antenna wasn't much above average terrain level. Barely made it into Wilkins Township. Interesting music, especially for someone not that far out of college radio, but the signal............

Am coverage has nothing to do with tower height above terrain (AM travels along the ground, not line of sight as in FM), it was more that there was hardly a ground system under the tower at all. Even when they upgraded the power they never addressed the antenna issues that they had before with this. Wires buried in the ground don't last forever, especially when Barua allowed the gas company to install a pipeline directly through the middle of all of them cutting everything and never fixing it properly. It was a tax write off for the doctor more then anything.

Paul had another name and was selling his residence in Murrysville last I heard from a friend / neighbor. Goodman was the name that he used for business.