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Most and least favorite Pittsburgh DJ'S

cingram said:
This thread isn't about favorite stations; it's about most and least favorite DJs. Furthermore, you didn't even name any favorites; you merely disqualified the vast majority of personalities based on a common industry practice. To do so without regard to the content of the personalities involved is highly prejudicial.

C.
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I don't care if it was a common industry practice or not. I never liked it. When I heard DJ's jabbering over the start of records, it made me want to change stations or throw a cassette into the player. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. I could go through this thread and pick off a bunch of names to make you happy, but what would be the point?

It's the same for the DJ's that I did like. No one in this thread has mentioned any of the ones I liked, like Ken "Brother Love" Reeth (or Reese, I'm not sure). I don't remember the names of the DJ's who started on WDVE after it changed from KQV-FM with John Rydgren 24/7. I just remember that I liked the music that they played.

Maybe I'm unique in this regard, but I listened to radio to hear the music. I still do. I like music. Don't you? I like disc jockeys that shut up and play the music. The only thing better than a disck jockey who would shut up and play the music was a disc jockey who'd shut up and play really good music. I liked disc jockeys who had good musical taste, or at least musical taste not too different from my own taste, and who'd pick good songs. There hasn't been a DJ on the air in Pittsburgh who picked his own songs since I was in high school, except for maybe Jim Sweeney. So I can't remember the names of the really good DJ's on WDVE and WYDD back in the 1970's. That was a long, long time ago. If you can remember their names, then you know who I'm talking about, right? So what difference does it make if I can't name them.

I only knew one or two disc jockeys personally, and that was outside of their work on the air. So if you think the fact that I base whether I like a disc jockey or not on what he does on the air is "highly prejudicial", then that's what you think. I don't much care one way or another about that. I only know what I like, and I know what I don't like. I see no point in naming names of disc jockeys whose work I didn't like and seldom listened to, especially when one of the DJ's whose work I liked least of all is a participant in this thread.

You know, when I first heard about this forum, I was advised to watch out for people here who'd take things personal and give a major hard time to anyone who didn't think that tight format Top 40 was the only kind of radio worth listening to. Seems I was given correct information, doesn't it?
 
You know, I had been wondering how long it would be before Radio Realist reappeared on this board.

Same argument, same attitude, same insults.

Now that the question has been answered to my satisfaction, I'll happily slip back into "lurker" mode.

C.
 
For people my age, the total sound of the station is as much a part of the memories as the music. The DJ's were stars and I will never forget them. Dave Scott may be gone, but he was with me every day after school .
 
The same guy who warned me that I'd get a hard time if I said anything other than tight format Top 40 was the only kind of radio worth listening to also warned me that people would accuse me of being someone else. He told me that the same people who thought the world of radio began and ended with tight format Top 40 could never believe that more than one person preferred other radio formats. Looks like he was right about that, too.
 
Yes, I know I always seek the counsel of others before I participate in an anonymous online message board.

The guy you talked to was a regular Nostradamus.
 
Boss Radio said:
Yes, I know I always seek the counsel of others before I participate in an anonymous online message board.

The guy you talked to was a regular Nostradamus.
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Really? That's interesting. I never do that. But I do sometimes find out about boards from other people. I didn't know this board existed until I found out about it. Did you know about this board before you discovered it? I found out about it when someone else told me about it. Don't you know any people who tell you about new things? Haven't you ever logged on to a website or tuned in a radio station or tried a new restaurant or gone to see a movie because a friend told you about it?

I guess that people who have friends who tell them about things see the world differently than people who don't have friends.
 
Tight format Top 40 was the "way that we live" as Frankie Valli said in "Grease". It may not be the best radio ever. If you like Classical or NBC Blue and Red, certainly not. If done wrong, it could be annoying to say the least. It's a memory like 24 hour diners and tail fins. A 58 Impala may be totally out of place when gas is $4.00 a gallon, but it is a great memory. I have no real expectations that it can come back, but I can listen to airchecks as I get out my old saddle shoes and love beads.
 
MsMusicRadio said:
Tight format Top 40 was the "way that we live" as Frankie Valli said in "Grease". It may not be the best radio ever. If you like Classical or NBC Blue and Red, certainly not. If done wrong, it could be annoying to say the least. It's a memory like 24 hour diners and tail fins. A 58 Impala may be totally out of place when gas is $4.00 a gallon, but it is a great memory. I have no real expectations that it can come back, but I can listen to airchecks as I get out my old saddle shoes and love beads.
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Saddle shoes and love beads were before my time. I was in grade school in the "summer of love". So maybe your fond memories of what was on the radio are different from mine. I remember my first car that I got in the late '70's. It was my grandmother's old DeSoto, and had been parked in a garage for over 10 years. The joy of having my own car was a mixed blessing. I think every teenager from all eras remembers how great it was to have a car, even if it's an old DeSoto.

The thing was, this old DeSoto only had an AM radio, and that really sucked. The second gas crisis had just hit, and old DeSotos with big hemi V-8's took a lot of gas. Between keeping the tank full and paying for repairs and tires and insurance and stuff, buying a new radio or even an FM converter was low on my list. So I spent way too much time in the late 70's stuck listening to the crap on AM radio. Being stuck in traffic driving to work after school and having to listen to WTAE was one of my least favorite memories of the late '70s.

That's not to say that I didn't have my share of good memories of the late 1970's. And I did eventually get an FM converter for the DeSoto. But my memories of listening to Top 40 radio are memories like needing industrial strength Clearasil, my girl friend getting chicken pox the day before the prom, or driving my grandmother to chemeotherapy. It's not one of my favorite memories.

If it's one of your favorite memories, great. More power to you. If your memories of Top 40 are good ones, I'm not trying to change them into bad ones. I have my own happy memories of radio, like listening to Brother Love when I was still in grade school. I loved hanging out with my older brother with "Brother John" on all the time. I loved hearing new songs on WDVE by bands like Led Zepplin and then saving my lawn mowing money to go to National Record Mart to buy the albums, and then hearing all the other great songs on the album.
 
When WTAE first went to music, it was more of an AC station. I realize that Jeff Roteman considers it a "Legendary" Pittsburgh station, but in 1967 it was KDKA without the talk blocks which wasn't bad. Back in the late 50's and early 60's, AM radio brought all kinds of music to town besides TOP 40. There was real southern fried blues on WLAC out of Nashville with commercials for Ernie's Record Mart that could give one goose bumps thinking about an exotic world of spanish moss and bayous way outside Da Burg. WCKY in Cincinnati featured Wayne Rainey with mountain music before PBS said it was cool. Of course we could get WABC and imagine rockin in coney Island.AM radio was theater of the imagination back in the day.
 
I am very honored that someone in Pittsburgh would remember me, Striker McGuire on WPEZ! I was there from 1974-1977 and just had a great time.

We were led by true visionaries, Bob Pittman and Charlie Lake.

Now I am at my hometown station KONO and still have a great time on the radio every day.

www.kono1011.com

Thanks so much for the kind words!

Striker Mc Guire aka Steven O. Sellers/KONO
 
I haven't been on here in a while, but I could not pass this opportunity to post my most favorite/least favorite DJ's...

Most Favorite:

1) Jimmy and Steve- these guys made Magic 97's mornings for many years. Wasn't into the music back then but I enjoyed their show.
2) O' Brien and Gary- no surprise
3) Porky Chadwick- one of the many pioneers. Men like him and Alan Freed should be broadcasting Hall of Famers in my opinion.
4) Bob Orilee- he was like the guy next door. He played the song list, then he would go out and have a beer with the listener.
5) Don Jefferson- how can this guy be overlooked. It's a wonder he is not a hunchback from carrying Jim Quinn years ago.
6) Jon Cigna and the K-Team- I likened Cigna to a comedian with all of those TV spots that used to air on KDKA.

Least Favorite:
1) Most of the X- what an assortment of bitter, angry, miserable, Pittsburgh-hating jocks that have come and gone from that station over the years.
2) Joe Nasty- looking back, his persona was as bad as the Top 40 music that B94 played back then.
3) Randy Brooks- I think this guy was on Y108 and did some part-time work on other stations, would have been a great overnight guy. Voice and tone never changed, always felt sleepy while hearing.
 
Hello all; lurker here! :p

I may have missed it and I can't believe no one mentioned Andrew Venezie (Hersch) from DVE back when DVE was good! Great voice, smooth delivery, awesome attitude: He was THE afternoon driver back in the day. HE was partially responsible for my brief (very brief) foray into radio. IMHO DVE has been going down hill for some time now and I don't think they will recover.

How about Kurt Steinhouser of WVCS (now WCAL) the Mon valley rocker!

By the way; a little off topic - I remember when Magic 97 started "classic tracks". I can't say anything about the ratings; and I do know that just about every room in my college dorm had it on. I remember one of the jock's name being Len Labs or something like that. I always thought it to be interesting when he played and album side and he provided some history/facts about the album. I tried to emulate that to no avial. As corny as it sounds I wish that jocks would provide history behind songs/albums, etc. In certain instances, for some strange reason; when I hear what the artist was trying to accomplish/create; I tend to give it a listen and respect the artist a little more. However, that is another topic for another day.

Favorites:

1. Hersch, DVE
2. Kurt S., WVCS (now WCAL)
3. Johnny Petro (RIP), WWML/WRML. "The old double W" (sorry, not in PGH but still Westsylvania). IMHO the absolute best jock ever!
4. Sean McDowell, Magic and DVE
5. Jimmy/Steve, IMHO, the best morning show ever, when on DVE. True classics. Very good and genuinely funny. I remember they were on an old Pgh TV show once or twice? Bob and Tom/Opie and Anthony have nothing on these guys!
6. The jocks who did "classic tracks" on the old Magic 97. Sorry, can't remember all the names; that was many brain cells ago!
7. There are others from out of the area.

Least favorites:

"Newer" morning teams that try to be funny by pulling idiotic college style pranks and stunts. Much of this stuff has been done over and over again by all sorts of jocks, HS and college kids. I always say that if I can do it then the fun is gone. There is only so much humor in talking about body parts and excrement.
 
Rod Gallowglass said:
6. The jocks who did "classic tracks" on the old Magic 97. Sorry, can't remember all the names; that was many brain cells ago!
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Len Laabs
Tom Schaad
Jeff Silvers
Gonzo Tim Gaughan
Dave Anthony Labrozzi
 
You know, it's kind of funny because I remember my friends and I talking as much about Herschel as we did Scott Paulsen and Jimmy Krenn back in the day (circa 1991 or so).

He had a reputation of playing harder stuff (though I'm sure he was just playing a playlist) but also broke new rock tracks on his show.

The "Hubba Hubba Hubba Hubba Hubba" theme always meant there was going to be some real rocking going on for the next few hours.
 
Striker McGuire said:
I am very honored that someone in Pittsburgh would remember me, Striker McGuire on WPEZ! I was there from 1974-1977 and just had a great time.

We were led by true visionaries, Bob Pittman and Charlie Lake.

Now I am at my hometown station KONO and still have a great time on the radio every day.

www.kono1011.com

Thanks so much for the kind words!

Striker Mc Guire aka Steven O. Sellers/KONO
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I loved WPEZ!!!! As a kid when they changed to the oldies it about killed me. Now of course, the hits of then are their core library. Who was the guy in the morning who had the weather done by a guy calling in from a phone booth or something. I loved that as I delivered the morning Greensburg Tribune Review.

I also love Trish Beatty. I was an intern at KD in the mid 80's in Traffic and would look for any excuse to go to the control room while she was on air.

Art Pallan and John Cigna were also very nice.

Lindsay Robbins from WYDD - Crusing the Metro/Pittsburgh's Heartbeat was cool and very nice.

I dislike - Jim Quinn (pompous ass). That's it.
 
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