Hello everyone, I have a question that I have been wondering about and I thought I would post it on here and see what everyone has to come up with. If you were to name great Pittsburgh radio rivalries when it came to audience and or ratings between two Pittsburgh stations or two different Pittsburgh radio shows that were on during the same time, what would they be? As for stations, I am sure back in the day KDKA-AM and WTAE-AM were big rivals, but were their morning shows big rivals as well? Any Pittsburgh radio stations or Pittsburgh radio programs in 2011 that you consider big rivals?
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Pittsburgh Radio Rivalries
- Thread starter CaliRadioGuy
- Start date
The only one I can think of is WAMO saying Kiss sucks every 2.5 seconds. I think they've toned this down though. 
kaysguy said:
Not in demographics. WTAE actually passed KDKA in target demos around 1980, a remarkable accomplishment for a station that didn't even completely cover Allegheny County. KDKA's 12+ number was always bigger because of the seniors, but WTAE completed well in sale-able demos.
Parttimer said:
KQV took the WIXZ challenge very seriously, to the point of 24/7 monitoring for music and spots. But, no, WIXZ never did much.
13Q had a large and immediate impact with the big cash giveaway on their launch. KQV was already foundering, and 13Q was the KO punch. Later in '73, Ted Atkins' WTAE siphoned away more KQV listeners with a format that appealed to former KQV listeners, complete with Chuck Brinkman. 13Q had a good run for about three years.
The Top 40 rivalry shifted to 13Q vs. WPEZ after KQV started sinking.
I remember KDKA versus KQV for Top 40 listeners, a rivalry that may have reached its peak with coverage of the Beatle invasion of Pittsburgh. It comes to mind when WKFB plays a spot saying it has more music than KDKA and KQV combined.
More recently, there was the battle for sports talk listeners, as few as there are out there, that basically was WEAE-1250 versus WBGG-970 but at times featured some of the shows on short-lived WTZN-93.7, the attempt by the "Kegs and Eggs" crowd to put sports talk on AM 660 (one of the recent pre-WAMO100 incarnations), WXDX-105.9's sports talk drop-ins as well as its Penguins 24/7 HD subchannel, then of course KDKA-93.7.
By the way, the most interesting sports station that doesn't do talk (and doesn't have a sports director) is KQV, that has done everything from MSA baseball title games to a brief flirtation as Pitt flagship to its longtime carriage of Notre Dame football (to be interrupted this fall as it continues a Penn State pickup started when WEAE put on mouse ears).
More recently, there was the battle for sports talk listeners, as few as there are out there, that basically was WEAE-1250 versus WBGG-970 but at times featured some of the shows on short-lived WTZN-93.7, the attempt by the "Kegs and Eggs" crowd to put sports talk on AM 660 (one of the recent pre-WAMO100 incarnations), WXDX-105.9's sports talk drop-ins as well as its Penguins 24/7 HD subchannel, then of course KDKA-93.7.
By the way, the most interesting sports station that doesn't do talk (and doesn't have a sports director) is KQV, that has done everything from MSA baseball title games to a brief flirtation as Pitt flagship to its longtime carriage of Notre Dame football (to be interrupted this fall as it continues a Penn State pickup started when WEAE put on mouse ears).
hypwr said:
That led KDKA to hire Clark Race. Previously Westinghouse had scorned the idea of rock 'n' roll. When they saw the success KQV was having, they decided they'd better jump on the bandwagon and get someone who could attract teen listeners by playing "their" music at least part of the day.
Boss Radio said:
I can tell you from memory that WIXZ got a 4.9 share in its first book (Spring 1969) - the best book they ever
had. KQV was in double-digits before and after the 1360 changes and WIXZ barely made a dent. It took 13Q
to beat KQV and eventually finish them off (with help from WTAE and WPEZ).
What WIXZ did do was make it impossible for WZUM, the #2 Top 40 station behind KQV, to continue doing the
format. 1590 never had great ratings, and WIXZ insured they would have no ratings. WZUM went album rock
the following year.
C.
Before WDVE became the monolith it is, WYDD took a run at them in the '70s, especially when unhappy DVE staffers like Dwight Douglas fled to WYDD.
Wasn't there a time in the '80s when there were three country stations?
WWSW (Double Country) tried to take on WEEP/WDSY in the late '70s. Failed.
WEEP tried a talk format led by former KDKA staffers Jack Wheeler and Mike Levine around 1976, with the idea of pulling listeners away from KD.
Wasn't there a time in the '80s when there were three country stations?
WWSW (Double Country) tried to take on WEEP/WDSY in the late '70s. Failed.
WEEP tried a talk format led by former KDKA staffers Jack Wheeler and Mike Levine around 1976, with the idea of pulling listeners away from KD.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
In the Sixties, it was WAMO with Porky, Sir Walter,and Sunny Jim v. WZUM with Frankie Crocker. Don't have a clue about ratings however.
In the late Fifties it was KQV v. WEEP with Perry Marshall and Tony Graham. KQV won of course because WEEP was stuck as a daytimer.
In the late Fifties it was KQV v. WEEP with Perry Marshall and Tony Graham. KQV won of course because WEEP was stuck as a daytimer.
Boss Radio said:
Early '90s. WDSY, WXRB "The Rebel" (104.7), and WQKB "K-Bear" (100.7).
I hold the dubious distinction of being the person who pushed the buttons that put K-Bear out of its misery and
launched The Point.
If memory serves, the DVE dump-the-metal campaign was earlier, about '84 or '85. It's one of the few mistakes
I can recall DVE making and it cost them in the ratings, taking the station (again if memory serves) down to the
4-share range. I don't doubt that several stations beat them at that point, but they soon recovered.
As 97 Rock, 96.9 was making inroads into DVE in the early '90s, but just about the time they were really turning
into a contender, it was changed back to Channel 97 and the momentum was lost.
C.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
Boss Radio said:
Terry McGovern played TOP 40 overnights.
Group W seemed more dedicated to TOP 40 in other markets like KYW in Cleveland, WBZ in Boston, and WOWO in Ft. Wayne. Anybody know why?
cingram said:
Y97 went all "Classic Trax" and brought back Jimmy and Steve from Florida. I was part of the staff then, we had a great night when a couple hundred people actually came out to the airport to meet their flight, then a couple of weeks later a big welcome back party at Station Square with the Houserockers and a lot of other local bands. I think we beat DVE the first book.
Classic Trax would be classified now as closer to a "Classic Hits" format, the Classic Vinyl channel on Sirius/XM is a dead ringer musically. It was originally consulted by Dave Popovich. They brought in a classic rock consultant after that and became 97 Rock. All of this was under the ownership of Benns Communications. The Benns brothers were a couple of somewhat erratic but wildly creative guys, especially the late Robert Benns, and Classic Trax was his brainchild.
The station was then sold to the Frischlings, which is when it became Channel 97. They gave Quinn his platform to do his conservative show in the morning then were classic rock the rest of the day. At that point Quinn had most of the station's numbers.
MsMusicRadio said:
They played Top 40 during the day, too, with Art Pallan and Bob Tracey. It was sometimes a slightly tamer version than what Clark played, but you'd hear the Beatles and the other hits during the day.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
Just like Henry DaBecco was doing a tamer show than Ravin Dave Scott. KQV sorta dayparted too and I was there in a useless capacity
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
kaysguy said:
I think that rivalry though was particularly intense because it mirrored the TV rivalry.
To the point where when the Nick Perry lottery scandal broke, everyone at 'TAE seemed
thoroughly convinced that this was just another scheme by KD to try and loot the
lottery contract away from them.
Had to be very frustrating on the radio side though because in terms of production, playlist,
presentation, 'TAE was hands-down a superior station.
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