WJPA, Washington, Pa.

[wrsg915fm]

I was at West Liberty University with my wife this evening, running needed supplies to our younger daughter, who was kept overlong in a meeting. While waiting in the car, we hit 95.3, and were blown away by the oldies selection! Dave Anthony was on, and the music was terrific. A great mixture of '45's and album cuts, with some I've never heard on radio. This is a GREAT station, and symbolizes the way 'oldies' stations should be programmed!

 

[cingram]

I was at West Liberty University with my wife this evening, running needed supplies to our younger daughter, who was kept overlong in a meeting. While waiting in the car, we hit 95.3, and were blown away by the oldies selection! Dave Anthony was on, and the music was terrific. A great mixture of '45's and album cuts, with some I've never heard on radio. This is a GREAT station, and symbolizes the way 'oldies' stations should be programmed!

Depends on how you define "oldies." Personally, I wouldn't advocate album cuts, or songs that have never been
heard on the radio.

That said, I like WJPA, and they've been doing very well in the ratings with a limited signal. I suspect some 3WS
listeners were frustrated by the format change there.

C.

 

[F.M.Hertz]

Depends on how you define "oldies." Personally, I wouldn't advocate album cuts, or songs that have never been
heard on the radio.

Why? What programming law states that you can't do that? I don't see anything wrong with it. WCBS-FM (one of the best run stations in that format) slips in "Immigrant Song" or "Stairway to Heaven" by Zeppelin every once in a while.

 

[Boss Radio]

I was at West Liberty University with my wife this evening, running needed supplies to our younger daughter, who was kept overlong in a meeting. While waiting in the car, we hit 95.3, and were blown away by the oldies selection! Dave Anthony was on, and the music was terrific. A great mixture of '45's and album cuts, with some I've never heard on radio. This is a GREAT station, and symbolizes the way 'oldies' stations should be programmed!

I've never heard a song that hasn't been on the radio before. I've heard some tracks that are more from WDVE in 1971 than KQV, like Traffic's "Rock and Roll Stew," and some Van Morrison cuts, but that's fine. Dave Anthony in particular has a knack for mixing things together in an interesting way. He seems to be on the 7 to 10 p.m. weeknight shift regularly these days.

WJPA is a treasure with its full-service approach, throwback jingles and live DJs for 17 hours a day. I don't listen to the HS play-by-play or the Wild Things games, but I tolerate them because I know it's local content that helps keep the place afloat. Well done, WJPA.

 

[Parttimer]

Depends on how you define "oldies." Personally, I wouldn't advocate album cuts, or songs that have never been
heard on the radio.

WCBS-FM (one of the best run stations in that format) slips in "Immigrant Song" or "Stairway to Heaven" by Zeppelin every once in a while.

And both of those were hit singles. WPEZ and 13Q played them back in the day

 

[db59]

I for one love listening to WJPA. I've often thought that if they had stronger signal that would reach out to more of the Greater Pittsburgh area, 3WS would lose a lot of their listeners. I for one am forced to listen to 3WS at work because I cannot pick up 'JPA; otherwise, I would have them on all day. They play one of the best varieties of music around.

 

[Parttimer]

Between WJPA and the Pickle stations (and don't get me started on the "Pickle" name...) oldies have a solid 4-share. Closer to a 5 if you add in Clarke's stations.

One full-market signal would probably do quite well, especially considering that we're talking in Keymarket's case about stations licensed to Ellwood City (92.1, blocked out in Pittsburgh by Pitt's WPTS) and Uniontown (99.3). Really makes you wonder why they don't either flip 92.1 with Froggy 103.5, or at least flip their 105.5 translator above 279 to a Pickle simulcast.

 

[the marv]

That would sound good. I wonder what the folks at 3WS would think?

 

[trefdawg]

Hey Greg, next time you are in the area give me a call for a tour of my haunt. You are correct WJPA does it right.On the way home last night from Wheeling they played Flirtations, Nothing But a Heartache. Plenty of "ear candy" for us oldie fans that are sick of hearing Piano Man over and over and over again!

 

[KeyTimes950]

One other thing I admire about WJPA is the fact that it isn't (always) one station on two frequencies. WJPA-AM 1450 breaks away from the FM for Pirate baseball, assorted other pro sports, an alternative to the high school football game on the FM and other events. The AM is pretty clean in much of the South Hills, though past McKeesport one begins to run into co-channel WDAD out of Indiana.

 

[db59]

As far as how the folks at 3WS feel about WJPA, here is something I remember from a while back. I sent an email to the music director, who is still employed there middays, asking why they play the same songs over and over, and mentioned how I thought that WJPA did much better with their music variety. Her comment was that basically WJPA has no ratings numbers and very few listeners, so I didn't know what I was talking about. I'm not sure if this was before or after Piano Man played that day.

 

[KeyTimes950]

Her comment was that basically WJPA has no ratings numbers and very few listeners, so I didn't know what I was talking about.

Perhaps the folks in that cube-shaped Greentree ivory tower ought to get out and tune in to what's on those stations with "no ratings numbers and very few listeners" in the suburbs where people have moved, shrinking the central city from three-quarters of a million people to just over a quarter-million.

WJPA is not the only jewel out there.

WLER-97.7 in Butler can sound pretty good a lot of the time and is a combo with two AMs that seem to do a decent job with their city of license, WISR-680 and WBUT-1050.

Admittedly, there aren't that many suburban stations that really shine, though I do admire the community service of the two Beaver County AMs and WMBS-590 in Uniontown, as well as what Renda does between records at WHJB-107.1.

But no one in Greentree or in any of the multi-station offices west of the city really can ignore what can be scanned in the Allegheny County suburbs. They may have few listeners where the diaries are handed out but they aren't going away because their bases are where listeners went over the past half-century -- out of the central city.

 

[PHIL Z]

Folks I work with Also love The Oldies. In Our Cranberry Office We placed the Radio on the Window Sill and WJPA comes in Strong. One Member of our Group lives in Mars, He Has a Radio in his Basement with Remote Speakers on his Deck Listening to WJPA. Too bad WJPA could not get 105.5 as a Translator. That Signal is Strong in Many Downtown Office's.

 

[Parttimer]

But no one in Greentree or in any of the multi-station offices west of the city really can ignore what can be scanned in the Allegheny County suburbs. They may have few listeners where the diaries are handed out but they aren't going away because their bases are where listeners went over the past half-century -- out of the central city.

If you're under the impression that somehow vast numbers of WJPA listeners go uncounted, you are just flat out wrong.

 

[db59]

I had on WJPA in the car today driving to work, and Pete Povich played "She Hangs Out" by the Monkees, due to the death of Davy Jones. I'll bet you any money there is no other station, whether located on Fleet Street in Greentree or not, that would play a gem like that. That is why I just love WJPA.

 

[FreddyE1977]

The passing of Davey Jones was certainly not the finest moment for Pittsburgh radio.

First Jim Quinn marks the passing by playing "I'm A Believer", a track on which Mickey Dolenz sings lead.
(nice to see that Quinn really had his mind on his work during all those years of being a DJ).

Then 3WS was doing an All Monkees segment, and led off with Jones' solo effort, "Girl".
Not one of his finer efforts for memorial purposes. On that one he sounds like Anthony Newley.
Except a bit off-key. And played back at 78.

Then a caller requested "Not Your Stepping Stone". The DJ was astute enough to say "Mickey
Dolenz sings lead on that one, but okay, we'll play it for you", and then proceeds to play "Last
Train to Clarksville". (in his defense that's probably a voice tracking fubar and not that he
does not know the difference).

I am sure if I had been listening to WJPA instead they would have got it right.

 

[Pratte4Life]

I had on WJPA in the car today driving to work, and Pete Povich played "She Hangs Out" by the Monkees, due to the death of Davy Jones. I'll bet you any money there is no other station, whether located on Fleet Street in Greentree or not, that would play a gem like that. That is why I just love WJPA.

Pete's got the beat!

 

[Parttimer]

I tuned in WJPA today myself.

They were playing "Piano Man."

 

[KeyTimes950]

But no one in Greentree or in any of the multi-station offices west of the city really can ignore what can be scanned in the Allegheny County suburbs. They may have few listeners where the diaries are handed out but they aren't going away because their bases are where listeners went over the past half-century -- out of the central city.

If you're under the impression that somehow vast numbers of WJPA listeners go uncounted, you are just flat out wrong.

I am under no such impression. What I said was that the suburban stations have bases in areas where Pittsburghers have moved over the years. In short, they are able to sell the advertising that keeps their transmitters going and their programming going. That can involve ratings but there are other means of tracking listeners, from requests to comments in the public file to comments made to those aforementioned advertisers. Washington clearly still supports WJPA/AM-FM. I'm not sure about WKZV, but that's another story.

 

[Parttimer]

But no one in Greentree or in any of the multi-station offices west of the city really can ignore what can be scanned in the Allegheny County suburbs. They may have few listeners where the diaries are handed out but they aren't going away because their bases are where listeners went over the past half-century -- out of the central city.

If you're under the impression that somehow vast numbers of WJPA listeners go uncounted, you are just flat out wrong.

I am under no such impression. What I said was that the suburban stations have bases in areas where Pittsburghers have moved over the years. In short, they are able to sell the advertising that keeps their transmitters going and their programming going. That can involve ratings but there are other means of tracking listeners, from requests to comments in the public file to comments made to those aforementioned advertisers. Washington clearly still supports WJPA/AM-FM. I'm not sure about WKZV, but that's another story.

In your original post you referred to "where the diaries (or meters, as is the case today) are handed out." Trust me, everywhere that isn't the middle of nowhere gets sampled. If anything, the outlying areas might be over-represented.. just look at the numbers for Fayette county. How many times has WVAQ from Morgantown showed up because of a a couple of Fayette county respondents?

Running the business of a suburban station mostly means programming to advertisers. I would venture that WKZV makes zero income Monday-Friday and keeps the lights on with polkas and other brokered time slots on the weekend.