WPFB & WPAY Sold To WNKU

[wakyjr]

Pual F. Braden father of Doug was quite the radio pioneer. I began my radio career in the early 60'as an announcer at WPFB. When the FM was added it was the second station in the U.S to broadcast in stereo. Mr. Braden used two RCA transmitters driven by one exciter to put one unit into the horizontal antenna and one for the vertical.
The subcarrier of the FM was used for a background music service
that the station programmed (by wife Ruth) and was recieved on receivers made at WPAY in Portsmouth. The FM was an uptempo instrumental station that played dance music. Mr. and Mrs. Braden had an apartment upstairs at the station andat tmes you could hea them dancing to the music on the FM.
WPFB AM was mostly block programmed with many different local features. In addition to local sports the station would sell a block of time to local in another town and that person would then be the dee jay and re-sell spots to the locals. A great influence. John Randolph

 

[fuzzy50]

While growing up in Middletown in the early 60's, WSAI ruled the radio dial. EXCEPT, at 7 o'clock every night when the guy who wrote the previous post would come on the air. Johnny Randolph's request line was so busy, you would often end up with 2 or 3 people jammed on the same line. John, I'd come up and hang out at that dumpy old studio with you sometimes and eventually followed in your footsteps to a 30 year radio career (although I never worked at PFB). I ran into you once at a record promoter's party in Nashville in the mid-70's and talked a little Middletown with you. I thought you had retired, but I just found and Facebook posted a video of you from last summer. Glad you're back on the air. Thanks for inspiration. Fred Slezak.

 

[Whiplash]

Friends of mine are losing their jobs over this move. And it sucks! 6.7 million dollars is way to much. The new owners are doomed.

 

[major]

I wonder...where there this much uproar when WVXU started their now defunct X-Star Radio Network? Now THAT was a network. I could even receive them in Lima.

 

[major]

Sorry...WAS THERE....not Where there

 

[RATCISDJ94]

A few folks that worked there
Geri Hart (one time Program Director)
Sharon Easter (air personality / accounting)
Gary Silver (Engineer)
Sam Jones (Engineer)
Marti (don't recall her last name - Engineer)
Dan Humprey's (sales - been around since Moses)
Thom Borgerding (News) did a morning 2 hour news block weekdays
Sandra Ferrier (news)
Rusty Reed (Sales Mgr)
Earl Francis (GM)
Mike McMurray (program director and later with WHIO / radio station owner in Lebanon)
Kurt Radle (later with WMOH)
Mike Christi (evening dj)
Marlon Ray (oldies jock and fill in)
Soul Patrol (Middletown Police Officer)
Jerry Crisp (Former Lebanon Fire Chief)
Lora Lewis (later with WONE)
John Barry (Evenings and Good Guys)
CD Craft (Good Guys)
Charley Hald (midday announcer)
Walt Biggs (Chief Engineer)
Gebhardt Earler (German Music Host)
Dale Bell (former W2 jock)
Sundown Lady (Jazz)
Margo (Mornings on Mellow 106)
Allen Matthews (Program Director)
Lynn Dudley (Engineer , Announcer)
Chuck Hamlin (Engineer)
Marty Thompson
Dave Michaels
David Whalen
Allen Suit
Pete Layton (P Michael Griffin later at Q102)
Mike Hartsock
Donny Taylor
Johnny Randolph

 

[NoWayNoCC]

Wasn't it Power 106 for a short time, with Lincoln Ware doing evenings? I also remember it as Mellow 106 and Gospel too before it flipped to The Rebel.

It was top 40 briefly around 1984, but almost nobody remembers it. I think it was called New Rock 106.

 

[microbob]

You're right NoWayCC. I think they were top 40 as New Rock 106 after being Power 106 for brief time, with a Urban Soul Disco format.

 

[Josh_Cols]

Before I sold my business in the Rebel 105.9 listening area; I advertised quite a bit on that signal, it was the best money I spent on advertising as my business was always up consistently when I ran spots. If I remember right my sales rep from the Rebel was Debra Disney. I think the Rebel has one of the more loyal followings of any station in that area. I know more then enough that were hardcore Rebel listeners. Im in no way putting anyone down, but Rebel always seemed to appeal to the more blue collar, pickup driving crowd in areas like Franklin, Middletown, Lebanon, Hamilton, etc; whereas it seemed your BMW country listening crowd were K99 and B105 listeners. At any rate, another piece of SW Ohio history goes away, kinda sad.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

I do wonder who's gonna buy WPFB's 910 AM signal from WNKU.

And...if he's posted in this thread.

 

[jry]

I do wonder who's gonna buy WPFB's 910 AM signal from WNKU.

And...if he's posted in this thread.

Funny. Not me.

Doug has been wanting to market these for quite a while. He wanted to ditch Portsmith first. What is he? 72?
NKU will do just fine with their pickup. Its funny. We are in a time when a lot of the schools are ditching their stations.
Then you get some of these "sleepers" that have been managing their money wisely. They have lots of "dry powder" and
they launch out and take some turf.

 

[ncincy1]

I do wonder who's gonna buy WPFB's 910 AM signal from WNKU.

And...if he's posted in this thread.

And...wonder who will buy the newly available 94.5 translator serving northeastern Hamilton County? It puts a decent signal over Blue Ash, Evendale, Springdale,Sharonville, Fairfield, West Chester, etc. Would be great if WDJO picks it up for an FM simulcast. Just sayin'

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I noticed in that long list of former WPFB employees, there was no mention of Warren Johnson. Warren was there from almost the beginning and did numerous high school football and basketball games over the years as well as Miami University football & basketball contests. Warren left the station in 1977 and was later heard on WMOH doing (of course) high school games. He graduated from the Cincinnati College of Music (which later became a part of UC's College Conservatory of Music). One of his classmates there was Earl Hamner, later creator of "The Waltons".

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Funny. Not me.

Nope, wasn't thinking of you...the person in question on this very thread has even had a show on 910 AM.

Or maybe Joe Mullins could pick it up and add it to the Classic Country empire. He'd probably also be interested in the 94.5 translator (he has one in Dayton), which I've heard is being shopped by WNKU as a package deal.

This may be a rare case where two owners are interested in a modest AM. Both would probably restore local sports broadcasts, which go away on 2/1 (Kiese had a nice article on WPFB's local sports commitment, which goes back DECADES).

 

[RATCISDJ94]

Some other people and memories....Opal Moore/long time secretary....she knew everything that went on at the little white farmhouse...PFB;s "Jennifer (WKRP)"...pretty sure she ran things too....

Jerry Crisp...the Lebanon Fireman who liked to grill corn ears, steaks and burgers directly outside the AM studio on Saturday afternoon....also thought he'd catch the building on fire.

 

[RATCISDJ94]

Some other people and memories....Opal Moore/long time secretary....she knew everything that went on at the little white farmhouse...PFB;s "Jennifer (WKRP)"...pretty sure she ran things too....
-Jerry Crisp...the Lebanon Fireman who liked to grill corn ears, steaks and burgers directly outside the AM studio on Saturday afternoon....always thought he'd catch the building on fire.
-Visits from Martin Sheen (Ramone Estevez)....he came to visit his brother John Estevez Berry.
-The Goodguys: John Berry and CD Craft (originally Kurt Radle and CD Craft).
-AM Formats....MOR, Spirit of The Country, Standards, Classic Country...
-One of the first carriers of The Mutual Network and The Larry King Show
-Lora "Red Head" Lewis getting mad at the PD Allen Matthews and running her car (Datsun 280Z) into Margo's car...backing up and repeating the offence....and then later burying Allen Matthews coffee cup in the stations garden (veggie garden shared by employees). Funny thing...she was studying law...not sure if she ever graduated.
-Moon Paul Mullins getting fired...coming back...getting fired...coming back (always for more money)
-Radio Psychics...Station GM Earl Francis married one (think her name was Pat)
-Gebhart Erhlers weekend German Music broadcast on WPBF FM (later WPFB FM) sponsored by The Black Forest Restaurant

 

[pioneer71]

It is really a shame that WPFB AM has been sold. The station did a great job providing local high school play by play sports. Middletown and the surrounding area deserves their own station.
A lot of talented people such as Shawn Higgins lost their job.

It is difficult for a local AM to make it but it can be done with the right GM, dedicated staff and the proper format. If you could buy the station what format would put on the air?

WMOH, for example, does s solid servce with their local sports but their news coverage has been disappointing in recent years. What format shoud they change to or keep it as is?

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

A few more former on-the-air employees that should be mentioned:

Charlie Hald - An easy-going guy who, among other things, did color commentary on the high school sports broadcasts. His wife, Mary, once worked at WCNW. Two nice people.

Peggy Kenny - Did some on-the-air work in the 1980's including doing the announcements on the station's "Community Calendar" segments.

Ken Honeyman - An announcer on WPFB-FM in the early 1960's who had a booming voice. When he did the news while the station was broadcasting in stereo, he would point out to listeners, "I should be coming in over your right speaker".

What other names are we missing?

 

[frizzlefry]

Ive trolled these boards a while and never signed up because most of the time you guys have valid points and make sense.. but this thread was too silly not to comment on.

wnku in dire straits? is that what i read? ahahaa.... to imply that wnku was in dire straits means that NKU itself is going under, and by the looks of the new arena, a new informatics building and plans to build new entrances from the highways and other developments that would ultimately make NKU its own city of sorts, I dont think they are anywhere near going under... especially when WNKU is UNIVERSITY OWNED. geez.

as far as Braden, he approached them about the deal... and sold his people out from under them. nku didnt buy the company. if you really read into all the news articles and the press release, they bought the frequencies and the license they sit on, not the company or the people. "lots of good people lost their jobs"... cuz Braden jipped them out. aside from that, anyone who gets into commercial radio in the cincinnati area and thinks that they are going to be bought and sold 10 times before they are out is only fooling themselves.

and sell WPAY?.. the most monster signal? not worth the price? 6 mil...?
you kidding?

if even a quarter of the listening audience of WPAY alone converts over to the triple A format and becomes a member, wnku will be self sustaining in like 2 years, and actually making money... thats what we call a good business model folks. after selling off their junk translator and the AM signal, auctioning off and bidding out everything else they dont need... they will be in fine shape with like quadruple the listening audience they had before, and Braden gets out of the red.

I mean have you even ever seen either of the facilities that 105 and 104 sit at? fat chance Braden has put a dime into those places in years... something tells me it was more about selling off because of his age.

 

[Tri-State Media]

I don't understand them translating on WPAY either. I've spent a lot of time in Portsmouth. WPAY was the station to listen to. Their signal is in fact huge, and their new tower is huge. People in that area WILL NOT agree with the new format. I live northwest of Columbus, and could get 104.1 on 270 on the south side. Also listened to it while visiting family in Perry County. Could also get it well in Athens. Folks down there love their country and western music. On a boombox, WPAY's signal would show up on about 10 places throughout the dial, and pretty much killed any other station.

The answer seems fairly simple. WNKU wants to be able to reach Adams/Brown counties in Ohio and Mason/Bracken counties in NKY. Buying WPAY gives them the opportunity to do so.

As for WPFB-AM: I would not be surprised to see it flipped back to Braden or someone else from WPFB itself. Perhaps even a coalition of listeners/investors. There's plenty of people in Middletown I'm sure who would like to see local sports continue on the 910 frequency.