I found myself coming across old WTAE-AM jingles on YouTube and found myself wondering, how did WTAE-AM fair against KDKA-AM in ratings back in the day when both the stations were music stations and later talk stations? Were ratings affected when Jack Bogut left KDKA and went to WTAE? I was rather young when WTAE-AM became WEAE-AM, but I do remember it being a big deal in the news.
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WTAE-AM vs. KDKA-AM Back in the Day
- Thread starter CaliRadioGuy
- Start date
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
KDKA continued to run #1 in those days come hell or high water. The Bogut move ended up making barely a blip in the end, and, although financially a very good deal for him, was clearly a big career mistake. (one could even argue that it accelerated the shift to FM as the O'Brien and Garry fans were all forced over to 96.1) The axiom that "we dominate the market because so many old folks out there have left their dials tuned to 1020 since 1946 and they are now frozen there" was not entirely a joke.
This despite the fact that in my view, WTAE was an infinitely more well-programmed station. The music at KD in the 70's and 80's seemed almost an afterthought, and it showed! I'd say both stations were neck-and-neck when it came to air talent, at least up until guys like Bogut and Pallan started to leave. But KD did not really seem to care about the programming details....and it showed! But as time proved, they didn't have to. TAE was always hampered by the smaller signal and as suburban sprawl carried listeners further into adjoining counties that situation never got any better.
One wonders if it would have turned out differently had the rumored swap with WWVA and move to 1170 at 50kW taken place.
I suspect probably not.
This despite the fact that in my view, WTAE was an infinitely more well-programmed station. The music at KD in the 70's and 80's seemed almost an afterthought, and it showed! I'd say both stations were neck-and-neck when it came to air talent, at least up until guys like Bogut and Pallan started to leave. But KD did not really seem to care about the programming details....and it showed! But as time proved, they didn't have to. TAE was always hampered by the smaller signal and as suburban sprawl carried listeners further into adjoining counties that situation never got any better.
One wonders if it would have turned out differently had the rumored swap with WWVA and move to 1170 at 50kW taken place.
I suspect probably not.
In 1980, WTAE had beaten KDKA in some of the key demos, signal issues notwithstanding. It was a bittersweet accomplishment for the people at WTAE, because they knew the FM migration was accelerating and the music audience would abandon AM.
Remember that O'Brien and Garry felt that moving to FM in '83 was a demotion, and they sued to get out of their Hearst contract. Ironically, they signed a deal with B-94 but the courts ruled their Hearst deal valid and they moved down the hall. I think they were fired in '91, which lead to the odd fit at Mix Jamz.
When B-94 failed to get them, they took Jim Quinn from WTAE and paired him with Don Jefferson.
The music was an afterthought at KDKA. There was very little of it during Bogut's show because of all the spots and information segments. The midday shows were on auto-pilot, and the rest of the day was either news or talk.
Remember that O'Brien and Garry felt that moving to FM in '83 was a demotion, and they sued to get out of their Hearst contract. Ironically, they signed a deal with B-94 but the courts ruled their Hearst deal valid and they moved down the hall. I think they were fired in '91, which lead to the odd fit at Mix Jamz.
When B-94 failed to get them, they took Jim Quinn from WTAE and paired him with Don Jefferson.
The music was an afterthought at KDKA. There was very little of it during Bogut's show because of all the spots and information segments. The midday shows were on auto-pilot, and the rest of the day was either news or talk.
What I remember was WTAE was a lot less stuffy. Their hosts tended to be more liberal (Lynn Cullen, for instance) but were more apt to talk lighthearted stuff whereas KDKA prided themselves on more serious conversation.
One of the more interesting sidebars was that KDKA was the Pirates and Penguins station, whereas WTAE was Steelers and Pitt. Perhaps because they were more in tune to the serious conversation I spoke of KDKA never really built a true sports talk show, save for the weekly "Sports Huddle" show built primarily around Bill Currie's irreverence.
The idea, I suppose, was that John Cigna was a sports fan so he could hold a conversation, and Perry Marshall was a guy who often spent the hours before his show at the ballpark so he could talk Pirates as well. And give them credit- it wasn't uncommon for them to have on guests such as Chuck Tanner. One year Marshall even went to the West Coast with the team and did his show from whatever California locale they were playing that day with the Pirates guests coming on after the game.
But no, it wasn't the same as listening to Myron Cope or Stan Savran, and that's a primary reason how WTAE earned their reputation as a sports station which would eventually lead to their flip to all sports in the late '90s.
Another guy who filled this sort of role on KDKA was Chris Cross. Though officially a "general" talk host, focused primarily on the Pirates and may have been very influential in keeping them in town during this dark period of the franchise. We even had the former KDKA GM come on here and reveal how Cross helped bring Bob Prince back to the KDKA booth.
But Cross also was lighthearted. Whether that led to him moving on to other locales- I don't know. I know he later hosted a post-game show from Chicago after White Sox games and the last I heard he was doing some play-by-play of things like University of Kentucky women's basketball.
But after that, from about 1986 or so after the Pirates and Penguins games talk show hosts came on who ignored them. One host even said on the air he didn't know if a baseball was inflated or stuffed.
Hence, if you wanted post-game talk, one generally flipped over to WTAE to listen to George Von Benko, who hosted a sports talk show that followed Myron Cope and Stan Savran and lasted until 11 p.m.
The other interesting thing about this era was Doug Hoerth. Hoerth earned a reputation for being witty and fun to listen to on KDKA- he was truly in his prime then. But around 1983 or '84 he was let go in favor of City Councilwoman Michelle Madoff.
I remember many listeners calling up and complaining about this move.
Then, KDKA really put Hoerth on a yo-yo. They brought him back later to do weekends, and remember in this era Hoerth's pop culture tastes weren't that out of date as they would later become. I loved to listen to it; he was the first talk show host I ever heard that not only knew who Van Halen was, but professed to being a fan, and there was something about a guy who could entertain you by telling you what his favorite Mr. Ed episodes were when Mr. Ed could still be seen in reruns.
He could even hold a conversation if one wanted to talk about the Pens or, believe it or not, the emerging pro wrestling boom of the time. Perhaps it's not a surprise, then, that Mark Madden has said Hoerth was one of his primary influences.
But then Hoerth was demoted to doing weekend overnights on KDKA. Finally, he went to WTAE, where he really shined and found a home for a decade and never resisted an opportunity to call KDKA stuffy.
Another guy WTAE took from KDKA, kinda, was Bruce Keidan. A sports columnist who often co-hosted with Cross, he was later the Wed-Friday sports talk show host during Cope's semi-retirement around 1989 to 1994 or so at 1250.
That was an odd mix, because for half the week there was Cope, who was humorous and down-to-earth, and for the rest of the week there was Keidan, who tried to be intellectual, was not going to root for the teams on the air the way Cope did, and could even be a bit of a wise guy at times.
In terms of personality, Myron was the grandpa who bought you ice cream and took you to the park, while Keidan was the one who wanted to know how you did on your report card.
To me, the one guy at WTAE who might have fit at KDKA was Phil Musick. Very in tune to what was going on in all of Pittsburgh, he was the knowledgable everyman in terms of persona.
Ironically, the one survivor of that era today, other than Stan Savran of course, is probably KDKA's Dimitri, who did weekends for WTAE in the early 90s.
Final note- WTAE was actually the first station in Pittsburgh to carry Rush Limbaugh, circa 1990 or so. He was delayed and played on weekends as he was beginning to make it big and there was a lot of buzz about his show locally even then. Talk radio, at that point, was not the hard right wing ground it is today.
When I first posted on here one of the first topics I asked was "What if WTAE had kept Rush Limbaugh and put him live on weekdays?" Would they still be a general talk station? Could they have beaten KDKA?
I know one of the points made was that Rush always was looking for the top dog station in town so he would have eventually left for KDKA, just as he did leave KDKA for 104.7 in 2005 or so.
But I wonder, even if he did, could he have helped secure enough footing for WTAE to be the younger man's talk station (remember, Rush was only 38 or so at the time), thus staying on at WTAE for several years? Would WTAE then continue on as a general talk station and be more of a successful ratings gainer (my memory has WTAE netting ratings in the 3.0-4.0 range in the early '90s, whereas KDKA was more than double that)?
Could it have been KDKA eventually woulda become the sports station?
Who knows? But for me, the demise of WTAE as a general talk station was probably not realizing what they had there (ya run Sally Jesse every day after the sports shows but not Rush as he's becoming an icon?), firing Stan Savran, and the retirement of Myron Cope.
One of the more interesting sidebars was that KDKA was the Pirates and Penguins station, whereas WTAE was Steelers and Pitt. Perhaps because they were more in tune to the serious conversation I spoke of KDKA never really built a true sports talk show, save for the weekly "Sports Huddle" show built primarily around Bill Currie's irreverence.
The idea, I suppose, was that John Cigna was a sports fan so he could hold a conversation, and Perry Marshall was a guy who often spent the hours before his show at the ballpark so he could talk Pirates as well. And give them credit- it wasn't uncommon for them to have on guests such as Chuck Tanner. One year Marshall even went to the West Coast with the team and did his show from whatever California locale they were playing that day with the Pirates guests coming on after the game.
But no, it wasn't the same as listening to Myron Cope or Stan Savran, and that's a primary reason how WTAE earned their reputation as a sports station which would eventually lead to their flip to all sports in the late '90s.
Another guy who filled this sort of role on KDKA was Chris Cross. Though officially a "general" talk host, focused primarily on the Pirates and may have been very influential in keeping them in town during this dark period of the franchise. We even had the former KDKA GM come on here and reveal how Cross helped bring Bob Prince back to the KDKA booth.
But Cross also was lighthearted. Whether that led to him moving on to other locales- I don't know. I know he later hosted a post-game show from Chicago after White Sox games and the last I heard he was doing some play-by-play of things like University of Kentucky women's basketball.
But after that, from about 1986 or so after the Pirates and Penguins games talk show hosts came on who ignored them. One host even said on the air he didn't know if a baseball was inflated or stuffed.
Hence, if you wanted post-game talk, one generally flipped over to WTAE to listen to George Von Benko, who hosted a sports talk show that followed Myron Cope and Stan Savran and lasted until 11 p.m.
The other interesting thing about this era was Doug Hoerth. Hoerth earned a reputation for being witty and fun to listen to on KDKA- he was truly in his prime then. But around 1983 or '84 he was let go in favor of City Councilwoman Michelle Madoff.
I remember many listeners calling up and complaining about this move.
Then, KDKA really put Hoerth on a yo-yo. They brought him back later to do weekends, and remember in this era Hoerth's pop culture tastes weren't that out of date as they would later become. I loved to listen to it; he was the first talk show host I ever heard that not only knew who Van Halen was, but professed to being a fan, and there was something about a guy who could entertain you by telling you what his favorite Mr. Ed episodes were when Mr. Ed could still be seen in reruns.
He could even hold a conversation if one wanted to talk about the Pens or, believe it or not, the emerging pro wrestling boom of the time. Perhaps it's not a surprise, then, that Mark Madden has said Hoerth was one of his primary influences.
But then Hoerth was demoted to doing weekend overnights on KDKA. Finally, he went to WTAE, where he really shined and found a home for a decade and never resisted an opportunity to call KDKA stuffy.
Another guy WTAE took from KDKA, kinda, was Bruce Keidan. A sports columnist who often co-hosted with Cross, he was later the Wed-Friday sports talk show host during Cope's semi-retirement around 1989 to 1994 or so at 1250.
That was an odd mix, because for half the week there was Cope, who was humorous and down-to-earth, and for the rest of the week there was Keidan, who tried to be intellectual, was not going to root for the teams on the air the way Cope did, and could even be a bit of a wise guy at times.
In terms of personality, Myron was the grandpa who bought you ice cream and took you to the park, while Keidan was the one who wanted to know how you did on your report card.
To me, the one guy at WTAE who might have fit at KDKA was Phil Musick. Very in tune to what was going on in all of Pittsburgh, he was the knowledgable everyman in terms of persona.
Ironically, the one survivor of that era today, other than Stan Savran of course, is probably KDKA's Dimitri, who did weekends for WTAE in the early 90s.
Final note- WTAE was actually the first station in Pittsburgh to carry Rush Limbaugh, circa 1990 or so. He was delayed and played on weekends as he was beginning to make it big and there was a lot of buzz about his show locally even then. Talk radio, at that point, was not the hard right wing ground it is today.
When I first posted on here one of the first topics I asked was "What if WTAE had kept Rush Limbaugh and put him live on weekdays?" Would they still be a general talk station? Could they have beaten KDKA?
I know one of the points made was that Rush always was looking for the top dog station in town so he would have eventually left for KDKA, just as he did leave KDKA for 104.7 in 2005 or so.
But I wonder, even if he did, could he have helped secure enough footing for WTAE to be the younger man's talk station (remember, Rush was only 38 or so at the time), thus staying on at WTAE for several years? Would WTAE then continue on as a general talk station and be more of a successful ratings gainer (my memory has WTAE netting ratings in the 3.0-4.0 range in the early '90s, whereas KDKA was more than double that)?
Could it have been KDKA eventually woulda become the sports station?
Who knows? But for me, the demise of WTAE as a general talk station was probably not realizing what they had there (ya run Sally Jesse every day after the sports shows but not Rush as he's becoming an icon?), firing Stan Savran, and the retirement of Myron Cope.
In general, Rush always wanted to be on the biggest possible outlet in a market. But KDKA was more than that, because he worked in this market as Jeff Christie. If there was one station anywhere in the country he wanted to be on it was KD (I'm not guessing this, I heard him say it on the air). So there was likely no stopping that move.
The move to 104.7 was something completely different, it was a power play by Clear Channel via Premiere, his syndicator, which is also Clear Channel. It happened here, in Orlando, and other markets as well.
KD was always run by inward-looking management, the school of "We've always done it this way." WTAE as a music station was one of the best radio stations anywhere, with some of the best talent ever assembled under one roof. In hindsight, I think most would agree that Bogut wasn't quite on that level and sounded out of place in the more uptempo, structured environment of WTAE. OBG, Quinn, Brinkman, Berns, Dearborn were all classic Top-40 guys who could have worked anywhere.
I thought TAE's entire talk lineup, on the other hand, was an acquired taste. Hoerth was quirky, Cullen was whiny, Musick was sleepy. Keidan's greatest success doing sports talk was when he had the 2-hour afternoon show on WJAS.
The move to 104.7 was something completely different, it was a power play by Clear Channel via Premiere, his syndicator, which is also Clear Channel. It happened here, in Orlando, and other markets as well.
KD was always run by inward-looking management, the school of "We've always done it this way." WTAE as a music station was one of the best radio stations anywhere, with some of the best talent ever assembled under one roof. In hindsight, I think most would agree that Bogut wasn't quite on that level and sounded out of place in the more uptempo, structured environment of WTAE. OBG, Quinn, Brinkman, Berns, Dearborn were all classic Top-40 guys who could have worked anywhere.
I thought TAE's entire talk lineup, on the other hand, was an acquired taste. Hoerth was quirky, Cullen was whiny, Musick was sleepy. Keidan's greatest success doing sports talk was when he had the 2-hour afternoon show on WJAS.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
Pratte4Life said:When I first posted on here one of the first topics I asked was "What if WTAE had kept Rush Limbaugh and put him live on weekdays?" Would they still be a general talk station? Could they have beaten KDKA?
I think the outcome would probably not have been much different. If you look at the evolution of Rush's show he started out on lower ranked 1 - 5 kW stations in various markets (WCOL in Columbus, WXYT in Detroit come to mind), but then jumped to the #1 AM station as soon as they came calling (WTVN, WJR, etc.). And from there on to FM as the opportunity presented itself. I think that would have held true in Pittsburgh as well. WTAE might have had Rush for a couple of years until KD came calling. And, if Disney ended up acquiring the station, they would likely have gone to ESPN in any event.
I happened to be in Florida during the week that Rush's show premiered, within range of a Jacksonville station that was one of the first to carry him. I will say he definitely grabbed your attention. His show was unlike anything else you could find on the radio at that time. Did not hear him again for several years until I ended up in Columbus where he was on WCOL.
Thanks for a very fine synopsis of the Pittsburgh talk radio market in the 80's and 90's.
One name I would add is Ann Devlin, who I thought was actually doing a decent job of covering very local
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County events at that time. Things that the general public really should have been
paying attention to (although, in hindsight, they obviously weren't). She also did so in a serious and professional
manner, unlike "The Real Deal".
Ditching Uncle Dougie for Motormouth Michelle Madoff.....ugh, what were they thinking?
That woman's mouth probably had to be on a seven-minute delay!
hypwr said:TAE (CAE) could have had 50kw in the late forties but chose not to. After all, TV would soon decimate radio. Anyway, they decided to stay at 1250 rather than move to 1220.
When I was working WBRM 1250 Marion NC., (in the early 1980’s) there were always rumors about WTAE trying to figure a way to go 50KW on 1250. The folks at WBRM were worried about losing their 500 Watt PSA. The owner had “turned around” the station and it made enough money for new studios and equipment. 80-90 was changing the rules and later some of the old “regional” stations got 50 KW. I am sure if enough $$ were offered there would have been some technical facility changes at WBRM. Of course nothing ever came of it.
Ann Devlin violated the No. 1 rule of talk radio: She was never interesting or entertaining.
You knew the format was finished on WTAE when they had Hoerth and Cullen trying to do a watered-down version of "hot" talk. Hoerth talking about women's "breasticles" was just creepy.
You knew the format was finished on WTAE when they had Hoerth and Cullen trying to do a watered-down version of "hot" talk. Hoerth talking about women's "breasticles" was just creepy.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
Even though I am far more conservative than she is, I never had a problem with Cullen on the radio.
It was only when she went to PCNC and you could see her making those contorted faces throughout the
show that she really started to bug me. Very nice lady in person though.
It was only when she went to PCNC and you could see her making those contorted faces throughout the
show that she really started to bug me. Very nice lady in person though.
hypwr said:TAE (CAE) could have had 50kw in the late forties but chose not to. After all, TV would soon decimate radio. Anyway, they decided to stay at 1250 rather than move to 1220.
Another ``what if'' involves KQV and the 1080 facility of WEEP.
Imagine if KQV's 5 kW signal at 1410 could have moved to the potent 50 kW facility *AND* the night CP for 1080 were actually built. I seem to recall it was for 10 kW with a pattern much like the day directional.
Bob E. Nelson said:hypwr said:TAE (CAE) could have had 50kw in the late forties but chose not to. After all, TV would soon decimate radio. Anyway, they decided to stay at 1250 rather than move to 1220.
Another ``what if'' involves KQV and the 1080 facility of WEEP.
Imagine if KQV's 5 kW signal at 1410 could have moved to the potent 50 kW facility *AND* the night CP for 1080 were actually built. I seem to recall it was for 10 kW with a pattern much like the day directional.
Are you talking about if that had been done back in the day when an AM station meant something, or today when pretty much any innovation in AM broadcasting is a waste of time and money?
Talk_Dude said:Bob E. Nelson said:hypwr said:TAE (CAE) could have had 50kw in the late forties but chose not to. After all, TV would soon decimate radio. Anyway, they decided to stay at 1250 rather than move to 1220.
Another ``what if'' involves KQV and the 1080 facility of WEEP.
Imagine if KQV's 5 kW signal at 1410 could have moved to the potent 50 kW facility *AND* the night CP for 1080 were actually built. I seem to recall it was for 10 kW with a pattern much like the day directional.
Are you talking about if that had been done back in the day when an AM station meant something, or today when pretty much any innovation in AM broadcasting is a waste of time and money?
The timespan I'm referring to is the mid-70's, after KQV had already flipped to news under Taft ownership. Pittsburgh was still a relatively healthy AM market even then.
Suburban growth had really picked up its pace so a better signal density with KQV at 1080 *may* have made the station a contender (KDKA's strong news image notwithstanding). I can understand why Entercom opted out of building the night facility but Taft (or maybe even Calvary) could have benefited by a better signal.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
What if WMCK had retained 104.9 on FM? 13Q would have been on FM also and as AM stumbled, 13Q could have built an FM heritage like WPGC, WRVQ, or WRBQ.---------or not
WTAE in the first half of the 90s was a great "news/talk" station. strong all news in morning drive, Lynn Cullen 9 to noon, "Uncle Dougie" noon to 3, Phil Muzic till 6 and sports talk after that (sometimes with Myron , sometimes not). It sounded like a talk station was supposed to sound. BYW...Doug Hoerth , to my mind, was the very best day to day talk show host I ever heard. funny and topical but at the same time the best interviewer in Pittsburgh and beyond. I wish he were still available to listen to today. a true blue "radio guy".
Hoerth was good when he worked at it. Somewhere along the way he gave up (maybe after the failed attempt at hot talk) and kept doing the same bits endlessly, preaching to a choir that got increasingly smaller.
It was a shame because he was well-read and knew his stuff. He first started to get off track when he decided to make his producer part of the show.
It was a shame because he was well-read and knew his stuff. He first started to get off track when he decided to make his producer part of the show.
MsMusicRadio said:What if WMCK had retained 104.9 on FM? 13Q would have been on FM also and as AM stumbled, 13Q could have built an FM heritage like WPGC, WRVQ, or WRBQ.---------or not
Huh?
13Q was 1320, which was and is again WJAS. It was actually simulcast on 99.7 at its inception, and WSHH came along a few months later.
WMCK became WIXZ.
A few comments on Hoerth:
I grew up listening to him as my mother listened to him on his days on WTAE and later, WPTT. A bit cocky and edgy, yes. But he was an awesome interviewer, engaging talk show host, and fun to listen to as well. I was lucky to have met him during the end of his radio career. Unfortunately, it seems that as he got older he lost that zest he once had. I see the same thing with David Letterman who went from energetic, cutting edge, and cocky in the 1980s and early 1990s to now being old, tired, and not relating well to his audience or his comedic base. As for Hoerth, perhaps his age or the change of the times was the cause of his downfall, but he is a radio legend in Pittsburgh. I wish I could find him and buy him a beer and ask him about his radio career. It would be great to hear his stories. My question, if someone can answer this to the best of his or her knowledge, what years was he on air in Pittsburgh? I unfortunately don't remember him during his peak in the 1980s, but curious to know when he was at that peak stage.
As for WTAE-AM, again, before my time but I remember it being a big deal when it ended. It seemed that WPTT was the offspring for a lot of the old WTAE-AM personalities, but like Hoerth,that too became outdated and having a signal weaker than my microwave probably wasn't much of a help either. While I worked there as an intern years and basically came to realization that radio nowadays wasn't for me (that dream had to end when I was told that I wouldn't make it because I didn't have enough passion about today's pop culture to work in radio...ironically, now I am studying reformed theology ;D it was still a dream of a lifetime to meet and learn from those people who defined Pittsburgh radio.
Regardless, WTAE and its air staff definitely defined Pittsburgh radio. And that is something we will most likely never hear again, especially in a day of automation, shock jocks, syndicated radio programming, and talk shows that just focus on politics.
Thank you all for answering my question about WTAE. "Yanz" have great knowledge about Pittsburgh Radio and its history and by reading posts on this website for awhile, I can see local radio is a great passion for all of you and I find that really admirable. Again, thank you.
I grew up listening to him as my mother listened to him on his days on WTAE and later, WPTT. A bit cocky and edgy, yes. But he was an awesome interviewer, engaging talk show host, and fun to listen to as well. I was lucky to have met him during the end of his radio career. Unfortunately, it seems that as he got older he lost that zest he once had. I see the same thing with David Letterman who went from energetic, cutting edge, and cocky in the 1980s and early 1990s to now being old, tired, and not relating well to his audience or his comedic base. As for Hoerth, perhaps his age or the change of the times was the cause of his downfall, but he is a radio legend in Pittsburgh. I wish I could find him and buy him a beer and ask him about his radio career. It would be great to hear his stories. My question, if someone can answer this to the best of his or her knowledge, what years was he on air in Pittsburgh? I unfortunately don't remember him during his peak in the 1980s, but curious to know when he was at that peak stage.
As for WTAE-AM, again, before my time but I remember it being a big deal when it ended. It seemed that WPTT was the offspring for a lot of the old WTAE-AM personalities, but like Hoerth,that too became outdated and having a signal weaker than my microwave probably wasn't much of a help either. While I worked there as an intern years and basically came to realization that radio nowadays wasn't for me (that dream had to end when I was told that I wouldn't make it because I didn't have enough passion about today's pop culture to work in radio...ironically, now I am studying reformed theology ;D it was still a dream of a lifetime to meet and learn from those people who defined Pittsburgh radio.
Regardless, WTAE and its air staff definitely defined Pittsburgh radio. And that is something we will most likely never hear again, especially in a day of automation, shock jocks, syndicated radio programming, and talk shows that just focus on politics.
Thank you all for answering my question about WTAE. "Yanz" have great knowledge about Pittsburgh Radio and its history and by reading posts on this website for awhile, I can see local radio is a great passion for all of you and I find that really admirable. Again, thank you.
Hoerth came to town from Florida in 1980 to work evenings on WTKN, which was WWSW-AM (970). I believe he left the air in 2008.
They were going to move it to 1070 and license it to Mt. Oliver.Bob E. Nelson said:hypwr said:TAE (CAE) could have had 50kw in the late forties but chose not to. After all, TV would soon decimate radio. Anyway, they decided to stay at 1250 rather than move to 1220.
Another ``what if'' involves KQV and the 1080 facility of WEEP.
Imagine if KQV's 5 kW signal at 1410 could have moved to the potent 50 kW facility *AND* the night CP for 1080 were actually built. I seem to recall it was for 10 kW with a pattern much like the day directional.
Other "what ifs". WPSL, WEDO, WBUT, and WJAS, each with 50KW and each mgr. saying no to the idea.
We think that the short-sighted bottom feeders running stations today are something new.
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