KDKA-FM: Difference between revisions
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Early in [[2003 in radio|2003]], WBZZ tweaked its name by calling itself “93-7 BZZ”. This was done because the station did want any confusion of exactly where they were on the radio dial, and to re-image their station to compete with its new rival WKST “Kiss FM.” Later, in mid-[[2004]], the station would tweak its name again, calling itself this time, B93-7. |
Early in [[2003 in radio|2003]], WBZZ tweaked its name by calling itself “93-7 BZZ”. This was done because the station did want any confusion of exactly where they were on the radio dial, and to re-image their station to compete with its new rival WKST “Kiss FM.” Later, in mid-[[2004]], the station would tweak its name again, calling itself this time, B93-7. |
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Final On Air Line Up On June 29th, 2004 |
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Mornings- Dave Bubba Shelley Giant Brian |
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Middays- Melanie Taylor |
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Afternoons- Kobe |
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Nights- Adam Bomb |
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Weekends- The Ron Man, Chris Mack |
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===The "K-Rock" Years and "The Zone" Experiment=== |
===The "K-Rock" Years and "The Zone" Experiment=== |
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Revision as of 22:55, 7 November 2007
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| Broadcast area | Pittsburgh metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.7 MHz (HD Radio)
93.7 HD-2 for Comedy |
| Branding | "B94" |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Hit Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CBS Radio |
| KDKA, WDSY, WZPT part of CBS Corp. cluster with TV stations KDKA & WPCW | |
| History | |
First air date | 1953 |
Call sign meaning | WTZN refers to "The Zone," the frequency's last incarnation. New calls are expected. |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 41,000 watts |
| HAAT | 167 m |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.b94.com |
WTZN-FM (branded as B94) is an FM radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned by CBS Radio, the station operates at 93.7 MHz with an ERP of 41 kw. Its transmitter is located in Pittsburgh. The station programs a CHR format, which debuted at 5:00 PM on October 5, 2007, a revival of the original "B94" that existed on the frequency from 1981 to 2004.
History
The 93.7 frequency in Pittsburgh began its life as WKJF-FM in the 1950s, an independently-owned FM station. For a brief time, there was a co-owned UHF TV station, WKJF-TV (53), which operated in 1953-54.
During its early incarnations as WKJF, WKOI, and WJOI, the station programmed a beautiful music format.
The first "B94" years
Debuting in December 1981, WBZZ (B94) was the city’s number one Top 40 music station, tailoring their programming to not only a younger audience, but also a Pittsburgh audience.
B94 featured local morning shows such as “Quinn and Banana" (featuring Jim Quinn and "Banana" Don Jefferson) in the 1980s and “John, Dave, Bubba, and Shelly” (with some minor morning personality changes)in the 1990s through 2004.
In 2000, B94 gained a strong competitor. Clear Channel Communications unveiled a new CHR format, KISS-FM at 96.1 FM. The new station began to take a large chunk out of B94's audience. With more syndicated programming featuring famous national on air talent and focusing more on the younger audience, B94 for the first time, saw itself slipping into second place.
Early in 2003, WBZZ tweaked its name by calling itself “93-7 BZZ”. This was done because the station did want any confusion of exactly where they were on the radio dial, and to re-image their station to compete with its new rival WKST “Kiss FM.” Later, in mid-2004, the station would tweak its name again, calling itself this time, B93-7.
The "K-Rock" Years and "The Zone" Experiment
In 2004, Clear Channel yanked Howard Stern from all of their owned stations that aired his show, including the local WXDX-FM. In response, WBZZ operations manager Keith Clark and other station officials decided to flip the station’s format after 23 years, and not only pick up Howard Stern (which they saw as a golden opportunity to improve their ratings) but unveil a new active rock format to compete with Clear Channel’s other rock stations.
On June 30, 2004, WBZZ’s on-air talent gathered to say goodbye to Pittsburgh, thanking them for their support throughout the years. Ratings for 93.7 K-Rock improved initially after the switch, but began to decline before Howard Stern's departure for Sirius Satellite Radio.
To replace Stern, the station carried David Lee Roth's radio show as his replacement. However, due to low ratings, Roth was replaced by Opie and Anthony less than three months after his debut.
The afternoon drive show of Kidd Chris, from co-owned WYSP in Philadelphia, aired on 93.7 from August 28, 2006 until March 19, 2007.
On April 2, 2007, K-Rock became "93.7 The Zone." The station, although not carrying the "Free FM" name in its branding, was considered a Free FM station, the only station thus far to affiliate with the network after the initial launch. Joining the lineup were Opie and Anthony, Pittsburgh native Dennis Miller, and former WDVE personality, Scott Paulsen.[1] The station also carried programming from Sporting News Radio.
The Return of B94
On Monday, October 1, 2007, WTZN began stunting with Christmas music, in anticipation of a format flip scheduled for later that week.[2] The station made some fairly obvious hints as to the future of the station, advertising "Something's missing in 'Pitts-urgh'," prompting visitors to go to a message board at http://www.pitts-urgh.com/ where there is a message board asking "What do you miss the most about Pittsburgh?," among the choices being "B94 Radio."
The return of B94 at 93.7 FM is apparently part of CBS Radio's current initiative of resurrecting beloved legendary radio stations that had been killed off for other formats, such as WCBS-FM in New York and KFRC in San Francisco. However, unlike those stations, which carry classic hits formats, B94 plays current hits.
B94 returned to Pittsburgh the following Friday at 5 pm, with its first song: Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack."
Logo gallery
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K-Rock logo 2004-2007
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Logo used from April 2, 2007 until October 1, 2007
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Current logo
References
- http://www.pbrtv.com/pbrtvn.html - Retrieved on April 10, 2007
External links
- Official website
- ‹The template FMQ is being considered for deletion.› WTZN in the FCC FM station database
- Template:FML
- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article
- Paulsen's Departure from WDVE
- Article on B94's return from Edison Media Research (October 10, 2007)