WECZ
Encyclopedia
WECZ is an American commercial
ly licensed daytime-only radio station
, licensed to served the community of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
. The station operates at 1,540 kilohertz
with a maximum power output
of 5,000 watt
s daytime, and 1,000 watts during critical hours. WECZ is owned by Renda Radio, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Renda Broadcasting Corporation of Pittsburgh
.
's very first radio station, having signed on the air in 1953 as WPME-AM. The call letters were formed by the first letter of the last names of the station's three founding owners; Sheridan Pruett, Frank Miller, and Charles Erhard, doing business as Punxsutawney Broadcasting Company. The station began with a daytime-only power output of 1,000 watts, with studios at 103 North Gilpin Street in downtown Punxsutawney.
In the 1970s, WPME used the slogan "Western Pennsylvania's Musical Experience, WPME."
Like other small, community radio stations, WPME was a full-service station that offered music, news, and other local programming to local listeners daily from sunrise to sunset. Another AM station, WPXY, an Allegheny Mountain Network station, came on the air that same year, but was off the air by 1956.
WPME underwent a major change in 1973, when it was granted a license for an FM station and moved to a new, larger building in Young Township, just north of the Punxsutawney border on PA Route 36, and co-located with its transmitter facility.
The station signed on as WPME-FM and operated as a simulcast of the AM station's programming, allowing it to offer listeners local radio service after WPME-AM signed off at sunset.
, about 25 miles south of Punxsutawney. Renda had owned two other radio stations in McKeesport and Eastcentral Ohio
before purchasing WPME-AM/FM for $300,000.
Upon purchasing the station, Renda changed the call letters of both stations to WPXZ, to more accurately reflect the station's image as that of a Punxsutawney community-based radio station. The station still continued its AM/FM simulcast until 1989, when the stations split off into separate programming entities.
baseball day games, and syndicated talk show host Rush Limbaugh
.
The station underwent another image overhaul in the late 90's, switching to a classic country satellite-delivered format and taking the new name "The Groundhog AM 1540." Outcry from the community over the loss of the older music resulted in another format shift back to the MOR and Nostalgia music, but the Groundhog moniker was retained.
In 2002, the music was again dropped, with the increasing popularity of syndicated talk show hosts Laura Ingraham and Tom Martino. The station operated as "Groundhog Talk" for about a year until the moniker was dropped altogether and rebilled as "News/Talk AM 1540", which it continues to operate as today.
Local news is provided Monday through Friday by Jackie Duffell in the mornings and News Director Josh Widdowson in the afternoon.
WECZ is also the home of Mike's Polka Party, hosted by DuBois resident Mike Rudzinski since 1988. The show airs every Sunday from 11am to 5pm on WECZ.
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
ly licensed daytime-only radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, licensed to served the community of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The station operates at 1,540 kilohertz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
with a maximum power output
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 5,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s daytime, and 1,000 watts during critical hours. WECZ is owned by Renda Radio, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Renda Broadcasting Corporation of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Beginnings as WPME
WECZ became Jefferson CountyJefferson County, Pennsylvania
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,200. It was established on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for then-President Thomas Jefferson. Its county seat is Brookville...
's very first radio station, having signed on the air in 1953 as WPME-AM. The call letters were formed by the first letter of the last names of the station's three founding owners; Sheridan Pruett, Frank Miller, and Charles Erhard, doing business as Punxsutawney Broadcasting Company. The station began with a daytime-only power output of 1,000 watts, with studios at 103 North Gilpin Street in downtown Punxsutawney.
In the 1970s, WPME used the slogan "Western Pennsylvania's Musical Experience, WPME."
Like other small, community radio stations, WPME was a full-service station that offered music, news, and other local programming to local listeners daily from sunrise to sunset. Another AM station, WPXY, an Allegheny Mountain Network station, came on the air that same year, but was off the air by 1956.
WPME underwent a major change in 1973, when it was granted a license for an FM station and moved to a new, larger building in Young Township, just north of the Punxsutawney border on PA Route 36, and co-located with its transmitter facility.
Changes: as WPXZ
Both stations were sold in 1981 to Anthony F. Renda, a native of Indiana, PennsylvaniaIndiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
, about 25 miles south of Punxsutawney. Renda had owned two other radio stations in McKeesport and Eastcentral Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
before purchasing WPME-AM/FM for $300,000.
Upon purchasing the station, Renda changed the call letters of both stations to WPXZ, to more accurately reflect the station's image as that of a Punxsutawney community-based radio station. The station still continued its AM/FM simulcast until 1989, when the stations split off into separate programming entities.
WECZ: AM and FM go separate ways
WPXZ retained its call letters for the FM station, but the AM adopted the calls WECZ and an easy-listening format of satellite-delivered MOR and nostalgia music. The new station became known as "Easy 1540" and continued operating under this format for about six years. The station also aired Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
baseball day games, and syndicated talk show host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
.
The station underwent another image overhaul in the late 90's, switching to a classic country satellite-delivered format and taking the new name "The Groundhog AM 1540." Outcry from the community over the loss of the older music resulted in another format shift back to the MOR and Nostalgia music, but the Groundhog moniker was retained.
In 2002, the music was again dropped, with the increasing popularity of syndicated talk show hosts Laura Ingraham and Tom Martino. The station operated as "Groundhog Talk" for about a year until the moniker was dropped altogether and rebilled as "News/Talk AM 1540", which it continues to operate as today.
WECZ today
WECZ continues to operate as "News/Talk AM 1540", with a blend of both syndicated and local talk. Among the local talk is "Your Home with Tim Britton" with Tim Britton and members of his work team at Tim Britton Construction. The show currently airs on Friday mornings.Local news is provided Monday through Friday by Jackie Duffell in the mornings and News Director Josh Widdowson in the afternoon.
WECZ is also the home of Mike's Polka Party, hosted by DuBois resident Mike Rudzinski since 1988. The show airs every Sunday from 11am to 5pm on WECZ.