WJPA
Encyclopedia
WJPA is an oldies simulcast on both the FM
and AM
bands. Officially, it serves Washington County, Pennsylvania
, but can also be heard in parts of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
. The stations, which are owned by Washington Broadcasting Company, operate at 95.3 MHz with an effective radiated power
(ERP) of 2.15 kW on the FM band, and at 1450 kHz with an ERP of 1 kW-Unlimited on the AM band. Both stations are licensed to Washington, Pennsylvania
.
Though, in general, broadcast focuses on oldies
, WJPA is also known for its wide sports coverage. WJPA regularly broadcasts games of the Washington & Jefferson College
football
team, minor league baseball
team the Washington Wild Things
and even area high school wrestling matches.
(FCC) after it failed to make any kind of impact financially, as there were few home receivers and virtually no car receivers to receive FM transmissions.
WJPA was started by a consortium of business owners in downtown Washington, several of whom are still part of the ownership group.
After FM radio started gaining momentum, Washington Broadcasting Company decided to give FM radio another try. The company successfully applied for an FM license, and was granted the application to operate on 95.3 FM in 1964. In the summer of 1979, after years of afternoon office-music broadcasts, WJPA-FM switched to a new, album rock-format and changed call letters to WYTK-FM.
In 1983, WYTK moved to a contemporary country format, billing itself as "K-Country". Again an automated station, this format remained until the early 1990s, when ownership decided to reclaim the AM's call letters and simulcast the two stations, billing it as "The New Sound of Oldies", referring to the addition of then-new CD technology and a deeper music library than Pittsburgh-based competitor WWSW. This format continues today. WJPA-AM does break for separate programming occasionally, such as Sunday morning church broadcasts, high school sports, Pittsburgh Steelers football and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball.
newspaper offices. Both stations transmit from a self-supporting tower at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 79, just north of Washington.
WJPA has a reputation for its tenured on-air staff. Pete "I've Got the Beat" Povich (personally nicknamed by The Go-Go's
lead singer Belinda Carlisle
) is the longest tenured DJ at WJPA, having worked there since 1983. Margie Konstantine, who met Pete while students at California University of Pennsylvania, joined the following year. News Director Jim Jefferson and Sports Director Bob Gregg have been part of the stations for more than three decades. Michael Siegel has served as President and General Manager for the past 20 years.
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
and AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
bands. Officially, it serves Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
, but can also be heard in parts of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
. The stations, which are owned by Washington Broadcasting Company, operate at 95.3 MHz with an effective radiated power
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...
(ERP) of 2.15 kW on the FM band, and at 1450 kHz with an ERP of 1 kW-Unlimited on the AM band. Both stations are licensed to Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
.
Though, in general, broadcast focuses on oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
, WJPA is also known for its wide sports coverage. WJPA regularly broadcasts games of the Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team the Washington Wild Things
Washington Wild Things
The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team based in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Wild Things are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
and even area high school wrestling matches.
History
WJPA AM and FM both debuted in 1941. This was back in the day when holders of AM licenses were also granted an FM license as well. WJPA-FM was originally assigned the frequency of 104.6 MHz (back when FM channels were assigned even "point" numbers), but the license was turned back in to the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) after it failed to make any kind of impact financially, as there were few home receivers and virtually no car receivers to receive FM transmissions.
WJPA was started by a consortium of business owners in downtown Washington, several of whom are still part of the ownership group.
After FM radio started gaining momentum, Washington Broadcasting Company decided to give FM radio another try. The company successfully applied for an FM license, and was granted the application to operate on 95.3 FM in 1964. In the summer of 1979, after years of afternoon office-music broadcasts, WJPA-FM switched to a new, album rock-format and changed call letters to WYTK-FM.
In 1983, WYTK moved to a contemporary country format, billing itself as "K-Country". Again an automated station, this format remained until the early 1990s, when ownership decided to reclaim the AM's call letters and simulcast the two stations, billing it as "The New Sound of Oldies", referring to the addition of then-new CD technology and a deeper music library than Pittsburgh-based competitor WWSW. This format continues today. WJPA-AM does break for separate programming occasionally, such as Sunday morning church broadcasts, high school sports, Pittsburgh Steelers football and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball.
WJPA today
The WJPA broadcast facilities are located at the corner of Main St. and East Wheeling St. across from the Observer-ReporterObserver-Reporter
The Observer-Reporter is a daily newspaper covering Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania, with some overlap into the South Hills of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. The newspaper is published by the Observer Publishing Company in Washington, Pennsylvania....
newspaper offices. Both stations transmit from a self-supporting tower at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 79, just north of Washington.
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
lead singer Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
) is the longest tenured DJ at WJPA, having worked there since 1983. Margie Konstantine, who met Pete while students at California University of Pennsylvania, joined the following year. News Director Jim Jefferson and Sports Director Bob Gregg have been part of the stations for more than three decades. Michael Siegel has served as President and General Manager for the past 20 years.
On-air staff
- Pete "I've Got the Beat" Povich - mornings
- Margie Konstantine - middays
- Dale Allen - afternoons
- Mark Jacobs - evenings
- Jim Jefferson - news director/morning news anchor
- Tony DiPalma - afternoon news anchor
- Bill DiFabio - morning sports anchor
- Bob Gregg - sports director