This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of when Beaver County’s first radio station, WBVP, was heard over the airwaves for the the first time on May 25, 1948. To mark the historical event, each week, another “70th Anniversary Moment” will be showcased on the airwaves and published on the station’s online feeds.
This week’s 70th Anniversary Moment is about Diane Brown. Diane Brown grew up in Ambridge and started working at The Ambridge Area Chamber Of Commerce shortly after graduating from Ambridge Area High School. It was while working at this job, that she met Pittsburgh television ad salesman, John Bride, who had recently purchased WMBA. Having a keen eye for talent, Bride soon hired Diane Brown to serve as a copy writer for his Ambridge radio station in 1975. Diane quickly proved that she had many abilities that served the station well and started hosting “Yankee Trader”, which she did for eight years.
In 1980, WMBA General Manager, Doug Finck, convinced Diane Brown to join the sales staff, knowing that she would flourish in that department. Later on when Finck went back to New England to work at another one of John Bride’s radio stations, WJAB, later known as WJBQ, Diane Brown was named General Manager of WMBA.
Diane left WMBA in 1986 to pursue cable television ad sales, but was recruited to come back to work for WBVP and WMBA as a Marketing Executive in 2011. She continued to enjoy a great deal of success until her retirement in 2017.
“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by Freedom United Federal Credit Union.
