Author: Beaver County Radio

SBA Administrator McMahon Joins Rothfus in Western Pennsylvania to Discuss Small Business Issues

Congressman Rothfus and SBA Administrator McMahon tour PGC with Susan Weinzierl, President, and her son, Joe, Special Projects Manager.

SEWICKLEY, Pa. – Representative Keith Rothfus (PA-12) welcomed Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Linda McMahon to Western Pennsylvania to visit and tour Professional Graphic Communications, Inc. (PGC). PGC is a family owned, Sewickley-based, graphic design, full-service printing, packaging, and mailing services company. SBA-financing has been critical to their growth. Representative Rothfus and Administrator McMahon also discussed the current healthy economy’s impact on small businesses and new opportunities to grow their workforce.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said Congressman Rothfus. “PGC is an incredible example of a thriving small business that is investing in our community, providing jobs, and delivering quality products. As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I am committed to ensuring small businesses, such as PGC, can access the capital they need to be successful. Additionally, thanks to regulatory right-sizing and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, our economy is roaring back to life, fueling consumer confidence, and spurring more hiring and investment. I thank Administrator McMahon for joining me on this visit and PGC President Susan Weinzierl for hosting us.”

“The President’s tax cuts and economic policies are producing one of the strongest periods of economic growth in our nation’s history. Having the right mix of policies paired with innovative steps to develop the workforce will continue providing the kinds of employment opportunities that Western Pennsylvania and our nation need,” said Administrator McMahon. “As head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, I am proud to advocate on behalf of our nation’s 30 million small businesses to ensure they have the resources they need to drive their businesses and local communities forward.”

PGC President and CEO Susan Weinzierl added, “Professional Graphic Communications is celebrating our 35th business anniversary this year. It is especially exciting as PGC has been honored with a visit from the executive and government official for the SBA, Linda McMahon and Congressman Keith Rothfus. My staff and I appreciate the opportunity to showcase our design, printing and mailing facility during their visit

BREAKING NEWS: Fatal Accident Reported In White Township!!

BREAKING NEWS: DETAILS ARE SKETCHY…BUT WE’RE GETTING WORD OF A FATAL ACCIDENT IN WHITE TOWNSHIP. I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH BEAVER COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES…AND ALL THEY HAVE CONFIRMED TO ME THAT THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT IN THE 13TH AVENUE-STEFFIN HILL AREA. ONE PERSON WAS ENTRAPPED…AND ANOTHER WAS D-O-A AT THE SCENE. WE’RE STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM PATTERSON TOWNSHIP  POLICE (WHO COVERS WHITE TOWNSHIP) FOR DETAILS ON THIS HORRIFIC ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED THIS AFTERNOON IN WHITE TOWNSHIP. STAY WITH BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS FOR MORE ON THIS BREAKING STORY. THIS BREAKING NEWS REPORT IS BEING BROUGHT TO YOU BY…

 

Keeping an eye on your community since 1985. Visit myvisioncare.com

BREAKING NEWS: Ambridge Police Chief Officially Suspended W/O Pay!!

BREAKING NEWS: THE AMBRIDGE POLICE CHIEF WAS OFFICIALLY SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY AT A BOROUGH COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING THIS AFTERNOON. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO WAS THERE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

This breaking news report is being brought to you by…

Keeping an eye on your community since 1985. Visit myvisioncare.com

“Soldier Come Home” at the Merrick on 9/21/18

Merrick Art Gallery with the Social Voice Project presents “Soldier Come Home”.

Join us for a dramatic, radio-style performance at the Merrick Art Gallery in New Brighton. The performance will take place on September 21, 2018 at 7 PM.

The play written by Frank W. Wicks is based on the Civil War letters of his great-grandparents, Philip and Mary Pringle of Western Pennsylvania. In 1950, the long forgotten letters were discovered in a shoe box in the attic of the Wicks family home. Frank began the project of transcribing the letters into a play, weaving his family story through the events of the Civil War.

Tickets can be purchased a www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3595048. Ticket price is $20 plus a small processing fee. Proceeds help benefit the Merrick FREE Art Gallery, Museum and Library.

Bruce Mansfield Plant In Shippingport To Be Shut Down in 2021

Bad news for Beaver County….as Pennsylvania’s largest coal-fired power plant is being retired. FirstEnergy Solutions announced yesterday the Bruce Mansfield Plant in Shippingport will close by June 2021. Three plants in Ohio will also close. The company says their deactivations could be reversed or postponed if the federal government implements new policies that could provide financial assistance to the plants.

EPA Proposes Remediation Plan For Unused Land That Housed ARCO

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a remediation plan for unused land that formerly housed a chemical facility in Beaver County. The former ARCO Chemical property, which is near the current Nova Chemicals site along the Ohio River, has been unused for decades and is heavily contaminated. The Beaver County Times reports the EPA’s plan only covers inactive portions of the property, but the agency intends to propose a similar plan for the active section of land currently owned by Nova, according to a legal notice published on Monday.

Much Cooler Today; Still A Chance Of Rain

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 30TH, 2018

 

TODAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES. A SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. HIGH NEAR 80.

TONIGHT – PARTLY CLOUDY THIS EVENING WITH MORE
CLOUDS FOR OVERNIGHT. LOW – 62.

FRIDAY – MORE CLOUDS THAN SUN. HIGH – 83.

SATURDAY – PARTLY CLOUDY. A SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. HIGH – 86.

SUNDAY – SUNSHINE AND CLOUDS MIXED. A SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. HIGH – 87.

70th Anniversary Moments – Frank Iorio, Jr.

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.​
Frank Iorio, Jr. in 1998.

Around 1971, a recent graduate from the former Carnegie High School, in Carnegie, got a suggestion from a friend that WIXZ in McKeesport was hiring sales people and that maybe he should apply.  Up until that point in time, Frank Iorio Jr. had been selling steel products to industrial customers for one of the local mills.  Luckily, Iorio was intrigued by the idea of selling radio advertising and refocused his tremendous sales skills toward selling airtime and entered the radio industry.  Eventually, Frank Iorio, jr. Would go on to become the longest tenured owner of WBVP.  Iorio’s career is recapped  in the recently published book , Behind The Microphone, The History Of Radio In Beaver County, PA. : 

“Frank Iorio, Jr. was no stranger in radio in the Pittsburgh area.  he grew up in Carnegie and landed his job in the sales department of WIXZ in Mckeesport in 1971.  The ever confident Iorio carried a swager and motivation to succeed that served him well in business and began to rapidly move on up the giant radio tower.  In 1974, Iorio moved in to the big city, taking a job as an account executive at WEEP in Pittsburgh.  By 1976, Iorio was on to bigger cities and bigger challenges working at first in Boston, Philadelphia and then to Washington, D.C. to begin work at NBC. It was while in Washington that Iorio met Mike Schwartz, who was looking to put together a group of investors, and eventually started having discussions about buying radio stations together.  Those talks ultimately came to fruition in 1991, when they became partners along with Don Wilks and purchased  WVEZ and WWKY in Louisville, KY.  As was customary for the way Swartz and Wilks did business, they bought into a situation in Louisville at a good position, made some improvements, and sold for a profit not too long after taking over, and so it was. After only about three years of station ownership in Louisville, The trio sold WVEZ and WWKY.  This would pan out well for Beaver County because later that year in 1994, WBVP and WWKS became available and The group, now consisting of Iorio, Schwartz, and the newly added Aaron Daniels, liked what they saw in WBVP and WWKS. ‘We just saw a big upside to the deal, with that huge F.M. station.  I thought that if we could get it out of Beaver County, and start marketing it to Pittsburgh, that there was  alot of potential.’ Observed Iorio about their pending purchase of WBVP and WWKS, Kiss 106.7 F.M. in 1994.  Iorio, Swartz and Daniels purchased WBVP and WMBA through their newly formed entity for 2 million dollars in a deal that became official on December 1, 1994. “ 

Not long afterwards, Iorio, Swartz and Daniels sold WWKS to Secret Communications  and then Iorio bought out his partners, making him the sole owner of WBVP in 1995.  In June of 2000, Iorio ended the fierce competition that had existed between WBVP and WMBA when he purchased WMBA from Donn Wuycik and began to operate the two Beaver County Stations together, as they continue to do so up to this day.

“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by  Abbey Carpet and Floor,  Albert’s Heating, Cooling and Plumbing,  Aliquippa Giant Eagle, The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, Beaver Valley Auto Mall, Beaver Valley Sheet Metal, Castlebrook Development, The Community College Of Beaver County,  Farmers Building and Savings Bank, Freedom United Federal Credit Union, Hank’s Frozen Custard and Mexican food, The Health Huts, Kitchen City, Laughlin Insurance Agency,  Rochester Manor and Villa and Young’s Jewelry and Coins