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.​

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

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.​

Many of the earlier personalities that were hired on at WBVP were colorful characters. Joe Grazan was no exception. Grazan was brought aboard shortly after the radio station went on the air in 1948.  Grazan hosted many different shows and was a popular announcer from the early days of WBVP.  Ken Brittten wrote about Joe Grazan’s role at WBVP in the recently published book , Behind The Microphone, The History Of Radio In Beaver County, PA.   Britten writes: “Joe Grazan was also added to the staff and did the afternoon “Music Beat” program in addition to ‘Ranch BVP’, one of the earliest country western shows in the tri-state district.”  

Bill Day is the current C.E.O. at Saint Barnabas Health System, but worked with Joe Grazan at WBVP in the mid to late 1950’s.  The following is another excerpt from from Behind The Microphone, The History Of Radio In Beaver County, PA.  “According to Bill Day,  Grazan was quite a character, who also held down a sales position at Montgomery Ward’s Department Store located near the station on Seventh Avenue in Beaver Falls.  Reportedly, Grazan would run down the stairs and up the street to the store showroom and try to sell an appliance or two, and then try and sprint back to the station, about a block away, before the song he was playing ended.  Day added that this practice didn’t last long once management caught on. Day chuckled as he reminisced about another occasion when Grazan was promoting a dance to be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Brodhead Hotel in Beaver Falls. As often happens in the world of broadcasting when things are done quickly, sometimes preparation before going on the air was slightly overlooked. Grazan fell victim to this practice and stumbled over his words, transposing them, so to speak. According to Day, in a broadcast that probably happened in the late 50’s on WBVP,  Grazan proudly announced that there was going to be a big dance “At The Bald Head Broad Room in Beaver Falls.”

Back in the day, Billboard Magazine would publish a section that included news and announcements from radio stations from all over the United States.  Periodically, station news from WBVP would appear in the weekly publication.   A Billboard Magazine issue from July 9, 1955 included a story about activities at WBVP that read:  “Hillbillie  talent from WBVP , Beaver Falls, PA,  was featured nightly at the week long Beaver County Exposition held in Beaver Falls.  WBVP’s Deejays, ‘Albuquerque Al Hallaman’ and ‘Jolly Joe Grazan’, handled the emcee duties, with the show line up including Roy Ziegler and his Range Riders, Skip Sommerville and his Blue Sky Mountaineers and the Valley Boys.”

From the stories that still circulate today, Grazan was a delightful handful for station management.  He was a creative, high energy individual who seemed to push the envelope on occasion, but is still very fondly remembered for his days at WBVP.​

“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