The Beaver County Genealogy & History Center

is hosting the free lecture:

“Edward Dempster Merrick & The Merrick

Art Gallery, New Brighton,”

on Tuesday, June 26 at  7pm.

The Center is located at 250 East End Avenue in Beaver.

The lecture is presented by director of TheMerrick,

Cynthia Kundar,

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.

One of the most influential people in the radio industry to come through the hallways of WBVP during the first 70 years of operation is Bill Kelly.  After growing up in the Cleveland Area, Kelly got his first taste of western Pennsylvania when he enrolled at Robert Morris College in Moon Township.  He must have liked the area, because he stayed close to his alma mater right about the same time as commencement when he was hired on at WBVP in 1971.  At the time, WBVP was located in the basement of a bank building located at the corner of 7th Avenue and 14th Street in Beaver Falls.  Walt Broadhurst was the General Manager of the radio station at the time.  Initially, Kelly was hired by Broadhurst to help set up remote broadcasts, do some technical work and help out in the news department.  Kelly eventually found his way behind the microphone and began to host the popular “Teleforum” talk show, a duty that he would continue throughout the remainder of his time at WBVP, up until 1977.

By all Accounts, Bill Kelly was a very popular talk show host.  Kelly’s skills with entertaining Beaver County listeners were talked about in the recently published book, “Behind The Microphone – The History Of Radio In Beaver County”.

“Carleen McKee these days owns Co-Hill Fashions, but in 1975, was fresh out of college school teacher with the Western Beaver School District who lived in her native Beaver Falls.  Like many many people, listening to WBVP was part of the daily routine. In March of 2018, McKee recalled being a winner in a weekly contest aired on WBVP.  “It was a contest that WBVP ran where you would call in and answer a question. and be the tenth caller. . . . and I called in. I kept calling, and I kept getting the the busy signal and finally I got through and Bill Kelly answered.   He said you’re the tenth caller, and I won a hundred dollars . . . I just know that particular Day I was listening and I liked Bill Kelly.”.  According to McKee, Kelly also did another on air gimmick that was funny and got listeners involved with the program.  Kelly reportedly would ask listeners to call in and give a list of things. Kelly then inserted the words that the listener provided into a pre prepared short two or three sentence story, that was, of course, unbeknownst to the caller beforehand, at the appropriate times and read back the passage complete with list of people and things that the listener gave to Kelly on the air. “He would ask you to name different  things. Name a sport. . . . Name a relative . . .  Name an animal at the zoo . . . and then he would read the story and he would use your answers.  Like ‘I saw the Zebra at church. My uncle Jerry was riding it’. It was always comical.”      

 By the end of his tenure in Beaver Falls, Bill Kelly  was an on air show host and serving as Operations Director.  Kelly moved on to WKBN radio in Youngstown in 1977  and further developed the broadcasting skills that had been imparted to him by the Team at WBVP.  In 1981, Kelly was promoted to Vice President at WKBN.  In 1996, things changed radically  in the radio industry when then President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications act of 1996, which deregulated many parts of the broadcast industry, including removing the restrictions on how many radio stations a company could own and operate.  That meant new bosses for Kelly in Youngstown when big corporations came to town and bought the Youngstown radio radio station off of the Williams famil .  First Jacor, and then Clear Channel, which is now known as iHeart media.  It wasn’t long before the executives in the home office noticed Kelly’s talents, as he was named Market Manager for Clear Channel in Youngstown in 1997.  Entually Kelly would work his way up to Vice President at Clear Channel/iHeart Media, until leaving to take on a similar position with cross town rival, Cumulus Broadcasting in Youngstown, OH, where he continues to work in the radio industry today. In his nearly five decade career, Kelly has gone on to manage and develop hundreds of employees, running clusters of radio stations in big markets.

“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’s Beaver Falls Car Cruise was a huge success and drew cars and spectators from all over the area.  WBVP and WMBA did a live broadcast from the event that was simulcast over 6 D.J. sound systems on 7th Avenue in Beaver falls.  Dozens of Vendors and food selections turned this year’s Beaver Falls Car cruise into a carnival like atmosphere that provided lots of enjoyment for young and old alike.  Frank Spark anchored the day’s activities on Beaver County Radio.

This year, a commemorative plaque was presented to the Beaver falls Happy Days Car Club by Beaver Falls Car Cruise co-chairman, Steve Peterson, during the opening Ceremonies in recognition of the group’s efforts in starting the cruise years ago.   The plaque will be permanently displayed in the Beaver falls History Museum in the Carnegie Library in Beaver Falls.

Christine Kabay from Sarver,  PA was the grand prize of a 50 inch flat Screen T.V.

Video from the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Beaver Falls Car Cruise:

Video from This year’s Beaver Falls Car Cruise:

Pictures from this year’s Beaver Falls Car Cruise:

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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.

In 1970, things were changing at WMBA in Ambridge.  A bright, handsome, young television ad salesman from KDKA TV in Pittsburgh, named John Bride, had just bought the radio station from Miners Broadcasting Service, Inc.  One of Bride’s  first moves was to hire a Sewickley resident who was home for the summer from his studies at Ithaca College in New York.  John Poister was part of a new nucleus of talent that Bride put together at WMBA that made huge strides forward and helped shape and develop the sound of the station into what it sounds like today. Poister joined a staff that also included evening show host and engineer Ted Ruscitti, mid day host and newsman Dave Denniston, program director  Ray Fallon, show host Ken Maguire, Jr., show host Roy “Mickey” Angst and engineer Walter “Red” McCoy, among others.

In the recently published book, Behind Microphone, The History Of Radio in Beaver County, PA, The beginnings of the John Bride ownership era at WMBA are discussed in detail: “Right out of the gate, John Bride created not just a new format for WMBA, but he instilled a new, more aggressive attitude as far competing with other radio stations.  Bride was not content to just sit back and accept leftovers as far as advertisers and audience that were available like crumbs being cast aside from the dinner table for the family dog.  No, Bride sensed there was much more that could be done at WMBA and came to Beaver County with a boat load of almost reckless bravado. One of the first employees that bride hired was Sewickley native and Ithaca College student at the time, John Poister.  Poister remembered the summer of 1970 well.  “When John (Bride) took over the station he made it very clear that his target was WBVP. One of the things he did, which absolutely just  stunned everybody, was buy a full page ad in the Beaver County Times. This was maybe just after he officially took over operation of the station. and he said (in the ad copy)  ‘Look out WBVP and KDKA, WMBA will be number one in Beaver County!’ (it was) Huge. When it was published he bought extra copies. he had them framed and put up in the lobby. He made it part of the seller’s tools and handouts. He made it very clear that WMBA was no longer a background music station. It was very much in the foreground.  That was what he wanted to impart to the employees. In fact, he would come into the salesroom and say ‘What is the cow station up to?’, meaning WBVP. That was what he called it, the ‘cow’ station”. John Bride completely shook things up.  Instead of airing sleepy background music that was common on WMBA before he purchased the station, Bride wanted his station to have a more contemporary sound and to play hits.  He changed all the music and started a new local call in talk show called ”Air Your Opinion”. The new talk show segment would air in the same morning time slot and compete directly with the counterpart talk show of the same ilk being offered at WBVP at the time called “Teleforum”.  Bride also hired a new program director named Dudley Woodrow “Woody” Lester, who was originally from Ohio.”

John Poister continued to work at WMBA until 1974 and later on became a well known force in the Pittsburgh radio market as a news editor at KQV and WTAE radio.  Poister also worked in the same capacity for a while at WTAE T.V., and was part of the on air team that launched the ten o’clock news on WPGH T.V. channel 53 in Pittsburgh.  His accomplishments also include serving as a managing partner at Pittsburgh radio station, WMNY.  Poister then  finished up his career as a media relations person for the Pennsylvania Department Of Environmental Protection in Harrisburg. He continues to reside in Sewickley and is involved with the Sewickley Historical Society in his retirement years.

John Bride continued to own and operate WMBA up until 1986, when he sold the station to Ambridge native, Donn Wuycik and his family. In addition to WMBA, Bride owned a pair of radio stations in Westbrook, Maine.  In 1974, he acquired WJAB, now known as WRED at 1440 A.M.  and shortly thereafter, Bride put WBJQ on the air as a simulcast of WJAB at 106.3 F.M. Later on, Bride swapped frequencies with another Portand radio station, moving WJBQ to 97.9 F.M., where it continues to air to this day.  John Bride also sold the Maine radio stations in 1986 to Turner Porter.  John Bride these days is enjoying retirement in California.

“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.

If there was ever somebody who was well suited for furthering the mission of Beaver County Radio, it was Christopher Jerome Shovlin.  Better known as “Chris”, Shovlin grew up in Midland, PA.  In the 1960’s and 1970’s, MIdland was  a town rich in sports tradition, ethnic culture, a thriving Steel Industry and was a powerful center of political influence in Beaver County.  As a 1972 graduate of Midland High School, Shovlin soaked up the Midland heritage and experience and wore his “Leopard spots” proudly, referring to the school mascot.  The qualities instilled in him along the big curve in the Ohio River just before it crosses into Ohio and West Virginia would bode well for him throughout his broadcasting career.

After high school, Chris Shovlin graduated from Westminster College in 1976, where he studied broadcasting and communications.  About a month after college commencement, Shovlin trekked up the stairs with a demo tape and resume in hand to the second floor office and studio location of WMBA above Action Tire on Duss Avenue in Ambridge.  Bill Fontana was the program Director at WMBA and liked what he saw and heard. Fontana immediately hired Shovlin to host an afternoon radio program.  Not long afterwards, Shovlin was moved to the morning time slot and began to broadcast the morning news reports.  Fontana also began to have Shovlin tag along on local Beaver County high school sports broadcasts and thus launched on of the most successful and well known sports broadcasting careers of anyone from Beaver County.  Fontana had a very discerning eye for talent and Shovlin became another talented  player in an all star line up at WMBA in that era, that Fontana had recruited, which also included Jim Merkel, Guy Junker, Tim Herrera and Gene Romano, as well as others.  Many of which would go on to have very distinguished broadcasting careers.

In 1979, Chris Shovlin interviewed and was hired at WBVP and WWKS by Program Director Dennis Atkins (Atkinson).   According to Shovlin,  Atkins was already familiar with Shovlin’s broadcasting abilities from listening to him regularly on the competing station at the time, WMBA.  Much like his hiring a few years earlier at the Ambridge radio station, Shovlin was immediately brought aboard and began to make an impact at the Beaver Falls headquarters of WBVP A.M.  and WWKS F.M.  One of the areas where Shovlin was able to leverage his talents well, was in the local high school sports broadcasts of WBVP.  Legendary WBVP sports broadcaster, Chuck Wilson, had left in 1975 to work for the state, and following Wilson’s departure, WBVP had struggled a bit to find the right person to carry the mantle of its great sports coverage tradition.  It was a perfect doorway of opportunity for Shovlin, who made immediate improvements in the quality of the sports broadcasts on WBVP.  He introduced theme music, convinced station officials to invest in better broadcasting equipment, and  brought back the high quality and energy of a WBVP play by play broadcast that had become the standard with Chuck Wilson on WBVP years earlier.  The executives at Hall Communications, The company that owned WBVP and WWKS at that time, noticed Shovlin’s abilities too.  In 1983, Hall Communications Vice President, Dick Reed, appointed Shovlin General Manger of WBVP and WWKS.

Chris Shovlin was elevated to the title of Vice President after Ted Ruscitti bought WBVP and WWKS in 1985.  In the recently published book, “Behind The Microphone, The History Of Radio In Beaver County, PA”, Shovlin’s achievements are recorded as follows: “In addition to his management role, Shovlin also called the action on high school sports broadcasts and hosted various radio shows while at WBVP and WWKS.  In 1987, Shovlin became part of the Robert Morris Colonials radio network where he continues to call play by play for football and basketball. After leaving WBVP and WWKS in 1992, Shovlin became part of the morning show on WJAS and WSHH in Pittsburgh and also served as the stations’ Promotions Director up through 2015. Shovlin was elected to the Beaver County Sports Hall Of Fame in 2006.  These days, he lends his many talents as the Community Engagement Manager at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland.”

“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.