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.

Ernie Kline was one of the most well known announcers ever to grace to hallways and studios of WBVP and WMBA.  In his 1990 publication entitled “Local Radio”, local Beaver County historian, Kenneth Britten, wrote about Ernie Kline as follows:

“Two years after the station became a fixture, a young man was hired who would become somewhat of a local legend. It was early in 1950 when Ernie Kline arrived and quickly proved his ability to handle any assignment professionally. Intelligent, talented and intense, Kline would soon be named News Director and would make the WBVP news department  an equal with far higher staffed Pittsburgh stations.

Equally adept in all fields of broadcasting Ernie could handle music shows, interviews, talk shows with equal ease. Teaming with Chuck Wilson on sports broadcasts, they would establish themselves as one of the finest sports announcing teams in Western Pennsylvania.

Always encouraging his announcers to fulfill their potential, when (WBVP President and General Manager) Mr. (Frank) Smith detected an interest in Ernie’s part in politics he backed him all the way and was proud of Ernie’s eventual success.

Kline would go on to be elected as a (Beaver Falls, PA) City Councilman in 1956 and served on the Board of the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority. He later was named Workman’s Compensation Referee, Secretary to Congressman Frank Clark and then became elected as State Senator and finally Lieutenant Governor. He became the first Lieutenant Governor in the state’s history to be elected to successive terms.”

Station engineer Jim Roush worked with Ernie Kline during his tenure at WBVP and offered these words regarding Kline: “He did alot of political stuff . .  he was the voice of politics, and people”.

Ernie worked at WBVP  for over 20 years, into the early 70’s, leaving after being elected to statewide political office.

“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by Freedom United Federal Credit Union.

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.

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 Alan Boal.  Alan Boal was graduate of Freedom Area High School and was a Freshman attending the University of Pittsburgh when the opportunity to join the staff an upstart radio station in Beaver falls came around in 1948. Boal was part of the original group of announcers  Hired by WBVP radio station owners  and founders Frank Smith, Tom Price and Charles Onderka, and hosted a popular daily polka show from three until four in the afternoons on WBVP.

As one of the most well known announcers to have worked at Beaver County radio, Boal went on to achieve great things in broadcasting after his work at WBVP, eventually serving as a Latin American Correspondent and Bureau Chief in Miami for ABC.   Alan later returned to Pittsburgh in the mid sixties and  worked for WTAE television and radio. He also served for a period of time as the President of Pittsburgh Local American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or AFTRA.

“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by Freedom United Federal Credit Union.