(The first women to host a show on Beaver County Radio Gert Trobe. Photo from 1949 Courtesy-of Terri Hufnagel)

Monday March 8, 2021 is International Women’s Day. While we appreciate what women do on a daily basis, Monday is a day to celebrate it.  Many normal gatherings and celebrations are not abler to occur because of the Pandemic but the International Women’s Day website says there are many other ways to celebrate the women in our lives and communities.

This year, the theme is #ChooseToChallenge. You can get more information on how to celebrate by going to the International Women’s Day 2021 website at  https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

One of the most celebrated woman in Beaver County Radio was Gert Trobe.

In 1948, WBVP was making history on many different fronts.  Aside from being the first radio station  in Beaver County, WBVP was on the cutting edge of another historical event, that of having a woman talk show host.  Gertude, or “Gert” Trobe was one of the first women, anywhere, to be involved with broadcasting when she began her show as part of the original staff that station owners Frank Smith, Tom Price and Charles Onderka had assembled together in Beaver Falls.   The following is an except from the book “Behind The Microphone – The History Of Radio in Beaver County”, which is was published in conjunction with the 70th Anniversary of WBVP in May 2018.

“Following the news, one of the most beloved announcers in the Beaver County Area, of all time, Gertrude Trobe, would take control of the airwaves. (Beaver County historian and local author) Ken Britten summed up the significance of Ms. Trobe’s contributions. ‘Shortly after going on the air, Mr (Frank) Smith hired Gertrude Trobe to become the first woman’s director thus making WBVP the first radio station in history to have a full time Woman’s Director in charge of special programming aimed directly at the female market. You must remember radio was only 28 years old when WBVP went on the air and was still in its infancy. The hiring of a Woman’s Director made news throughout the industry.

Mrs Trobe was already well established on the faculty of Geneva College where she taught English, Drama and Communications. After being hired at WBVP she would become one of the leaders in female broadcasting within the industry, winning and receiving many awards, honors and certificates. She would become one of the founding members of the New York based “American Women In Radio and Television”, become recognized for introducing many radio firsts and be listed in “Who’s Who”.

Initially beginning by broadcasting daily 15 minute programs, she would eventually do a daily 45 minute show called “You and Your Home” that ran for thirty years and two shorter programs entitled “Market Place” and the “Shoppers Guide”. She would also be fondly remembered for her annual “Christmas Tea Party” and her many travel cruises.’

The Cookie Teas hosted by Gert Trobe over at the Brodhead Hotel  on 7th Avenue in Beaver Falls were some of the  the biggest events staged by WBVP every year.  the Cookie Teas were held up in the Grand Ballroom around Christmas time.   The events were for ladies only, were free of charge to attend and usually featured a buffet and guest speaker and sometimes a singing group or two.  Women who wanted to attend had to call WBVP and make a reservation.  The Cookie Teas were so popular that they needed to be held twice in the same day to accommodate the crowd of 500 to 600 ladies that would attend each year, given the 250 person seating capacity of the Brodhead Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.  (WBVP Engineer) Jim Roush also added in a December, 2017 discussion, that once the Cookie Teas were advertised on WBVP,  the phones in the office would receive a deluge of calls and all of the available reservations would be gone in a day. Gert would get dress shops and other sponsors to donate supplies, prizes and other things that were needed to pull off the Cookie Teas each year.”

Gert and her husband, Max were fixtures in the local community.  Max Trobe was a popular dentist in Beaver Falls and was involved with and attended many radio station social events through the years.