Dumping KDKA was a good move for Pirates
PITTSBURGH – There was a time when KDKA was the gold standard for radio. A generation woke up with the marvelously inventive wit of Rege Cordic and Company, which was later replaced by Jack Bogut’s gentle whimsy. Ed and Wendy King’s quirky “Party Line” was the nightcap, a role later filled by John Cigna’s bluster.
In between, there was music, talk, sports and all the news you needed. Bigger markets came calling for KDKA’s stars. Cordic and Clark Race went to Los Angeles, Terry McGovern was wooed to San Francisco and New York lured Sterling Yates and Jim Horne.
But KDKA’s dominance is history. Now tacky infomercials disguised as talk shows are hosted by a huckster who is both shameless and clueless. The overnight show is a dreary place where sleepless seniors checklist their aches and pains. The “24-hour newsroom” shuts down for evenings and weekends. John McIntire adds some spice, but his show is an exception to the mediocrity.
The unlistenable mess still has an audience, mostly with passive listeners who keep the dial at 1020 because that’s where it’s always been. That’s why the Pirates made the right move when they shifted their broadcast rights to the Clear Channel cluster, with WPGB (104.7 FM) as the flagship.
Promotional opportunities abound with Clear Channel, and a team with 14 straight losing seasons needs all the help it can get. Clear Channel’s stations have a younger, more active audience. The company will throw some of WDVE’s muscle behind promoting the Pirates. WDVE is now the powerhouse KDKA was 40 years ago.
There was a romance in having KDKA’s signal bouncing all over the eastern United States. When Steve Blass pitched for the Pirates, his dad drove around Falls Village, Connecticut until he found the optimum spot to pull in KDKA’s signal. He’d jokingly send Bob Prince an invoice for a new car battery at the end of a season. That was a different era, though. Today long-distance listeners can grab the games via the Internet or satellite radio, paying a fee but losing the static.
The Pirates’ departure is another piece of KDKA’s identity gone. It’s the only move that makes sense for the Pirates, though. When you’re trying to sell tickets, you’d better be talking to people who leave the house once in a while.
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By the way, Greg Brown will get a bigger role next season. He and 31-year veteran Lanny (Hi, Friends) Frattare will essentially share the No. 1 spot.
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The quickest way to get on Steelers coach Bill Cowher’s bad side is to do what Duce Staley did: Report to camp in less than prime shape, which suggests you’re taking your job for granted. The depth chart will be rewritten faster than you can say Najeh Davenport.
John Mehno can be reached at johnmehno@lycos.com