Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
What's New!
Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
 | |
| |
Broadcast area | Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania/DuBois |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 104.1 MHz |
| Branding | 104.1 WPXZ |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary, Sports |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WECZ, WKQL | |
| History | |
First air date | December 12, 1973 (as WPME-FM at 105.5) |
Former call signs | WPME-FM (1973–1981) |
Former frequencies | 105.5 MHz (1973–1996) |
Call sign meaning | "Punxy" (nickname of Punxsutawney) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 55711 | |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,300 watts |
| HAAT | 91 meters (299 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wpxz1041fm.com |
WPXZ-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, known as the "Weather Capital of the World". The station operates at a federally assigned frequency of 104.1 MHz and an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. WPXZ, and its co-located sister stations, WECZ and WKQL, are all owned by Pittsburgh-based Renda Media.
Signing on at 105.5 MHz, WPXZ originated in December 1973 as WPME-FM, simulcasting with its then same-named daytime-only AM sister station, known today as WECZ. The stations were owned by the Punxsutawney Broadcasting Company, headed by Clearfield County native and Punxsutawney resident Charles M. "Charlie" Erhard Jr. (April 30, 1928 - July 12, 2004), who sold the stations to its present owner in 1981.
That year, the station pair would both be rebranded as WPXZ-AM-FM, continuing with simulcasting until 1989, when management finally began separate broadcasts. Seeing the FM station as the driving force of the two, the AM station would be rebranded under the WECZ call sign.
While WECZ would adopt a format featuring big band, swing, and other types of nostalgia music aimed at an older demographic and branded as "Easy 1540," WPXZ-FM continued operating under an adult contemporary format, albeit with a full-service mindset. In addition to its music, the station's programming featured hourly national news from ABC News Radio, high school sports, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball broadcasts, American Top 40 with Casey Kasem (later Shadoe Stevens) broadcasts on weekends, and a wide variety of other locally-themed programming. The station went under the slogan name of "Music & More", and would also operate a second studio/office location in nearby Brookville for a period of 15 years, ending in the mid-1990s.
Then and now, WPXZ has provided a unique proving ground for young, up-and-coming radio talent. Dave Walters, Alan Freed, D.P. McIntire, Lou Jordan, and numerous others would take to the air and thrive in the format.
In 1996, Renda received permission to put another FM station on the air. In order for the new station to go on the air, many existing FM stations would have to shuffle their frequencies in order to fit the channel in its assigned community of Brookville, some 15 miles away from Punxsutawney. One of the affected stations was WPXZ. Renda gave up the 105.5 frequency for WPXZ to move to 104.1.
In a 2004 management change, WPXZ moved to a more CHR-based adult contemporary format in an effort to hip up WPXZ's stodgy image of tired music. The change also resulted in scaling back the station's news content, which did not go over well with listeners.
In April 2005, WPXZ underwent management changes at the administrative, programming, and sales levels. Increased efforts at local news and sports, as well as community-oriented events, resulted in a very successful turnaround for all three stations. The music also shifted from a CHR-based AC to a 1980s oldies-based AC, which improved listenership.
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
WPXZ-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, known as the "Weather Capital of the World". The station operates at a federally assigned frequency of 104.1 MHz and an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. WPXZ, and its co-located sister stations, WECZ and WKQL, are all owned by Pittsburgh-based Renda Media.
WKQL (103.3 FM) is a classic hits formatted radio station. The station is licensed to Brookville, Pennsylvania. Owned by Renda Media, it maintains its transmitter facility, but the station's programming and administration functions originate in Punxsutawney, where it shares studio space with its affiliate stations WPXZ and WECZ. Since signing on the air for the first time in February 2000, this station had used the call letters WYTR, but had always maintained an oldies format, through ABC/SMN's Classic Hits (formerly "Oldies Radio") music format. At the time of its initial sign on, the station had very briefly used the call letters WBEU. Another set of call letters, WBKV (for Brookville), were proposed but never used. WKQL "Kool 103.3" serves Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, Armstrong, and Cambria counties. The station added a local website (oldiesradioonline.com is ABC/SMN's site) http://www.kool1033fm.com/ in September 2007.
Punxsutawney (; Lenape: Punkwsutènay) is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,769. It is located approximately 84 miles (135 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. Punxsutawney is known for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and media outlets visit the community for an annual weather "prediction" by the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.
WHJB (107.1 MHz) is a classic hits radio station licensed to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and serving the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania area. The station is owned by Renda Media. WHJB's transmitter is located in Unity Township, Pennsylvania, and broadcasts with an ERP of 2.3 kW.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
