WEDO (AM 81)

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WEDO
Broadcast area	McKeesport, Pennsylvania / Pittsburgh
Branding	"WEDO AM 81"
Slogan	"Your Station of Nations"
First air date	1947
Frequency	810(kHz)
Format	Multicultural programming
ERP	1,000 watts (Daytime hours only)
Owner	AM 81 Incorporated
Website	Currently offline

WEDO (AM 81) is a multicultural radio broadcasting outlet serving the area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station, which is owned by AM 810 Incorporated, broadcasts at a clear-channel frequency of 810 kHz with an ERP of 1,000 watts, daytime only, and is licensed to McKeesport, Pennsylvania. The station maintains its studios and offices on Lincoln Way in White Oak, Pennsylvania.

[edit] History and programming background

The station's programming offerings consist of various Catholic, ethnic, oldies, and paid programs, not much different than when it first signed on the air back in 1947, at around the same time as another McKeesport-licensed radio station, WMCK AM 1360.

WEDO has had only two owners in its near 60-year history. Tri-City Broadcasting first put the station on the air and operated it until 1972, when it was purchased by 810, Inc., a wholly owned company headed by local entrepreneur Judith Baron. Baron, now residing in Florida, has recently established a trust that would control the station in the event of her death or incapacitation.

During the 60's and 70's, WEDO became known for its Top 40 music presentation and even received more notoriety when they relocated their studios and offices inside Midtown Plaza Mall on Fifth Avenue in downtown McKeesport during the 1970's. The mall, one of the first in suburban Pittsburgh, enabled shoppers to watch the DJ's in real time as they did their on-air shifts.

In the early 1980's, when FM emerged as the leading technology for music, WEDO gradually dropped its music for the program-oriented format that it originally had in its formative years. As McKeesport's downtown economy continued to deteriorate, so did tenant business in Midtown Plaza Mall, as many of the stores went out of business or relocated into the suburbs. With few tenants left in the building, the property's managers turned off heat to several areas of the mall in an effort to reduce operating costs. A heating problem one day in 2000 resulted in a frozen pipe bursting in the mall and leaving the radio station in about two inches of standing water. According to a former employee, it was the second time that such an incident occurred.

Management then decided to relocate to a different building. WEDO cleared its equipment and furniture out of the mall weeks later and moved to its current location at a former bank location at 1985 Lincoln Way, where it occupies the second floor.

The year before, WEDO was the victim of a not-so-innocent and dangerous prank committed by local high school students at its transmitter facility in Forest Hills. The guy wires supporting the broadcast tower were cut, resulting in its collapse to the ground. The five boys involved were quickly apprehended and found guilty by authorities and were forced to pay restitution. The station was off the air for almost a month until a new tower could be constructed. The cost of the new tower was covered by insurance.

WEDO announcers Bill Korch and Ron Zoscak, have each been with the station for more than 20 years. John James has managed the station since 1980. James' predecessor, John Longo, today owns and operates WCNS-AM, about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh.

[edit] External links

• Official website (currently down)
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WEDO