WMBS
Encyclopedia
WMBS is a Full Service
/Adult Standards
formatted broadcast
radio station
licensed to Uniontown, Pennsylvania
, serving the Uniontown
/Pittsburgh
/Morgantown
area. WMBS is owned and operated by Fayette Broadcasting Corporation.
) in Greensburg had signed on in 1934, and WKST
in New Castle would do so in 1938.
WMBS bears the distinction of being under the same ownership since it first went on the air. Though the principals have changed over the years, it has had the same family line for generations. Robert Pritts is the most recent owner principal, who controls the majority of the station. Pritts is the nephew of H.S. Dumbauld, one of the station's co-founders. With the 1997 passing of Dumbauld's son Edward, the family's interest was passed on to Pritts, a retired school district administrator from Columbus, Ohio.
Brian Mroziak is the current general manager, who ascended to that position at the age of 24, making him one of radio's youngest top executives in the country. Ken Hawk, of the former WKPA (now WGBN
) 50 miles north in New Kensington, was another, becoming general manager of that station at age 21 in 1991.
WMBS also bears the distinction of being a highly successful AM station without an FM in its portfolio, despite its average listener age of over 65. WMBS did have an opportunity to acquire an FM property, following the bankruptcy liquidation sale of Uniontown-licensed WPQR-FM (now WPKL
) in 2001. That station had been silent for almost two years due to financial problems that eventually forced it and its AM sister WCVI (now WBGI) into bankruptcy proceedings. Owner Bob Pritts, who attended the bankruptcy sale, had offered $452,000, but was outbid by current owner Keymarket Licenses, LLC.
As part of a long-term plan for WMBS' future in the late 1990s, the station moved from its longtime rented location on Fayette Street (the original location in 1937 was in the Fayette Bank Building in downtown Uniontown), to a large Victorian house on South Mount Vernon Avenue owned by Pritts' cousin, the late federal judge Edward Dumbauld, thus eliminating the station's monthly rental bill. The station also incorporated more off-site music programming, putting existing local disc jockeys to other uses. The moves strengthened the station financially and improved its overall sound.
On Monday, January 27, 2003, WMBS flipped from its format of rock 'n roll oldies
to its present nostalgia
format.
McMullen went on to become a speech writer for Gov. David Lawrence, the Executive Director of the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, the Director of Community Development for Uniontown, and served his community as All-American Commander VFW Post 47 and Exalted Ruler of the Elks BPOE #370 Uniontown.
" nostalgia format, and has been an affiliate of the CBS radio news network for virtually its entire existence. WMBS is the only station in the Pittsburgh Radio Market to carry the CBS World News roundup which celebrated its 70th Anniversary on the air in 2008.
WMBS is also the Fayette County
exclusive radio outlet for the live play-by-play game broadcasts of Pittsburgh Penguins
hockey, Pittsburgh Pirates
baseball, Pittsburgh Panthers basketball and football, and Pittsburgh Steelers
football. WMBS also airs Uniontown high school football and basketball, Laurel Highlands high school baseball, NCAA basketball and football, and The NFL on Westwood One
.
WMBS was awarded in 2010 The Most Outstanding Local Radio Newscast from a small market station by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters
.
WMBS would win the award again in 2011. Both newscasts were submitted by Mike Krcil.
Full service
Full service is a term that has many different uses. In general the term implies that the customer will receive as much service as is reasonably possible.-Gas station:...
/Adult Standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
formatted broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
, serving the Uniontown
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
/Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
/Morgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
area. WMBS is owned and operated by Fayette Broadcasting Corporation.
History
WMBS became the very first station to sign on the air in all of Fayette County, doing so on July 15, 1937. This was also the second suburban station outside of Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania to go on the air. WHJB (now WKHBWKHB
WKHB is an AM radio station licensed to Irwin, Pennsylvania, United States, which serves the greater Pittsburgh area. Known as 620 KHB, the station operates with 5,500 watts daytime and airs a mix of health talk and paid programming with oldies music in the morning, evening and overnight hours...
) in Greensburg had signed on in 1934, and WKST
WKST (AM)
WKST is an AM radio station in New Castle, Pennsylvania, USA broadcasting at 1200 kHz with a news/talk format. It is currently owned by Forever Broadcasting, LLC of Altoona, Pennsylvania which also owns 12 other radio stations in Pennsylvania including WJST in New Castle and WWGY in Grove City. ...
in New Castle would do so in 1938.
WMBS bears the distinction of being under the same ownership since it first went on the air. Though the principals have changed over the years, it has had the same family line for generations. Robert Pritts is the most recent owner principal, who controls the majority of the station. Pritts is the nephew of H.S. Dumbauld, one of the station's co-founders. With the 1997 passing of Dumbauld's son Edward, the family's interest was passed on to Pritts, a retired school district administrator from Columbus, Ohio.
Brian Mroziak is the current general manager, who ascended to that position at the age of 24, making him one of radio's youngest top executives in the country. Ken Hawk, of the former WKPA (now WGBN
WGBN
WGBN is a U.S. gospel music radio station serving the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania market. The station, which is owned by Pentecostal Temple Development Corporation, broadcasts at 1150 kHz with a power level of 1,000 watts daytime and 70 watts night, and using a two-tower directional antenna system. ...
) 50 miles north in New Kensington, was another, becoming general manager of that station at age 21 in 1991.
WMBS also bears the distinction of being a highly successful AM station without an FM in its portfolio, despite its average listener age of over 65. WMBS did have an opportunity to acquire an FM property, following the bankruptcy liquidation sale of Uniontown-licensed WPQR-FM (now WPKL
WPKL
WPKL is a Classic Hits-formatted radio station licensed to Uniontown, Pennsylvania at 99.3 FM. WPKL's programming is simulcast on WKPL in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania at 92.1 FM...
) in 2001. That station had been silent for almost two years due to financial problems that eventually forced it and its AM sister WCVI (now WBGI) into bankruptcy proceedings. Owner Bob Pritts, who attended the bankruptcy sale, had offered $452,000, but was outbid by current owner Keymarket Licenses, LLC.
As part of a long-term plan for WMBS' future in the late 1990s, the station moved from its longtime rented location on Fayette Street (the original location in 1937 was in the Fayette Bank Building in downtown Uniontown), to a large Victorian house on South Mount Vernon Avenue owned by Pritts' cousin, the late federal judge Edward Dumbauld, thus eliminating the station's monthly rental bill. The station also incorporated more off-site music programming, putting existing local disc jockeys to other uses. The moves strengthened the station financially and improved its overall sound.
On Monday, January 27, 2003, WMBS flipped from its format of rock 'n roll oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
to its present nostalgia
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format.
WMBS in the News
Jack McMullen, one of WMBS' pioneers, who completed an 18-year stint with the station beginning in 1945, died in a hit-and-run vehicle-pedestrian accident on West Main Street in Uniontown. Though McMullen underwent surgery to repair two broken legs and his right arm, his condition swiftly declined. A Papa John's Pizza delivery driver later admitted to police that he was behind the wheel, and had taken his eyes off the road to read a delivery slip when he struck McMullen.McMullen went on to become a speech writer for Gov. David Lawrence, the Executive Director of the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, the Director of Community Development for Uniontown, and served his community as All-American Commander VFW Post 47 and Exalted Ruler of the Elks BPOE #370 Uniontown.
WMBS Today
WMBS has a reputation for its tenured personnel over the years. Morning DJ Jim Morgan and midday DJ Tim Schwer have been a part of the WMBS staff for more than three decades. WMBS is an affiliate of Westwood One/Dial Global "Adult StandardsAmerica's Best Music
America's Best Music is the on-air branding of an adult standards 24-hour radio network, known internally as Adult Standards and formerly known as AM Only, currently owned by Dial Global. It was one of the original Westwood One's Transtar networks...
" nostalgia format, and has been an affiliate of the CBS radio news network for virtually its entire existence. WMBS is the only station in the Pittsburgh Radio Market to carry the CBS World News roundup which celebrated its 70th Anniversary on the air in 2008.
WMBS is also the Fayette County
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area....
exclusive radio outlet for the live play-by-play game broadcasts of Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
hockey, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
baseball, Pittsburgh Panthers basketball and football, and Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
football. WMBS also airs Uniontown high school football and basketball, Laurel Highlands high school baseball, NCAA basketball and football, and The NFL on Westwood One
NFL on Westwood One
The NFL on Westwood One is the brand name given to weekly National Football League games carried on the radio over the Dial Global Radio Network...
.
WMBS was awarded in 2010 The Most Outstanding Local Radio Newscast from a small market station by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters
Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters
The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, commonly referred to as PAB, represents radio and television broadcasters across the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the National Association of Broadcasters. Every year the organization holds a convention where its main attraction,...
.
WMBS would win the award again in 2011. Both newscasts were submitted by Mike Krcil.