WDVE
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| WDVE-FM | |
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| City of license | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Pittsburgh metropolitan area |
| Branding | "102.5 [W]DVE" |
| Slogan | "DVE Rocks" |
| Frequency | 102.5 (MHz) 102.5 (MHz) HD2-Blues (Also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | 1969 |
| Format | Classic Rock |
| ERP | 55,000 Watts |
| HAAT | 250 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 59588 |
| Callsign meaning | W DoVE |
| Owner | Clear Channel |
| Webcast | WDVE Webstream |
| Website | http://www.dve.com |
WDVE (102.5 FM) is a Classic Rock music formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "D.V.E." WDVE's transmitter is located on Pittsburgh's North Side.
The station which was once owned by ABC along with KQV AM and was known as KQV-FM, has aired rock music since 1969. The station's current call letters were chosen by Allen Shaw, Vice President of the ABC Owned FM Stations in 1971 at the height of the "hippie" era. "DVE" was derived from "Dove", the bird of peace. In the Fall of 1971, Allen Shaw and ABC Radio programming executive, Bob Henaberry, replaced the "free form" rock programming with the very first album rock "format", playing only the best cuts from the best selling rock albums with minimal disc jockey talk. Steve Berger was the General Manager, and Dwight Douglas was the Program Director. WDVE was the most successful FM radio station in Pittsburgh throughout the decade of the 1970s. In early print marketing the phrase "Rock 'n Stereo WDVE 102.5" was set in white text against a black oval background surrounded by vivid rainbow-like colors. Later the logo was rendered in white and yellow with red accents against a black background, generally using the slogan "DVE Rocks."
In recent years, the station's format has gradually drifted towards "classic rock" with current releases rarely incorporated into the playlist. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications, and (along with WBGG) serves as the flagship radio station of the Pittsburgh Steelers radio network. For years it was the home for Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, promoting itself with such oddities as a young Jaromir Jagr reading the morning weather forecast in heavily accented English.
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[edit] Morning Show
The DVE Morning Show is hosted by local comedians Jim Krenn and Randy Bauman and airs on weekdays from 6 AM to 10 AM. Additionally, the "News and Celebrity Sleaze" is read by Val Porter at the top of every hour, and the sports news is read by Mike Prisuta at the middle of every hour. The show is a fairly standard morning show, with a few songs and comedy skits played between the news sections. Before Randy Bauman joined the show in early 2000, the morning show was hosted by Krenn and Scott Paulsen.
[edit] Sketchs and characters
The morning show has many unique characters and sketches, mostly dealing with Pittsburgh. These include:
- 69 year-old Seal, a jewish woman from Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood who has a very raspy voice.
- 72 year-old Otis, a poor black man who often talks about Thunderbird and prostitutes.
- Baghdad Bob, an Iraqi man who insults Krenn and frequently tells him that he is "not dealing in reality."
- Ben Klingston, a mall guard at various malls in Pittsburgh, including Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village Mall.
- Bobby Subgum, "the world's only ninja entertainer" who tells humorous quotes attributed to Confucius.
- Bradley's Cosmetic Corner, hosted by the openly gay Bradley (Jim Krenn) and Wendell (Randy Bauman).
- Evgeni Malkin's Diary, a fictional audio diary home by the Pittsburgh Penguins player.
- Georgie, a fanatical Pittsburgh Steelers fan who uses the phrase "Go Steelers" like a mantra.
- Gladiators/Gunslingers, a segment that splices press conference clips of the current head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers to make it seem they are having a conversation with other characters. Originally began as "Gladiators" with Bill Cowher as the emperor, but was switched to the wild west-themed "Gunslingers" when Mike Tomlin took over as head coach. Tomlin is portrayed as the sheriff.
- Judge Jimbo Browntown, a judge who deals with ridiculous court cases.
- Mullet Talk, hosted by Tino Martino.
- Pants 'n At, a fictional clothing store where the customers talk in a heavy Pittsburgh accent.
- Pittsburgh Prom Kings, who sell prom packages and speak with a heavy Pittsburgh accent.
- Ralph the Cat, Jim Krenn's cat who is constantly high on catnip.
- Sam Lowenberg, the fictional agent of Jim Krenn who speaks in a jewish accent and tries to get Jim Krenn to take part in ludicrous gigs.
- Scorekeeper, a man who calls in to what he thinks is the real-life FSN call-in show Savran on Sportsbeat, and begins each call with "First off, Stan, love the show."
- Stanley P. Kachowski, the fictional station manager of WDVE who is a stereotypical yinzer.
- Steely McBeam, the mascot of the Pittsburgh Steelers who talks in a very deep voice and is ambiguously gay.
- Tucker and Clem, hillbillies.
- N'At Man and Robert, a pair of Pittsburgh superheroes, who's lair was "somewhere under the 9th street bridge", who were sworn to fight silly crime under the direction of Mayor Thomas Smurphy. Bit is no longer used since the departure of Thomas Murphy as mayor.
[edit] Impersonations
Some of the recurring impersonations on the show include:
- Al Gore
- Bill Clinton
- Dick Cheney
- Donald Trump
- Dr. Phil
- George W. Bush
- Michael Jackson
- James Taylor
- John Mark Karr
- Mario Lemieux
- Evgeni Malkin
- Sean Connery
- Sophie Masloff (former Pittsburgh, PA mayor)
- Tom Murphy (former Pittsburgh, PA mayor)
- Stephen Hawking, using Speech Synthesis.
[edit] Action League Now!
Staff at WDVE provided voices for the segment Action League Now! on Nickelodeon's KaBlam!
[edit] WDVE HD2
On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel announced that WDVE's HD2 subchannel will carry a format focusing on Blues.
[edit] External links
- WDVE official website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WDVE
- Radio Locator information on WDVE
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WDVE
- List of "grandfathered" FM radio stations in the U.S.
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