WKHB

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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 (50 watts at night) and airs a mix of health talk and paid programming with oldies music in the early morning, evening and overnight hours. It is also known for its weekend polka shows.

WKHB's high power on a low frequency yields what is generally considered to be the second-best daytime AM signal in the Pittsburgh area (behind KDKA), covering nearly two million people in various portions of five states. Veteran Pittsburgh radio personality/programmer Clarke Ingram has recently been associated with the stations, and was named Program Director in 2005 and promoted to Operations Manager in 2006 As of 2007, Ingram continues his OM duties with Owner Bob Stevens holding the General Manager and Programming duties. Michael J. Daniels was brought in as Assistant Program Director in late-2007.

WKHB and its sister station WKFB (770) are owned by Broadcast Communications Inc., which also owns and operates radio stations in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania and Cumberland, Maryland.

[edit] History

620 began as WHJB, formerly licensed to Greensburg. The station had begun as a daytime-only operation, but later was able to increase its power and receive nighttime authorization, operating at a power of 2,500 watts during the day and 500 watts at night at the time of its sale in the mid-90's. The famous directional antenna array of five towers could be seen overlooking Greensburg for many years, but those towers would eventually come down after the 1996 sale.

The station was sold in 1996 to Bob Stevens, who had put WKYN-FM (now WDDH) on the air in the Elk County seat of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, and had sold it as soon as he learned that WHJB was for sale. Stevens formed Broadcast Communications, Inc. and purchased WHJB, with its sister FM station WSSZ (now WGSM) was spun off to Pittsburgh-based Sheridan Broadcasting. As a condition of the sale, the transmitter site's property was not included and would have to move within a short period of time, as that property was being sold to further development of a shopping center in the area.

Stevens moved WHJB's transmitter site closer to Pittsburgh, raised its daytime power twice, and changed its city of license to Irwin, a nearby suburb. WHJB had always been primarily a Westmoreland County radio station while WKHB, with its higher power and closer tower, aspires to serve Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

WHJB had suffered in its last few years, with obvious disinvestment and the loss of its previous transmitter site. The call letter change to WKHB in 1999 was more or less concurrent with a format switch to paid programming. Music continued to air in the station's off-peak hours, Contemporary Christian music at first, then a selection of 1970s hits, followed by the present mix of 60s and 70s oldies, which evokes the golden age of AM top 40 radio.

[edit] On-Air Personalities and Programs

For a brief time former KDKA and WJAS personality Jack Wheeler hosted the early-morning show on 620 KHB. Wheeler left the station at the end of 2003 to move back to Florida. Current morning host (and station manager) Barry Banker celbrated 40 years with the station in 2006, joined in the morning by veteran Bill DeFabio and his daily sports updates.

John Longo, who today owns Latrobe-based competitor WCNS-AM, had previously managed the station during the WHJB years, and had also served as a consultant to other affiliate stations of its then-corporate ownership.

As of 2007, Jay Thurber is heard on Sunday evenings, newcomer Eric O'Brien is heard on Monday evenings, DJ George (Lambl), who hosts a Saturday and Sunday afternoon 50s and 60s oldies show on sister station 770 KFB, is heard on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm playing an ecclectic late 60s format, Caleb Michaels (a nom de air for the station's owner) and APD Michael J. Daniels appeared at irregular times, usually at night all doing the 60s and 70s oldies format. Automated oldies are heard starting at 7:15 PM on most other evenings.

Regular non-music programs include Health Breakthroughs with Dr. James Winer, Alternatives to Medicine with Dr. Martin Gallagher, and the daily Scriptural Rosary, which has now aired on Pittsburgh radio for over 30 years. There is an extended lineup of polka shows on Saturday, and midday Sunday, with a schedule of local religious programs on Sunday morning and afternoon.

[edit] External links

• Query the FCC's AM station database for WKHB
• Radio Locator Information on WKHB
• KHB Coverage Map