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| Broadcast area | Pittsburgh metropolitan area |
| Frequencies | |
| Branding | 95.3 WJPA |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Washington Broadcasting Company |
| History | |
First air date |
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Call sign meaning | Washington and Jefferson, Pennsylvania |
| Technical information[1][2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID |
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| Class |
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| Power |
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| ERP |
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| HAAT |
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| Links | |
Public license information |
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| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wjpa.com |
WJPA is aclassic hits radio station simulcast on both theAM andFM bands. It servesWashington County, Pennsylvania, and can be heard in parts ofPittsburgh and Allegheny County. The stations, which are owned by Washington Broadcasting Company, operate at 1450 kHz with a transmitter power output of 1 kW-Unlimited on the AM band and at 95.3 MHz with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 2.15 kW on the FM band. Both stations are licensed toWashington, Pennsylvania.
Though, in general, broadcast focuses on classic hits, WJPA is also known for its wide sports coverage. WJPA regularly broadcasts games of theWashington & Jefferson Collegefootball team,minor league baseball team, theWashington Wild Things, area high school wrestling matches and area high school basketball.
WJPA was started by a consortium of business owners in downtown Washington, several of whom are still part of the ownership group. WJPA made its debut on February 1, 1941. It was one of the last stations the FCC permitted to go on the air prior to the United States' entry intoWorld War II. WJPA-FM also made its debut around this time, but broadcast at a frequency of 104.3 MHz. Because there were few FM receivers and even fewer car radios capable of receiving FM signals, the FM failed to make any kind of financial inroads and its license was returned to theU.S. Federal Communications Commission.
After FM radio started gaining momentum, Washington Broadcasting Company decided to give FM radio another try. The company applied for an FM license, and was granted the application to operate on 95.3 FM. WJPA-FM returned to the air on September 1, 1964. In the summer of 1979, after years of afternoon office-music broadcasts, WJPA-FM switched to a new,album rock format and changed its call letters to WYTK-FM.
In 1983, WYTK moved to a contemporarycountry format, billing itself as "K-Country". Again an automated station, this format remained until the early 1990s when ownership decided to reclaim the AM's call letters and simulcast the two stations, billing it as "The New Sound of Oldies", referring to the addition of then-new CD technology and a deeper music library than Pittsburgh-based competitorWWSW. This format continues today. WJPA breaks for separate programming occasionally, such as Sunday morning church broadcasts, high school sports,Pittsburgh Steelers football andPittsburgh Pirates baseball.
The WJPA broadcast facilities are located at the corner of Main St. and East Wheeling St. across from theObserver-Reporter newspaper offices. Both stations transmit from a self-supporting tower at the intersection ofInterstates 70 and79, just north of Washington.
WJPA has a reputation for its tenured on-air staff. Pete "I Got The Beat" Povich (personally nicknamed byThe Go-Go's lead singerBelinda Carlisle) is the longest tenured DJ at WJPA, having worked there since 1983. Margie Konstantine, who met Pete while students at California University of Pennsylvania, joined the following year. Sports Director Bob Gregg has been part of the stations for more than three decades. Michael Siegel has served as President and General Manager for the past twenty (20) years.
40°11′23″N80°14′02″W / 40.18972°N 80.23389°W /40.18972; -80.23389
