WWSW-FM

WWSW-FM

City	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Branding	94.5 3WS
Slogan	"Life's Good, Sing Along"
Frequency	94.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 94.5 HD-2 for Jammin' Oldies
First air date	1940s
Format	Classic Hits
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	247 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	59968
Callsign meaning	The Branding 3WS Means That There Are 3 W'S in WWSW
Former callsigns	WMOT (1940s-1950's) WWSW-FM (1950's-1973) WPEZ (1973-1980)
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (AMFM Radio Licenses, L.L.C. sister_stations = WBGG, WDVE, WKST-FM, WPGB, WXDX)
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	3wsradio.com

"3WS" redirects here. For the Buffalo, New York radio station with the same brand, see WWWS.

WWSW-FM (3WS), is a classic hits radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The iHeartMedia, Inc. station broadcasts at 94.5 MHz with an ERP of 50 kW. Its transmitter is located in Pittsburgh just north of downtown, while its studios are located west of downtown. The current airstaff is made up of Jonny Hartwell, Sheri Van Dyke, Mike Frazer, Steve Grenato, and Kate Harris.

History

Early years

The station signed on as WMOT in the late 1940s,^[1] and was a classical music station until the early 1960s. The station eventually changed its call letters to match its AM sister station, WWSW. The station became WPEZ in 1973 and was a successful top 40 station for the next seven years.

As 3WS

On Labor Day, 1980, the station gave up top 40 for an adult contemporary format, changing its identity at that time to "3WS", and recapturing its sister station's call letters of WWSW. For most of the 80's, the station began to slowly add more and more oldies titles into its playlist, based on listener response.

The AM and FM stations both flipped to oldies in 1988, simulcast for much of the time. When not simulcasting, the FM played a core blend of oldies hits from the 60s and 70s, while the AM leaned more towards 50s and 60s titles. In 1991, the AM's independent programming was abandoned and simulcast the FM 100 percent.

The AM split from the FM in 2000 and adopted a sports radio format as WBGG. In 2006, it was announced that Pitt Panthers football and basketball games would be aired on WWSW-FM.

Transition from Oldies to Classic Hits

Like many oldies stations, WWSW-FM recently had been de-emphasizing music of the 1950s and 1960s in favor of more songs from the 1970s (and even a few from the 1980s), while declining to use the word "oldies" on the air. In 2006, the music was abruptly adjusted forward with more emphasis on the 1970s and even more from the 1980s. The station started to play artists it had ignored before, like Styx, Huey Lewis & the News, Supertramp and Bruce Springsteen, while dropping long-time staples of an earlier vintage like the Dave Clark Five, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and Herman's Hermits. (However, The Beatles continue to be a staple of the station's on air playlist.)

For more than a month prior to Christmas, WWSW switches to all holiday music format, putting a break to the usual classic hits played throughout the year. This includes eliminating the specials such as "All Request Cafe" Ultimate Radio Party" "American Top 40" etc. The classic hits usually return December 26. Much of the evening and overnights as well as most of the weekend shows are voice tracked without a live person.

Some of the disc jockeys that broadcast at 3WS were Jim Merkel, Gary Dickson, Kenny Woods, Steve Hansen, Cris Winter, Bumper Morgan (deceased) RD Summers (deceased) Theresa Colaizzi, Ray Walker, Bonnie Diver, and Lani Daniels. During the prime years at 3WS the morning show featured Merkel and Dickson, the station had oldies concerts that filled Three Rivers Stadium many times with oldies acts, and even Wolfman Jack made an appearance on February 23, 1991. The station received 3 Marconi awards for best oldies station in the United States, while the morning show received 5 AIR awards (achievement in radio) for best morning show in Pittsburgh. Longtime air personality Jim Merkel was released from 3WS on October 4, 2010 after more than 31 years on the staff.

Programming

Disc Jockeys

Jonny Hartwell (5:00AM–9:00AM) Mon–Fri
Sheri Van Dyke (9:00AM–4:00PM) Mon–Fri
Mike Frazer (4:00PM–10:00PM) Mon–Fri
Kate Harris (Noon–5:00PM) Saturdays
Steve Granato (Noon–5:00PM) Sundays

Other shows

Sunday Night Diner (7:00PM–10:00PM) Sundays
All Request Cafe (Noon–1:00PM) Mon–Fri
Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s (9:00AM–Noon) Sundays
Beatles Brunch (8:30AM–9:00AM) Sundays

WWSW HD2

On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel announced that WWSW's HD2 subchannel will carry a format focusing on Rhythmic Oldies, which was originally on its sister station WPGB (when it was WJJJ).

References

↑ List of grandfathered stations

External links

WWSW-FM official website

Query the FCC's FM station database for WWSW

Radio-Locator information on WWSW

Radio stations in the Pittsburgh market

By FM frequency	88.1 88.1 88.3 88.7 88.9 89.3 90.1 90.5 91.3 91.7 92.1 92.1 92.5 92.9 93.7 94.5 94.9 95.3 95.7 96.1 96.9 97.7 98.3 98.9 99.3 99.7 100.1 100.7 101.1 101.5 102.5 103.1 103.5 103.7 103.9 104.3 104.7 105.1 105.9 106.3 106.7 107.1 107.5 107.9

By AM frequency	540 590 620 660 680 730 770 810 860 910 940 970 1020¹ 1080 1150 1210 1250 1280 1320 1360 1380 1410 1450 1460 1480 1490 1510 1550 1570 1640 ¹ Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.550

Digital Radio	89.3-1 89.3-2 90.5-1 90.5-2 90.5-3 91.3-1 92.9-1 92.9-2 92.9-3 92.9-4 93.7-1 93.7-2 94.5-1 94.5-2 96.1-1 96.1-2 96.9-1 96.9-2 96.9-3 96.9-4 99.7-1 100.7-1 100.7-2 100.7-3 102.5-1 102.5-2 104.7-1 104.7-2 105.9-1 105.9-2 107.9-1 107.9-2

By callsign	KDKA¹ KDKA-FM KFX300 KIH35 KQV W261AX WAMO WANB WAOB WAOB-FM WAVL WBGG WBJV WBUT WBVP WBZZ WCAL WCNS WCYJ WDIG WDSY-FM WDVE WEDO WEGW WESA WFSJ-LP WFGI WGBN WGLZ WHJB WISR WIUP WJAS WJPA WJPA-FM WJST WKBN WKFB WKGO WKHB WKPL WKST WKST-FM WKVE WLCY WLER WLSW WLTJ WMBA WMBS WMNY WHOT WMUG-LP WNJR WOGG WOGH WOGI WOHI WORD WPGB WPGP WPGR WPHP WPIT WPKL WPKV WPTS-FM WQED WQMU WQTW WRCT WRRK WSHH WSRU WTYM WUKL WVKF WVNP WWCS WWNL WWSW WWVA WXDX WYEP WYFU WYZR WZUM

Defunct	WKZV 1110 AM WASP 1130 AM WBGI 1340 AM WSTV 1340 AM WZUM 1590 AM

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren Mass media in the Pittsburgh Area Radio stations TV stations Newspapers See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania

Classic Hits radio stations in Pennsylvania

By frequency	730 1370 1460 1570 92.1 92.3 94.5 95.3 96.1 96.1 96.7 97.1 97.3 98.1 98.5 98.9 99.3 100.5 103.1 103.3 103.9 104.9 105.3 107.1

By callsign	WABT WAPY WCDW WGMF WHJB WHNA WKPL WKQL WLSW WOGL WOWY WPHD WPKL WQKY WQTW WRVV WSOX WTTC-FM WWCB WWRR WWSW-FM WYCR WYCY WZMF

By city	Brookville Corry Ellwood City Emporium Greensburg Harrisburg Hawley Latrobe Lehman Township Nanticoke Philadelphia Pittsburgh Red Lion Riverside Scottdale Scranton South Waverly State College Susquehanna Towanda Tunkhannock Uniontown University Park York-Hanover

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Pennsylvania See also Oldies Classic Hits

iHeartMedia

Corporate officers	Bob Pittman (Chairman/CEO)

Board of directors	Lowry Mays Irving Azoff B. J. "Red" McCombs J. C. Watts John H. Williams

Radio stations	List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia

Radio networks	Fox Sports Radio Premiere Networks Premium Choice Total Traffic and Weather Network

Miscellaneous	Clear Channel Outdoor Clear Channel UK iHeartRadio List of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia Mediabase Radio Computing Services

Coordinates: 40°27′48″N 80°00′17″W / 40.4634°N 80.0048°W / 40.4634; -80.0048

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