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Programming & Music
This essay, Final Listen: B94 Pittsburgh, was written by Sean Ross for Radio-Info.com's Programming & Music column.
Final Listen: B94 Pittsburgh
We’ve said goodbye to legendary Top 40 B94 Pittsburgh once before. In 2004, the original WBZZ (B94) became one of the more prominent casualties of Clear Channel’s “fast on Rhythm, slow on Rock” Midwestern Top 40s, specifically WKST (Kiss FM)—ironically, a descendent of WXKX (96KX), the station that B94 ran out of the format in the early ’80s by being more Rhythmic. In 2007, B94 returned as WBZW. Yesterday, the station announced a pending switch to all-sports KDKA-FM.
The station is now steering listeners to Adult Top 40 sister WZPT (Star 100.7), which will also absorb some of the staff. One promo urges B94 fans to try Star, rather than “settle for stations that play the same five songs over and over again.” Another refers to the new Star as the “lovechild” of the two stations.
For most of its second life, B94 was a somewhat more pop-leaning alternative to Kiss. About three months ago, not long after longtime Urban outlet WAMO-FM went away, B94 went more rhythmic—along the lines of sister KAMP (Amp Radio) Los Angeles and WXRK (Now FM) New York. If anything, Kiss looks slightly more pop than B94.
Here’s B94 today at 2 p.m., with the help of BDSRadio.com:
Rihanna, “Hard”
Kanye West, “Stronger”
Lady Gaga f/Beyonce, “Telephone”
Sean Kingston, “Fire Burning”
Jason DeRulo, “In My Head”
Jay-Z f/Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
Drake/Kanye West/Lil Wayne/Eminem, “Forever”
Black Eyed Peas, “Let’s Get It Started”
David Guetta, “Sexy Chick”
Cascada, “Evacuate The Dance Floor”
Britney Spears, “3”
And here’s Star 100.7 at 4 p.m.:
Owl City, “Fireflies”
Avril Lavigne, “Girlfriend”
Beyoncé, “Irreplacable”
Rob Thomas, “Someday”
Lifehouse, “You And Me”
Jay Sean, “Down”
Keith Urban, “You’ll Think Of Me”
Kris Allen, “Live Like We’re Dying”
Flo Rida f/Ke$ha, “Right Round”
Katy Perry, “Hot ‘N’ Cold”
About the Writer
Sean Ross, one of the radio and music industry’s most widely respected writers and programming analysts, is the author of the newsletter Ross On Radio, an extension of his long-running column of the same name.




























