Category: Commentary/Editorial || By

Cluttered items from an empty mind:

Holiday Ro-o-o-o-ad: Yes, we've been slacking off for the past two weeks. What do you expect? It's the holidays.

I had a big, long screed ready to publish a few days ago, and decided, nah.

Did you really want to read screeds about economic development or local politics? Hell, no. You wanted to eat Christmas cookies and drink egg nog.

Anyway, happy new year, and good riddance to 2009.

And don't worry, we'll have lots more screeds in 2010, and maybe even more blurry videos shot with a 20-year-old camcorder. Because that's the level of "quality" you've come to expect from Tube City Online, and by God, you're gonna get it good and hard.

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TL in Town Feb. 13: In more interesting news, Terry Lee is returning to the Mon Valley for his first public appearance here in 22 years.

The longtime local radio personality (WMCK, WIXZ, WESA, WRUA, plus Channel 11 TV), entrepreneur and concert promoter will host a dance at the Palisades Ballroom on Valentine's Day weekend.

Writes Terry on his blog:

When I first came to McKeesport in early 1964, the very first dance that I did was at the Palisades.

Since I am returning to the Greater Pittsburgh area for the first time in over 22 years, many venues were suggested for my first appearance, but the Palisades has always held sentimental value to me, so that is where I will appear for the first time, on Saturday, Feb. 13 for a special Valentine's Music for Young Lovers Dance.

In the early days of 1964, one of the first people that I met when I arrived in McKeesport was Rich Antoncic. As time went by, Rich ended up working for me at some of my dances like Redd's Beach. He has been a good friend through all the years, and I have invited him to be with me on Feb. 13 at the Palisades.

In 1966, when I was operating the TL Nite Train, we would take 35mm slides of the audience and the entertainers, and the following week, we would show the slides on the walls. Pack rat that I am, I have saved all the slides, and at the Palisades that night, we are going to recreate the slide shows from the TL Nite Train.

I am looking forward to doing this dance, and hope you will join us for a night of music and memories.

Tickets are available via the Palisades' website.

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Radio, Radio: On a related note, I have lately been busy tracking down people who worked at McKeesport's WEDO (810), WMCK and WIXZ (1360), Braddock's WLOA (1550), and Homestead's WHOD and WAMO (860).

"Why?" That's the question that Adam Lynch asked me. Lynch is a city native and McKeesport High School graduate who began his broadcasting career at WEDO.

Now retired, Lynch said he was suspicious of my motivations at first. Then, he said, "after talking to you for a while, I realized you were the only person in the world who would give a (expletive) about what WEDO was like in 1948."

So, the answer to Lynch's question is basically, "Why not?"

Besides Lynch, I've had very entertaining conversations with six or seven other people as well.

If you or someone you know worked at one of the Mon-Yough area's radio stations, please email me at j togyer at g mail dot com.

. . .

By the Way: Since leaving broadcasting, Lynch has had a productive second career as an aviation and military historian.

His most recent article appears in the new issue of WWII History. In it, Lynch reports the true, harrowing story of a group of naval aviators --- including John Kepchia of Westmoreland County --- taken prisoner by the Japanese on the island of New Britain.

WWII History is available at bookstores or can be ordered directly from the publisher, Sovereign Media of Herndon, Va. Make sure to ask for the January 2010 issue featuring the article "Hell on New Britain" by Adam Lynch.