Category: default || By jt3y

Pat Cloonan of the Daily News had some fun the other day at the expense of "Froggy 98," which is technically licensed to "Duquesne," but which plays country music. If you're thinking that Duquesne --- 47.7 percent African-American, according to the last U.S. Census --- is not a bastion of Brooks and Dunn fans, you're right.

The "city of license" of a radio station used to be important. The FCC used to require radio stations to actually serve the communities to which they were licensed. Ever since the broadcasting industry was deregulated, it's become a little bit of fiction.

In this case, the "Froggy" conglomerate (which is actually a tightly-knitted clump of interlocking corporations) got to move Charleroi's only FM radio station to Duquesne several years ago --- on the grounds that Duquesne didn't have a radio station of its own. In reality, they wanted a Pittsburgh radio station, and Duquesne was as close as they could get with the former WESA-FM, Charleroi.

At the time, I wrote in the Trib that I was willing to lead a parade down West Grant Avenue to welcome Froggy to Duquesne, if they put their studios and offices there. I still haven't been taken up on that offer. But I digress.

Anyway, since the Duquesne High School Dukes are playing for the state championship this weekend, but no one in Pittsburgh is broadcasting the game, Cloonan called Froggy's VP of programming and asked if they'd carry it ... since, after all, they are serving "Duquesne."

You could almost hear the guy sniff in disgust: Froggy, he said, "will not abandon its country audience to broadcast" high school football. One is very tempted to ask why they're abandoning Duquesne ... since that city's apparently appalling lack of a radio station was the justification for moving WESA-FM.

I read their application. To paraphrase Arlo Guthrie, it was full of 8-by-10 color glossy photos, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, all sung in four-part harmony, explaining why the FCC just had to put a radio station in Duquesne:

In support of its proposal, petitioner (states) that Duquesne is incorporated and has a 1990 U.S. Census population of 8,225 persons. The city is governed by a mayor and a four-member city council. Duquesne provides police and volunteer fire and sewage services. It has its own public school system, churches (19), a public park, restaurants, shopping, and its own post office. Duquesne has social and charitable organizations such as the Moose and the American Croatian Club.

Yes, I hear the top executives of Keymarket Licenses LLC are regulars down at the Croatian Club. And if you believe that one, I have a bridge to sell you.

Pat's article raised another interesting point: McKeesport Area High School, which is playing for the Quad-A championship, has gotten a fair amount of Pittsburgh broadcast media attention. (And deservedly so, in the Almanac's view.)

But Duquesne, right across the river, has gotten relatively little coverage, the article implies.

That seems strange to me. If there was a triple homicide on Crawford Avenue, a fatal house fire on Second Street or a big drug bust in Burns Heights, the TV news yakkers would be all over it. Yet here's something positive happening in Duquesne, that residents are legitimately excited about ... and no radio or TV can even be bothered to broadcast the game. It will be available on the Internet and on cable's PCN channel (motto: "Yes, we're that public-affairs thing that no one is watching.").

Sure, it's class A high school football. But it would mean a lot to people in Duquesne, and displaced former residents, if it was on the air, I'll wager.

For that matter, South Park High School's game will be live on the radio. That's only class AA football. Is South Park Township, population 14,340, really that much more important than Duquesne, population 7,332? Or is it just more ... well, I'll say "affluent." I think you get my drift.