WXDX-FM

WXDX-FM (branded 105.9 The X) is an Alternative Rock radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned by iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel Communications), the station broadcasts at 105.9 MHz with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 15.5 kW. Since October 2006, WXDX has been the radio flagship station of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. Its transmitter is located in Pittsburgh's North Side, while its studios are located in Green Tree.

WXDX-FM
CityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast areaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Frequency105.9 MHz (HD Radio)
HD2: iHeart 2000s Channel
Branding105.9 The X
Programming
FormatAlternative Rock
AffiliationsPittsburgh Penguins Radio Network
Ownership
OwneriHeartMedia
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stationsWBGG, WDVE, WKST-FM, WPGB, WWSW-FM
History
First air date1948 (as WAMO-FM)
Former call signsWAMO-FM (1948–1996)
Technical information
Facility ID60153
ClassB
ERP15,500 watts
HAAT272 meters
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website1059thex.com

History
WXDX's HD Radio Channels on a SPARC Radio with PSD.

105.9 FM signed on as WAMO-FM in 1948 and had the most powerful signal coverage in western Pennsylvania. It also had various formats during its early years, which also included Album-oriented Rock, Disco,[1] and CHUrban. However, it had better success with its urban contemporary/R&B direction, of which the WAMO call letters would be associated with in the following decades, even with various frequency changes. In 1974, WAMO and WAMO-FM began separate programming. The A.M. station aired Urban Gospel programming on weekdays, while on weekends, it simulcasted WAMO-FM. WAMO-FM was formatted as an Urban Contemporary station with Gospel programming on Sunday. Over the years, the station was branded as "Hot 106 WAMO".

On April 10, 1996, at 3 PM, WAMO swapped frequencies with WXDX, and moved to the 106.7 frequency, with WXDX moving to 105.9 FM.

WXDX was one of six stations in the Clear Channel roster that dropped Howard Stern in February 2004 (however, Stern would show up on WRKZ later that year). Howard began airing on WXDX in November 1995 (when it was still on 106.7 FM).

Currently, the station’s air staff consists of morning host Abby Krizner, midday & weekend host Russ “Whip” Rose, afternoon host Mark Madden, evening host Stacy Walter, and weekend/swing hosts Brandy Richey, Katie Oltmanns, and Travis Marzina. Additional time is filled by programming from the Penguins Radio Network and iHeartMedia’s Premium Choice network, which provides the station with talent and music in the overnight hours and Saturday evenings.[2]

Former on-air staff
  • Alan Cox – The Alan Cox Radio Show. Alan Cox generated a sizable following after being hired to host afternoons in 1999. He replaced "The Howard Stern Show" in the morning in June 2004 and his contract was not renewed for financial reasons in 2006. Cox released three CDs while on the air at WXDX-FM Pittsburgh: "Alan Cox Sells Out", "Ribbed", and "Shadyside Bathroom Wall Blues". He frequently performed at numerous comedy clubs throughout the area, and a portion of the proceeds from his CDs were donated to local charities. Cox left in 2006 to host The Morning Fix at WKQX (Q101) in Chicago. Currently, he hosts afternoons at WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Tim Benz – Co-hosted the weekday morning show from 2006 until February 2014, when he became sports director for all Pittsburgh Clear Channel stations.[3] Benz resigned as sports director in May 2014 to co-host a program on WEEI-FM in Boston with Lou Merloni and Christian Fauria.[4]
  • Tim Anglin – He was a part-time DJ and The X's Promotions Director (1998–2002)
  • Paul Cramer – Was a weekend and swing shift jock on The X who came to the station from rival alternative WNRQ (The Revolution) and was one of the original "XX" DJs from the 1980s Pittsburgh alternative station WXXP. He is the author of "The Encyclopedia of Modern Rock Artists". An internet radio pioneer, Cramer created one of the first alternative rock internet stations (EAR.FM) in 1997. While at The X, he programmed the music for the specialty show "Prehistoric X" which focused on alternative 1980s’ music.
  • Debbie "Buck" Wilde – Night jock from 1996 to 2002, currently hosting middays on Pittsburgh adult contemporary station WLTJ.[5]
  • Ditch – Evening jock until 1997, now at KUFO in San Diego.
  • Alison "Ali Gheny" Castellini – Afternoon jock and Assistant Program Director from 1995–97 at "WNRQ- the Revolution". Known for antics such as giving away "Oceanfront condominiums in Idaho" on April Fools' Day, she was later recruited to be Program Director and Afternoon Jock at WXDX after the Viacom-Secret Comm-Entercom buy outs. It was this era that WXDX saw its greatest evolution and its on-air staff its greatest growth. In 1997 she moved to Philadelphia to start up and host afternoons for Modern AC-"Max 95.7" WXXM. There she simultaneously hosted the nationally syndicated show "Today's Women" as a "Lilith Fair" radio companion for United Station Radio Networks (a Dick Clark company). Later she directed and oversaw CDNow.com's first forrays into online radio products and stations, which included the company purchase of Napster.com. She later returned to "terrestrial" radio at Adult Alternative WXPN in Philadelphia where she hosted evenings on-air while associate producing syndicated "World Cafe". She also managed the digital relationship the program had with Sirius Satellite Radio and booked all of the artists. After 25 years in Radio and music, she now continues work starting up companies in other industries, consulting and teaching at Temple University.
  • Grimm – Afternoon and evening jock. Moved to Monday-Friday 3–7 p.m. slot when Alan Cox's show was moved to the mornings in 2004 and stayed in this time slot until August 2008. Worked with Pittsburgh Penguins Radio on 105.9 HD2 as producer/co-host of "Penguins Live." (daily 9:00–11:30 am with Pittsburgh native Steve Mears hosting). Also worked doing weekends at 93.7 The Fan and Star 100.7. He is currently the night host at 103.1 The Bear in Parkersburg, WV.
  • Maxwell Slater "Max" Logan a.k.a. Benjamin Bornstein. Afternoon jock until 1997. Formerly heard on WEBN in Cincinnati, WMMS and WNCX in Cleveland and WLUP-FM in Chicago as host of The Maxwell Show. Ironically, Alan Cox took over the afternoon drive shifts previously occupied by Max at both WXDX-FM in 1999 and at WMMS in Cleveland in 2009.[6] Bornstein is currently off the air.
  • Renae Ravey – Overnights, weekends, swing jock, also a former jock at WNRQ (The Revolution). She is currently cohost of The Woody Show, heard mornings on Alt 98.7 in Los Angeles.
  • Mike Bocan – Former evening & weekend jock, and promotions director who worked until March 12, 2007, after an incident transpired during a phone call to Bob Grove, host of the Pittsburgh Penguins postgame show.
  • Lenny Diana – Was the X's music director and host of Edge of the X from 2001–2008; also did the 7 pm – midnight shift weeknights during his last couple of years with the station. He is currently Brand Manager for WLZX (LAZER 99.3) and Classic Rock WAQY (ROCK 102) in Springfield, Massachusetts.
  • Steve Stone (station promotional voice), a nationally known television and radio voice announcer. Steve Stone worked as the in-house creative director for WXDX-FM for three years, from 1996 to the end of 1999. He went on to work at WXRK-FM in New York City, and eventually launched his own voiceover and audio production company.
  • Megan Slater – Weekends and filled in on the weekdays; left the X in early 2008 to join WRKZ-FM, a rock station in Columbus, Ohio where she was the weekday mid-day host. She moved to Q-FM 96 (WLVQ-FM) in Columbus, Ohio where she was the weekday mid-day host until May 3, 2010.
  • Bob McLaughlin – Co-hosted mornings with Tim Benz until 2014, then became Mark Madden’s producer, where he remained through January 2020.

WXDX-FM HD2

WXDX broadcasts on its HD2 subchannel dates back to 2006, when the subchannel launched a format focusing on Adult Album Alternative (Triple A) music.

In May 2009, as part of WXDX's renewal of Pittsburgh Penguins radio rights, WXDX and the Penguins announced that the HD2 subchannel would become a 24-hour channel devoted to Penguins coverage, billed as "Pittsburgh Penguins Radio." Plans for the channel (which launched October 1, 2009) include local and nationally-originated Penguins and hockey coverage (including "NHL Live" and league commissioner Gary Bettman’s weekly “NHL Hour"), rebroadcasts of classic Penguins games, and game broadcasts of the team's top farm club in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The move will make the Penguins the second North American professional sports team (the first NHL team) with their own terrestrial radio channel (after the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and their HD2 relationship with KRLD-FM).[7]

In the fall of 2015, WXDX-HD2 dropped Penguins Radio 24/7 with music WXDX normally plays on their station (but still simulcast Penguins games) until late March 2016 when they replaced the format altogether with iheart 2000s (which was moved over by WKST-HD2, and was replaced with Pride Radio).

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References
  1. "from www.rjdiscousa.com". Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
  2. "Find 105.9 The X's Sunday Live On-Air Schedule". 105.9 The X. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  3. "The X changes things around". pbrtv.com. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  4. "Benz New England bound". pbrtv.com. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  5. "WLTJ names Joanna Campbell for middays, Debbie Wilde for nights". Retrieved 2015-01-15.
  6. "WAMO and X Play Hide-and-Seek with Listeners Today". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. John Robinson Block. April 10, 1996. WXDX is shepherding in this new stage of growth with a revamped on-air lineup, bringing Max Logan over from WDVE to host afternoon drive...
  7. Taylor, Tom (May 11, 2009). "The NHL Pittsburgh Penguins get a full-time HD-2 channel from "The X."". Taylor on Radio-Info. Radio-Info.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.

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