A Sale And A Retirement

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The owner of Pittsburgh Radio Partners, Frank Iorio Jr. announced the sale of Talk Radio 1320 WJAS to St Barnabas Broadcasting (a division of St. Barnabas Health System). Following the sale, Iorio will retire, after a 50-year radio career.

Iorio started his radio life in Pittsburgh at WIXZ Radio in 1971. He then worked in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC where he served as Director of Sales at NBC for ten years.

Iorio began his radio ownership career in Louisville, Kentucky in 1989 when he and a few investors purchased WVEZ and WWKY. In 1994, Iorio moved back to Pittsburgh and purchased WBVP and 106.7 the Force in Beaver Falls, PA while adding several other stations to his portfolio in Warren, Erie and Altoona PA.

In 2014, Iorio bought WJAS radio from Renda Broadcasting. Upon taking ownership, Iorio changed the format from Nostalgic/Standards to Conservative Talk. WJAS flipped formats with iHeart Radio’s 104.7 FM who then began their BIG Country format. An FM translator at 99.1 was added to the WJAS mix a few years later.

Iorio said it was a great run. “Over the years, I have bought and sold 9 radio station’s and this one is different because it is my last. It makes retiring bitter- sweet as WJAS has exceeded all of our expectations. I am proud to have owned a Pittsburgh radio station that has become such a profound leader in the market.”

The station is set to close sometime mid-January. St. Barnabas plans to retain the current format and staff.

 

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