May 30, 2013 2 min read

On May 17, Washington radio station WKZV-AM, operated by Helen Supinski of Canonsburg, became silent, which gives way to proof that in this world of satellite and iHeart radio, a voice that once covered the tri-state area is gone. To me, this marks the end of an era, one that I was so much a part of.

In 1991, I was an on-air disc jockey at that little 1 kilowatt AM daytime station and would occasionally go back to take on the duties of engineer and help with the technical operations. Like most of its local counterparts, such as WASP in Brownsville, and WESA in Charleroi, they all provided a local voice for most of the communities they served. All of these radio stations were locally owned and operated and are all now silenced.

My career in broadcasting goes back almost 25 years, getting my start at WANB in Waynesburg, making WKZV my second stop. That was followed by WASP in Brownsville and WJPA in Washington, where I am currently employed and have been for the past 20 years. Thankfully, it is still locally owned and operated.

My point of all this is simple. Call or write to your local radio station or newspaper and thank them for their voice and providing entertainment, sports and news on the joys and sorrows of life. What these entities provide cannot be taken for granted and should be revered as truly a great thing.

George Lasko

Marianna