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Wednesday, July 25, 2001

By Adrian McCoy, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Vicki Cohill will host a new evening call-in request show on WLTJ-FM (92.9), starting Aug. 6.

"Lite Rock Girl Talk" will feature music, requests and dedications, plus conversations with listeners.

"We call it reality radio," says WLTJ program director Chuck Stevens.

Cohill, who most recently was co-host on the WZPT-FM (100.7) morning show, also worked at the former Mix 96 (now WKST-FM), WAMO-FM (106.7, 107.1) and on a country station in Manassas, Va.

While "Lite Rock Girl Talk" sounds somewhat similar in concept to the syndicated "Delilah After Dark" show and others, this "will be different because it will be Pittsburgh," Stevens says. "It's going to be live and local."

And, he adds, male listeners shouldn't let the "Girl Talk" title scare them away. Even though the show's target audience is women, "It's going to be designed so men can listen in, too. I think men will be interested in eavesdropping" on the conversations.

WLTJ evening host Shawn Israel moves to fill-in and weekend shifts. And WZPT is conducting a search for Cohill's replacement on the morning show.

"Lite Rock Girl Talk" will air from 7 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday .

For sale

Christian station WWNL-AM (1080) is being sold.

The new owner will be Wilkins Communications Inc., which is purchasing the station from Mortenson Broadcasting. The station will continue to have a Christian format, with a mix of ministries and praise-and-worship music programming.

The South Carolina-based Wilkins will take over officially on Sept. 1, pending FCC approval.

More on ratings

Yesterday's Arbitron ratings pointed to a format battle shaping up between the market's two contemporary hits stations -- WBZZ-FM (93.7) and WKST-FM (96.1). WBZZ has been a chart-topper for years, but newcomer WKST is gaining ground quickly. It was the No. 6 station, compared to WBZZ's No. 4, among total listeners.

And in terms of ratings, 2001 is shaping up to be a good year for WRRK-FM (96.9) morning host Jim Quinn.

First, the Clintons leave the White House, and, although one might think that would give him less to talk about, the show is thriving. Among the key 25- to 54-year-old age group, it's now the No. 3 morning show, behind early-morning stalwarts Jim Krenn and Randy Baumann on WDVE-FM (102.5) in first place, and the John Dave Bubba Shelley team on WBZZ in second, and bypassing morning drive fixtures such as Howard Stern on WXDX-FM (105.9) and John Cigna on KDKA-AM (1020).

Oldies

WZUM-AM (1590) has added another oldies show. Bill Roberts, a k a the Little Bossman, hosts the 3 to 5 p.m. shift on Fridays. Roberts, who is now based on the West Coast, is a Pittsburgh native and longtime oldies DJ.

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