Spotlight: Celebrating 75 Years

Spotlight: Celebrating 75 Years of WPTW

Q: What is the history of WPTW and their 75th anniversary?

A: Richard Hunt and Oscar Baker signed 1570am WPTW on the air in 1947, the first community radio station north of Dayton and was also instrumental in starting some of the other stations to our north seeing the benefits in community radio. In 2011, 1570 WPTW was in danger of shutting down if no one wouldstepupandbuyit.(Re)EnterRickMuzzy,whohadalsoworkedatWPTWinthe70'sandboughtit to save it from going dark. It would be a great loss to loose any local radio station. Still the best communicationsandfreetolisten!

Q: How long have you been with WPTW?

A: Rick Muzzy and I, Clint Myers, had talked a couple of times, sometimes the time is right and I made the return to WPTW. I first worked for WPTW under Joanna Hill Heitzman and Richard Hunt Ownership in the 90's and had the opportunity to return in 2019 and have worked since that time to get WPTW back intothecommunitieswiththeNews,HighSchoolSportsandBestEraofMusic(thereeverwas,butthat may be my age talking) and put my ear to the ground and really listen to what the area was asking for andstartedgivingittothem

Q: How many employees do you have here in Miami Valley?

A: Chuck Black heads up our sales department and has been with the company for almost 19 years, Joe Laber,anotherwelllovedhomegrownMiamiCounty boy! From Darke County, we have Clayton Hans, studio engineer, Our Local News is headed up by WPTW alumni and Hall of Fame Broadcaster Terry Lafferty. Our Sports Dept is full of Newer and longtime voices, legends like Tom Michaels, Frosty Brown, Jim Brown, Cody Gray, Jeff Dillion, Lee Mowen and Jeff Allen How many is subject to the time of theyear,weaverage3fulltime4parttimeandwith sports broadcast teams that adds another 6 to 8 parttimecontractors.

Q:What services do you offer to the community?

A: WPTW offers what it has since the beginning, Musical listening entertainment, all programming originating in our Piqua studios, Local community information, Local News, Local events promotion, Local High School Sports, Advertising offerings for local businesses to showcase their goods and services and show their support of local High School Sports on air and make sure that we can provide it all to the listener, at home, in the car, at work and also anywhere in the world streaming on line at 981wptwcom WPTW also offers their Creative Services for commercial production for the best representation of your businessfromscripttoproduced.

on of WPTW?

A:Withour75thanniversary,MuzzyBroadcastingisrecommittingitselftoServingourLocalCommunities Promoting our area to local shopping, events, helping spread the word of our local non-profits, businessesandshinealightonourareadogood-ersonLIVEradio,MiamiCountyMorningsistheonair weekdays 6 to 9am, originating in our studios on State Route 36 in Piqua with Information directly for our Miami,ShelbyandDarkeCountylisteningarea

Q: What is something that has been the most rewarding for you?

Q: What has been something challenging for you/for the radio station?

A: Like any other business, computers have changed how weoperate,whichmeanslessstaffandthemorehatsthat we all have to wear, to get a day completed, it takes commitment.

Q:What’s something new that you would like to do with WPTW?

A:Aftercelebratingit's75thanniversary,Iwouldlike tohelpcarryitto100yearsofdevotiontoPiquaand all of the area communities in Miami County who helpedtogetushere.

A: To serve the community is rewarding and to still be doing what I love is rewarding! When we promote an event and there is an amazing response, It's seeing that I can make a difference I've said it time and time again, RadioIStheoriginalsocialmedia. Thank you from the Troy Chamber of Commerce to WPTW for this wonderful interview!