May 29, 1975
Pittsburgh Mayor Spins Discs On Morning
Radio Show
PITTSBURGH,
Pa. (AP) -
He's not your rock 'em sock
'em disc jockey, but Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty says you don't have
to be a teenager to appreciate boogie and rock 'n' roll.
As a member
of radio station KQV's wake-up team for the past several weeks, Flaherty
has gone beyond time and weather checks to introducing pop tunes and even
interviewing contemporary recording stars.
The 50-year
old mayor is one of the few at the station who wears a tie. He readily
admits he prefers Frank Sinatra - type songs.
"But now I've
gotten to the point where I listen to rock music more carefully and I can
pick out some gems." he said, ticking off top stars and even some obscure
groups as examples.
"Take BTO (Bachman
Turner Overdrive) and their 'Rolling Down The Highway' Now that's a really
good sound." he said with an air of one who can really name that tune.
Under a standard
13 week contract that pays $300 weekly. Flaherty does a one-hour show every
weekday morning starting at 7:30, giving traffic and sports results and
discussing current events. Everything but politics.
His opening
line generally goes like this: "Good morning, Pittsburgh. We're having
fun down here. Doesn't it sound like it?"
As mayor his
annual salary is $35,000 and Flaherty says he's not taking on the part-time
work for the money.
"I like it."
he says. "Radio is informal and requires little preparation. Beside I like
sitting in the studio window and seeing pretty girls walk by outside."
So far Pittsburghers
have learned that their mayor is 6 foot 2 and wears a 42 long coat, that
he paints his own house and is pretty good at baseboards and window frames,
and that he has a good working knowledge of sports.
KQV's frenetic
pace occasionally causes Flaherty to scramble his grammar as on the day
he announced "Here's that song for the girl that asked me from Bloomfield."
Still, he has
his high points.
Soon after
he did a wide-ranging telephone interview with Olivia Newton-John. Flaherty's
wife, Nancy called and aid jokingly that if he could talk to female singers,
she wanted to talk with Robert Redford.
"You want to
talk with Robert Redford?" he asked. "He's too short for you."
"Pete does
a good job on the air. He certainly adds credibility to the station and
works extremely well with the deejays" said Robert Irwin, KQV station manager.
While ratings
for the crucial drive-time show won't be available until June, Irwin says
he thinks the colorful mayor can add to the station's appeal.
Flaherty agrees,
even though he had hardly learned to push all the control buttons before
political opponents and the local National Organization of Women (NOW)
took pot shots.
"For Pete's
Sake, what are Pete Flaherty's broadcasting qualifications." NOW asked.
"We are gravely concerned about eroding effects on the dignity of our mayor's
office."
Flaherty shrugs
away the complaints, saying he doesn't use the show to his political advantage
since any discussion of politics would violate Federal Communications Commission
regulations.
"We just sort
of wing it around here." he says.
On the air
the mayor begins another day "Good Morning, Pittsburgh. We're having fun
down here. Doesn't it sound like it?" |