Beaver County Radio moving to Brighton Township

Scott Tady, Beaver County Times
·2 min read

BEAVER FALLS – Beaver County Radio station WBVP-WMBA is moving its studios to Brighton Township.

A fixture in downtown Beaver Falls since 1948, when WBVP-AM first went on air, the simulcast stations will occupy a building off Dutch Ridge Road that formerly served as the headquarters of the Michael Baker Corp. engineering firm.

That building, near the Brighton exit of Interstate 376, is owned by St. Barnabas Health System and its affiliated St. Barnabas Broadcasting, which acquired Beaver County Radio in September 2021.

Work truck outside the future studios of Beaver County Radio.
Work truck outside the future studios of Beaver County Radio.

The move “gives us access to do all kinds of things,” William V. Day, CEO of St. Barnabas, said during a Friday morning appearance on WBVP (99.3 FM/1230 AM) and WMBA (95.7 FM/1460 AM.)

Day added the relocation is “indicative of what’s happening in Beaver County. It’s a great place to live, great place to work, great place to worship. Beaver County is a great place. If we can further enhance the attractiveness of Beaver County, we want to do it.”

A grand opening of the new studios will take place June 17, featuring special guests and a car cruise sponsored by Pennsylvania Hot Rod Co. at the new studio site located at 4301 Dutch Ridge Road.

Sign at the driveway entrance off Dutch Ridge Road to the future home of Beaver County Radio.
Sign at the driveway entrance off Dutch Ridge Road to the future home of Beaver County Radio.

"We are excited for what the future holds for Beaver County Radio," Frank Sparks, the station's general manager/program director, said. "The all-new upgrade studios will allow us to serve the people of Beaver County for years to come."

The move takes place as the stations celebrate the 75th anniversary of WBVP going on the air. The current studios at 1316 Seventh Ave. in Beaver Falls have been the home of WBVP since the late 1970s, and WMBA since 2000.

Work is under way to install the new Beaver County Radio studios inside the former Michael Baker Corp. headquarters in Brighton Township.
Work is under way to install the new Beaver County Radio studios inside the former Michael Baker Corp. headquarters in Brighton Township.

WBVP’s first studio was located upstairs of 1216 Seventh Ave., where Vocelli Pizza currently is, before moving to the basement of a bank at 1400 Seventh Ave. in the late 1960s.  WMBA started out with a studio in the upstairs of Action Tire on Duss Avenue in Ambridge in 1957 before making a couple of other moves around Ambridge prior to moving in with WBVP.

Competitors until a May 2000 merger, WBVP and WMBA offer a local news, sports and talk format that's also streamed live at beavercountyradio.com.

In 2018, St. Barnabas Land Trust also purchased Tusca Plaza in Brighton Township, bringing a grocery store ― Shop 'n Save ― back to that shopping center along with a fuel station.

More: Mancini Awards nominees announced for Beaver-Lawrence-Butler-Mercer county high schools

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Beaver County's simulcast radio station is moving to Brighton Township