The DVE Morning Show

History

In 1980, WDVE began airing Jimmy and Steve in the Morning with DJs and hosts Jimmy Roach and Steve Hansen. Roach and Hansen re-established comedy and local music promotion on Pittsburgh morning radio, elements that had been absent from the region's airwaves for quite some time. They helped to promote the careers of Pittsburgh area acts like the Iron City Houserockers, the Granati Brothers, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers and B. E. Taylor Group. This formula of comedy, talk and local music helped to make the show and station extremely popular in the region. Despite this, WDVE did not renew their contracts in 1986, and Roach and Hansen were fired, effectively canceling Jimmy and Steve in the Morning.

Not long after Roach and Hansen's departure from WDVE, the station replaced them and their show. Hiring comedian/DJ Scott Paulsen, the station began airing Scott Paulsen and the DVE Morning Show in the 6:00-10:00 am time slot. Adopting a similar format to Roach and Hansen, Paulsen's show became very popular and kept WDVE near the top of the ratings. In 1988, Paulsen was teamed up with comedian Jim Krenn, who had been a regular on the show. Paulsen and Krenn even competed against Roach and Hansen from 1987 to 1991, when the latter duo joined WMYG. When Jimmy Roach and Steve Hansen went separate ways in 1991, Scott Paulsen, Jim Krenn and the DVE Morning Show became Pittsburgh's most popular morning radio program.

Over the next decade, Paulsen and Krenn created many comedic characters, sketches and celebrity impersonations. They interviewed many regular guests and continued to promote Pittsburgh music and comedy. At the end of 1999, Scott Paulsen decided to not renew his contract and leave WDVE and the Morning Show (he would return later in 2000 until 2006 as a DJ). For a temporary period of time in 2000, Krenn hosted solo and the show was rebranded Jim Krenn and the DVE Morning Show. After interviewing several candidates, Krenn and WDVE selected Erie, Pennsylvania native and radio personality Randy Baumann. The program was again rebranded, this time Jim Krenn, Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show, and the show remained popular in the ratings.

Over the show's run, several newsreaders and sportscasters have come and gone. However, newsreader Val Porter and sportscaster Mike Prisuta have been with the show since the early 2000s. Phil Kirzyc, later the DJ for the weekday 7:00 pm–12:00 am time slot, got his start at WDVE as the Morning Show's announcer.

For a period of a month in January and February 2010, Randy Baumann did not appear with Jim Krenn on the program because of a contract dispute, and the show was temporarily rebranded The DVE Morning Show. Negotiations were eventually settled, and Baumann returned to Jim Krenn, Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show.

In December 2011 and January 2012, a member of the Morning Show again went through a contract dispute. This time, it was Jim Krenn's turn. WDVE wanted Krenn to leave the Morning Show and become the station's spokesperson, as well as become more of an internet personality. Krenn wanted to remain in his current position as host of the program. As a result of this, Jim Krenn was forced to leave WDVE and the Morning Show after twenty-five years on the air. Because of a non-compete clause in his contract, Krenn has not yet returned to Pittsburgh's airwaves. He has since returned to focus on his standup while also hosting an internet podcast, Jim Krenn: No Restrictions, which began streaming in March 2013. Krenn would eventually return to Pittsburgh radio, albeit on a weekly basis, joining Larry Richert and John Shumway on Fridays from 8:00-9:00 am on KDKA-AM.

During Krenn's dispute with WDVE and parent company Clear Channel Communications, the program returned to the air from its holiday break with Baumann, Val Porter and Mike Prisuta, again retitled The DVE Morning Show. In January 2012, it was announced that Scott Paulsen would return to the show as an "executive contributor" as well as a fill-in host/DJ. Comedian Bill Crawford was also hired to join the show. When Paulsen and Crawford joined the show later that month, the show was rebranded Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show, with Baumann currently as the show's sole host.

On January 31, 2014, Scott Paulsen again signed off from the Morning Show, two years after he returned to the station., citing he wanted to spend more time on his farm and, jokingly, become a woman. He and the other Morning Show members hinted at possibly becoming a guest contributor in the future

As a testament to the program's popularity, WDVE often reruns bits from the Morning Show at other times during the day. DVE disc jockeys Michele Michaels (10:00 am–3:00 pm) and Sean McDowell (3:00-7:00 pm) often play recent clips from the show intermittently during their respective times on air. Additionally, every Saturday from 8:00-10:00 am, the station airs The DVE Morning Show Reloaded featuring the best of the previous week's shows interjected in between songs. This is usually hosted by Val Porter.

Current

Former

Frequent guests

Additionally, many current Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates players tend to appear on the show.

Recurring comedy bits

Note: Names in lists with "Paulsen" and "Krenn" next to them were portrayed by Scott Paulsen and Jim Krenn and can no longer be heard on the show.

Celebrity impersonations

Original characters/sketches

CD compilations

During the show's run, WDVE has put out many CD compilations of the Morning Show featuring the program's best comedy sketches and interviews and showcasing the many people that have come and gone on the show. Most of these CDs did not remain in print for an extended period of time, and today Morning Show compilations have become collector's items.

Discography

In other media