Pittsburgh's All-Time Favorite DJs: Here Are The Top 10

PITTSBURGH, PA - Patch asked the question and people responded. The query brought back fond memories for many and inspired debate on social media. The question was simple: Who is your all-time favorite Pittsburgh disc jockey?

After counting hundreds of responses, it's possible to craft an admittedly unscientific list of the city's top 10 favorite DJs. To maintain suspense, they're presented here in reverse order.

10. Chuck Brinkman (KQV, WTAE, WFFM-WMYG)

Brinkman started at KQV in 1960, eventually hosting the afternoon drive show and becoming music director. He introduced the Beatles during their 1964 Civic Arena concert, according to Pittsburgh Music History. He moved to WTAE in 1972 and spent seven years there before moving to San Diego. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1980 to do the morning drive at WFFM (later WMYG) and later became program director.

9. Steve Hansen (WDVE, WMYG, 3WS)

He's best known as half of the Jimmy and Steve morning show, which ran on WDVE from 1980 until 1986. After a six-month stint in Miami, they returned to host the morning show at WMYG from 1987 through 1991 before he and Jimmy Roach went their separate ways.

8. O'Brien and Garry (WTAE, WHTX, WMXP)

Friends Larry O'Brien and John Garry were working separate shifts at WTAE in 1975 when O'Brien suggested to management that they team up, according to Jeff Roteman's WTAE page. They moved WTAE FM sister station WHTX in 1983 and later worked at WMXP before ultimately returning to WTAE.

7. Jim Krenn (WDVE, Q92FM)

Krenn rose from the ranks of stand-up comedians to become one of Pittsburgh's premier broadcast personalities. He's best known for his 24-year run as host or co-host (first with Scott Paulsen, then Randy Baumann) of WDVE's morning show. He later hosted his own morning show on Q92.

6. Terry Lee (WESA, WZUM, WARO, WMCK, WIXZ)

Hired at McKeesport's WMCK in 1964 at the age of 21, Lee became one of Pittsburgh's top DJs from the mid '60s through the mid '70s. According to Pittsburgh Music History, he is credited with breaking hits such as "Hanky Panky" by Tommy James and the Shondells, "Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz, "High On A Hill" by Scott English and "69" by the Arondies.

5. Sean McDowell (WYDD, WYTK, WRRK, WDVE)

Known for his easygoing personality and encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll, McDowell was a staple in Pittsburgh radio for four decades. He started his career at WYDD before moving to WYTK and then to WRRK, where he spent 13 years. He became afternoon drive host at WDVE in 1993 - the position from which he retired last year.

4. Jim Quinn (KQV, 13Q (WKTQ), WTAE, B-94 (WBZZ), WRRK, WPGB)

A few years in other markets notwithstanding, Quinn has had a prominent presence in Pittsburgh radio since the late '60s, working solo, as a B-94 morning show host with Banana Don Jefferson and later transitioning into a conservative talk show host.

3. Jimmy Roach (WDVE, WMYG, WASP, Y108)

Roach joined WDVE in 1970, but is best remembered for hosting the morning show with Steve Hansen on the station from 1980 to 1986, and then on WMYG from 1987 through 1991. After he and Hansen went their separate ways, Roach transitioned to country stations and worked from 1991 until 2015 at WASP and Y108.

2. Scott Paulsen (WHTX, WDVE, WRKZ)

Paulsen came to town to work for WHTX then moved to WDVE, first doing the show solo beginning in 1986 and then partnering with Jim Krenn in 1988 for the next 11 years. Paulsen
also hosted a talk show on WBGG-AM. He returned to WDVE in 2002 to host the evening shift, departing in 2006 for WRKZ-FM. Paulsen returned to WDVE as an executive contributor to the
morning show in 2012 before departing for a third time in 2014. He now works at a station in Virginia.

1. Porky Chedwick, (WHOD, WAMO, KQV, WWSW, WLSW, WFKB)

It wasn't even close. The man known as "Pork the Tork," "The Daddio of the Raddio" and "The Platter Pushin' Papa" is by far Pittsburgh's all-time favorite DJ, judging from the response to the Patch call-out. As Pittsburgh Music History noted, the legendary Chedwick was among the first DJs to play racially diverse music in a major American city. Chedwick was on the air at WHOD-WAMO for 24 years until 1972 when he moved to KQV for a weekend show. He returned to WAMO staying there until 1984. He was on the air at WNRZ from 1985 to 1986. After a 10-year retirement, he returned to WAMO in 1996, went to 3WS in 1998 and WLSW in 2000. In 2006, at the age of 88, he appeared on WFKB and was heard on WEDO in 2011. He died in 2014.