Chris Lash

Chris Lash is a radio broadcaster, newspaper publisher and entrepreneur. He has owned, built and operated radio stations in Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee and Ohio over the past 30 years. His "Whiplash Radio of Ohio LLC" currently owns the licenses to WYCL AM/1540 in Niles, Ohio and WHTX AM/1570 in Warren, Ohio.^[1][2]

Radio

Lash started in radio at age 13, hosting "Teen Tunes", a daily contemporary Christian music show on Christian-formatted WCTL in his hometown of Union City, Pennsylvania (south of Erie). From there he did nights at WWCB in Corry, Pennsylvania, before attending college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. While at Clarion, he worked with many friends who went on to great radio careers including Larry Richert (KDKA Pittsburgh), Marc Sherman (KODA Houston), Calib James (WHTX Pittsburgh and in Altoona) and many others. During this time Lash also worked afternoons and weekends at Red Hot 102, WSEG in Erie, PA.

From WSEG Lash started doing weekends/swing at "Radio 13" WRIE. Over the course of a few years, and multiple owners, he rose to the position of Program Director, at the age of 21. Leaving Erie in 1986, he did mid-days and became Ass't PD at WOKW (OK100) in Cortland, NY, then returned to Erie for three years as the Promotions Director of highly rated "Classy 100" WXKC.

His dream was to work in the Pittsburgh market, due to his love of full service "1250 WTAE". He got his chance serving as Program Director of 98.3 Class FM WESA, licensed to Charleroi. And did weekends at 92.9 Lite FM, WLTJ, and then at WISH 99.7, both in Pittsburgh. While in the Mon Valley, Lash was a part of a round the clock team, that did lots of promotions, including an album of parody songs, written by morning man Tom Lamb, along with Lash and members of his family. "The Good Morning Mon Valley" album raised money for a local charity, and featured several songs highlighting the Pittsburgh Penquins. The songs featured airplay on several Pittsburgh stations.

Lashes next step took him into Pittsburgh, working full time as Production Director of Renda Broadcasting's Pittsburgh stations, WISH and WJAS. Renda would later promote Lash to serve as general manager for WPXZ and WECZ in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in 1992. He would stay there until 1997 becoming a part of the Punxsutawney community, including a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's "Inner Circle" - the gentlemen who promote and put on Groundhog Day, each February 2. With Lash at the helm of entertainment leader, he preformed in front of crowds as large as 35,000 people, having increased in numbers due to the success of the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. His role as "His Proclaimer" in the Groundhog Club allowed Lash to be interviewed by every major television network, including "The Today Show", "CBS This Morning" and "Good Morning America". Lash also served as President of the Punxsutawney Chamber of Commerce, and was a big part of securing the world premiere of Groundhog Day in nearby Dubois.

After a short stint back in Pittsburgh at 620 WHJB Radio, Lash returned to Indiana, PA as Sales Manager, then Program and News Director at 1450 WDAD and U92 WQMU radio. During the next four years, he did mornings with Michael J. Daniels on the highly rated "Odd Couple" morning show. In 2002, while working for the Sample Media Group of Pennsylvania (Owners of newspapers including the Tyrone Daily Herald, where Lash served as GM), along with his wife Karen, they started building Contemporary Christian LPFM "103.7 FISH FM" WFSJ - two years before Salem Communications developed their FISH format. The Lashes would lose a fight against Salem over the trademark of the FISH FM name.^[3] 103.7 then became "The Switch".^[4] A second "Switch" station was built north of Tampa, Florida in Zephyrhills.^[5] In 2005, John Broomall of Christian Community Broadcasters, a long time Low Power FM radio advocate, named the Lashes as the best LPFM broadcasters in the country.

In 2005, the Lashes moved to Huntingdon, Tennessee where they LMA'd 1530 WDAP, growing the station by including live performance events featuring Country music. "The Huntingdon Hayride" was born from the stage of the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center, named after the actress from the 80's TV sitcom "Designing Women". The show featured many country stars, and relaunched the career of Sun Records artist Carl Mann (native of Huntingdon, TN). Most shows sold out and were broadcast live on the air. The Lashes would lose the show two years later, in another trademark fight with the City of Huntingdon. During this time period, the Lashes would purchase then dark WWON in Waynesboro, Tennessee, as well as own and operate a minor league baseball team known as the "Tennessee T's"

WWON was put back on the air as a classic country format under the name "930 The Farm," with the help of friend Michael J. Daniels, who had worked with the Lashes in Indiana, PA. "The Farm" was well received, as well as the launch of "The Advisor", a free community newspaper direct mailed to homes in the Waynesboro area. Having sold all of their other stations a few years earlier, the Lashes were looking for another station in Florida. They would find it in WFBO, known as "The Blizzard." They officially moved to Florida after several years in Waynesboro, TN. WWON was sold to another company based in Nashville, and in May 2011, was sold again.

"The Blizzard WFBO" was full of problems. Having been fined by the FCC for many things, the Lashes tried to turn the station around with a great oldies format, but because of previous issues, where never able to get the transfer of the station to their company. WFBO's city of license was Flagler Beach, FL.^[6] In the 1920s the communities newspaper was known as "The Flagler Beach Radio." With such a clever name, Lash relaunched the newspaper and published three editions before tragedy stuck. Karen Lash developed breast cancer, and died 8 months later in April 2009. With Lashes father also dying during the same time period, he returned home to Pennsylvania.

While in Pittsburgh, Lash got the help of Bill Spry in Cincinnati, and built from scratch another LPFM station, 89.3 "Hybrid FM" WYNS-FM in Waynesville, Ohio, a small town located between Dayton and Cincinnati, leasing the station for two years from Spry Media. Also during this time, Lash reunited with a high school sweetheart, and married Kathy Peck, of Warren PA., on New Years Eve 2009. While in Waynesville, the Lashes started "The Ohio Hayride" with Donna Campbell and Richard Lynch,^[7][8] taking place at their farm, "The Keepin It Country Farm.^[9]" The show again featured live country music on the radio, including TG Sheppard, Tommy Cash, T. Graham Brown and many others. The shows while somewhat of a success only lasted one season. Lash again served on the Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerces Board of Directors, and as Entertainment Director of the town's huge "Ohio Sauerkraut Festival." ^[10]

Getting the itch again for ownership, the Lashes purchased 1540 WYCL and 1570 WHTX from Beacon Broadcasting of Ohio, in Warren/Youngstown, OH in September 2010.^[11] Lash relaunched his Farm classic country format on 1540, and then went through several format changes with 1570 WHTX, due to changes in the Youngstown, OH radio market.^[12][13] Finally going with an adult standards format, formerly on another station in the market. The WHTX call letters were secured, as they were once used on the FM sister station of Lashes radio love 1250 WTAE back in Pittsburgh. The Lashes moved back to Pittsburgh, PA in December 2010, and now lease the two Youngstown stations to two different groups. 1540 WYCL is now a local talk format, while 1570 WHTX remains in its adult standards format, leased by Jim Davison of Cleveland, OH. Jim is the curator of the Cleveland Radio Museum.

On October 21, 2011 Lash signed an LMA/Purchase agreement on "Cool 1370" WHYP radio in Corry, PA, and took over operations on December 1st, keeping its oldies format. It was the fulfillment of another life long dream to own a station he worked at in his career. Lash worked at 1370, then known as WWCB from 1980-1982 on air!

Newspaper

Chris Lash competed against many newspapers over his radio career. But got the opportunity to learn the business first hand, while serving as GM of the Tyrone Daily Herald in Tyrone, PA for two years. The Daily Herald remains the smallest daily newspaper in the state of Pennsylvania. During his tenure there, he served on the Tyrone Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and published a column known as "Local Intelligence", a column started by Publisher William Anderson in Punxsutawney, PA. Lash and Anderson were in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club together. He also lead several efforts, helping to raise money for snow removal on the downtown city streets.

His last duty with the Sample Media Group, was researching the relaunch of newspapers in communities that had lost their hometown newspapers. With this in mind, The Philipsburg Journal was relaunched, outside of State College, PA. Lash also researched other towns in PA, who had lost their papers. This experience would serve him well, when he launched two newspapers, along with the family owned radio stations in Tennessee and Florida.

References

1. ^ http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/aug/18/2-radio-stations-are-sold/
2. ^ http://www.pbrtv.com/blog/entry_1562.php
3. ^ http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/19.27.html?start=4
4. ^ http://www.theswitch.fm/
5. ^ http://www.hisair.net/news/dec03.htm
6. ^ http://cflradio.net/93.3_WFBO_FM.htm
7. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhRH0xlyat8
8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx5qSchwztk
9. ^ http://www.keepinitcountryfarm.com/
10. ^ http://www.western-star.com/news/lebanon-oh-news/89-389-3-a-hometown-radio-station-for-waynesville-303812.html
11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQQlQVwpSGk "Radio Walking Tour.wmv." Posted on September 05, 2010.
12. ^ http://ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/busy-monday/
13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azn2a-X_Htk

External links

• http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/clash.htm
• Radio People by Name (L)