Wind down over the weekend? Not here. Keith Beck says "get the party started!." Well, he's always "on",
but you can hear him Saturdays and Sundays between 2:00pm and 6:00pm with "Weekend Gold".
Keith was born and raised in the fabled Alle-Kiski Valley, where he grew up on his family's farm in Armstrong County. He also became accustomed to a steady diet of southern and psychedelic rock in his formative years, developing a love for music. He later took up drums and has performed in several prominent local bands ever since. His love of music led him to start his own wedding DJ business...and a career in radio, beginning at Kittanning's WACB in 1988, where he became re-acquainted with a former high school classmate, Ken Hawk, becoming the station's 'Dreadful DJ Duo" evening team. They would go their separate ways, and Keith later went to WKPA in New Kensington and WNRJ in Pittsburgh. Fate brought Ken and Keith together again at WKPA, and after Ken started Saxonburgradio.com, he emailed Keith and asked if he'd like to work together again. Keith showed up at the station less than five minutes later...from his own house some 30 miles away.
When Keith's not busy being his irreverent, malcontent, non-conforming self on the air, he enjoys motorcycle riding, raising St. Bernards, good music, spending time "with a group of close friends that are mostly imaginary", and playing the drums. He and his wife Chris live with their dogs in Armstrong County.
BetHANY
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Laura Ashlee is the midday announcer on saxonburgradio.com. She can be heard weekdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Laura was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and spent half her childhood between there and St. Augustine, Florida. Her family moved to Butler County during her 'tween' years and she graduated from Knoch High School, where she excelled in basketball and the cheerleading squad. Her radio beginnings were rather unlikely, as Ken happened to need another announcer while Laura was babysitting his daughter, and she happened to be in the right place at the right time!
When Laura isn't helping you get through the weekday doldrums at the office, she is busy planning her wedding! She graduated in May 2018 studies at Slippery Rock University, where she is pursuing her undergraduate degree and hopes to work in Parks and Recreation. An avid outdoorswoman, she also enjoys dirt bikes. She resides in Saxonburg.
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Robert Emory Bell is our chief spinner of Weekend Gold, heard every Saturday and Sunday from 10 until 2 on saxonburgradio.com. He is also the station's Vice President of Brand Development.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Bob's first job in radio came at the tender age of 13; as a summer fill-in news anchor on WIUP-FM in Indiana, PA. At 16, he'd get his first real exposure to Weekend Gold-style music, working nights and weekends at WCQO (later WNQQ) in Blairsville, including a stint as the original host of its "Jukebox Saturday Night" oldies program. Bob would step away from radio for a few years to attend college, but resurfaced in Punxsutawney with WECZ and WPXZ, plus fill-ins at Pittsburgh's WIXZ. After college he'd return to radio in Blairsville, as the evening voice at the re-christened WLCY and its new Latrobe sister station, 1480 WCNS. In 1994 he'd move south and leave radio for a while, citing a desire "to have a job where I could splurge on frivolous things... like food." But after two decades away, the music of Weekend Gold and the chance to work with Ken Hawk convinced him to return to the airwaves in western Pennsylvania. "I'm really excited about what's being done here, and hope I can be a vital part of AM 1620 and Saxonburgradio.com for a long, long time to come!" So far so good, Bob!
Ever the goof, Bob only admits to living "in an undisclosed location" along with his wife Betty and their two children.
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Ted St. James is one of our weekend voices at saxonburgradio.com, as well as our consulting engineer. He can be heard Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6:00am to 10:00am.
Ted was born and raised in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, and has worked as a producer, announcer, and engineer at several radio stations throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, meeting Ken Hawk along one of their mutual stops. Ted's IT and engineering expertise has been frequently sought by stations throughout the country.
When Ted's not busy playing the music you grew up with, he enjoys tinkering with old radio equipment and computers. He's also a horror movie buff who plays "Grandpa Munster" at the annual "Monster Bash" event in Cranberry Township! Ted and his 'dogter' Mindy (get it?) live in Natrona Heights.
Tracy Ambrose hosts the morning show on saxonburgradio.com! You can hear her from 6:00am to 10:00am Monday through Friday, along with Ken Hawk.
Most country folk move to the bright lights of the big city, but how many people do you know who are city-born and raised, that give up the bright lights for country living? That's exactly what happened with Tracy, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh. Not even she knew that her knight in shining armor would be proficient with a farm tractor, and she and Wes have been married almost 20 years. Tracy also has Pittsburgh's WBZZ and Froggy dotting her resume.
When Tracy's not keeping Ken in line, she enjoys traveling, horror and comic book movies, all things geek, and spending St. Patrick's Day in Savannah, Georgia. She and her family live in Cabot.
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aMBRose
Bill Davis is the early evening voice on saxonburgradio.com. You can hear him weekdays between 6:00pm and 10:00pm.
Bill is a native of Butler County, and has the ancestry to prove it. His family's roots here date back to the 1840's. Aside from a brief stint as a DJ on the West Coast in the 1980s, Bill has lived in Butler County for all his life. Among his career stops were the legendary WJAS and WSHH in Pittsburgh. Having been out of radio full-time since 2011, Bill jumped at the opportunity to be back on the air in Butler County, and at Butler County's brand-new, new-tech radio station, saxonburgradio.com and AM 1620!
When Bill's not helping you wind down after your workday, he'll either be fishing or spending time with his son Brady. Bill resides in Butler.
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J.C. Simon is the afternoon voice on saxonburgradio.com. You can hear him weekdays between 2:00pm and 6:00pm.
J.C. was raised in Columbiana, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown. He started his career on the air there at the legendary Hot 101 after graduating from DeVry University at Columbus. His time at Hot 101 plus his growing reputation as a DJ led to a three-year stint at Sirius XM and later with Ken Hawk at a Pittsburgh area Top 40 station. After a three-year break from radio to focus on his investment and network engineering business interests, J.C. has since taken his headphones out of the moth balls and is back on the air at saxonburgradio.com and AM 1620! Proof positive that while you can take the man out of radio, you can't take radio out of the man!
When J.C.'s not driving you home, you'll most likely find him conquering the slopes in the wintertime, as he is an avid skier. So you won't hear him complain about those pesky western Pennsylvania winters...EVER!!!
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Ken Hawk is the founder, owner, president and general manager of saxonburgradio.com. His newscasts are heard every half hour beginning at 5:30 every weekday morning with Tracy Ambrose.
A native of Detroit, Ken was raised in the fabled Alle-Kiski Valley in western Pennsylvania. He began his career at the former WACB in Kittanning back in 1988 while a communications major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Since then, he worked in the Pittsburgh, Toledo, and Detroit radio markets until he began building saxonburgradio.com in 2013.
When he's away from the station (which isn't often!), Ken enjoys wine tasting and touring, traveling, reading, bicycling, consulting other radio stations, and spending time with his wife Margie, and their daughter, Savannah. He and his family live in Sarver.
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Hawk
Dave Kane is the weekend nighttime voice of "Weekend Gold", heard Saturday and Sunday nights from 6:00pm to 10:00pm on saxonburgradio.com.
Dave was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania and has lived in the area all his life, graduating from Burrell High School in 1987 and then Penn State University in 1991, where he majored in communications. He began his broadcasting career in college when he applied at the campus station, WPSU, but after being told he'd be put on a waiting list for a volunteer position, he walked down the street to WGMR, where he was hired on the spot as a paid employee. After moving back home after graduation, he was hired by Ken Hawk to work at the hometown station, WKPA in New Kensington. Other Pittsburgh area stops included WLTJ and the legendary WXVX "X-15", and then a brief hiatus before Ken Hawk reached out to him to become a part of saxonburgradio.com
Dave is also an avid fan of progressive rock music, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and by his own admission, too much TV. He resides in Lower Burrell with his wife Brooke.
Bethany Snyder is the newest member of the saxonburgradio.com on-air staff. She hosts our "After Dark" show seven nights a week from 10:00pm to 6:00am on saxonburgradio.com.
From an early age, Bethany always loved to entertain others (just ask her mom!). She loved to sing and dance and be the center of attention. She eventually got these interests lined up once she reached Slippery Rock University, and landed an on-air slot at WSRU 88.1. Her on-air efforts there caught the attention of Ken Hawk, who offered her the overnight slot as part of his plan to move Tracy Ambrose into mornings.
Bethany graduated from Slippery Rock University in January 2018, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Media, also earning a certificate for Japanese studies after a period of studying abroad in Japan. A big fan of 'all things geek', she resides with her family in Harrisville.
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saxonburgradio.com