PITTSBURGH (June 30,2004) The longtime WBZZ morning team is no more, a casualty in the Howard Stern Clear Channel wars.

In an on-air press conference carried this morning on WBZZ, Stern announced he was returning to the air on Infinity stations in Pittsburgh, San Diego, Rochester, West Palm Beach and Orlando. Stern also added stations in Houston, Austin, Tampa and Fresno. The press conference was carried live on the new affiliates this morning, but his show will not begin airing on the stations until he returns from his Fourth of July vacation on July 19. According to Stern, WBZZ will be changing format and changing its name to 93.7 K-Rock.

WBZZ has cancelled its local morning show to enable the transition, leaving Dave, Bubba, Brian and Shelley on the beach. AFTRA Pittsburgh Local Executive Director, John Haer, commented, "The notice and severance provisions of our contract will at least provide a safety net in their transitions to new jobs. It's a shame that some will still be subject to a non-compete clause, but the union is intervening on their behalf".

In this morning's press conference, Stern went out of his way to praise Infinity, especially Mel Karmazin, outgoing CEO, for supporting him through the FCC's indecency crackdowns.