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The first rumblings of what was eventually to become "The Pittsburgh Sound" began in 1958 with the formulation of teen dances featuring music that could be heard no where else on the planet.  Among a small group of local DJ's spinning these obscure records, entrepreneur Robert McConnell (Bob Mack) realized that here was a winning formula- Give teens passionate jocks spinning the bluesiest ballads and wildest rockers that had somehow fallen below the nations top-40 radar when they were first introduced and they'd show up en masse.  And show up they did- IF you had "the records"!  Pittsburgh's local dance DJ's and collectors soon began a frantic search for these previously-unknown and often rare 45's, touching off a worldwide demand that continues to this day.

A DJ himself, Bob's passion for sharing music that had the "Pittsburgh Sound" continued to gain a following among Pittsburgh teens, and as his weekend dance venues grew in number and popularity the idea of hosting his own radio show seemed promising.  Using his home recording studio one late-summer's evening in 1962 a one-hour demo tape was prepared, and the following morning Bob presented it to radio station WZUM's management.  Explaining the success of his dance venues and suggesting a large, untapped audience, he handed the tape to the manager along with a request to "Give it a listen.  Here's my business card, I can start tomorrow".  (Prior to Bob Mack's arrival the small, dusk-to-dawn AM broadcaster with its standard-fare R&B format had been unable to "run with the big boys", as they say.  That market was dominated by station WHOD (later WAMO) and it's smooth daytime format and popular DJs- Including one very popular up-and-comer by the name of Craig "Porky" Chedwick!)  The "new" format obviously caught the attention of WZUM's station manager Jim Psihoulis, however, and by the time Bob returned home his telephone was ringing.  "This is Jim, can you be here tomorrow at 3?"

"Mack's Wax Museum" with DJ Bob Mack went on the air the following afternoon at 3PM.  Pittsburgh's airwaves would never be the same again as the many thousands of teens who had never attended a dance were introduced to this unique sound via radio... and went wild!  Within three months "Mack's Wax Museum" garnered for hitherto unknown WZUM its first-ever rating; within six months, it was Pittsburgh's top-rated AM radio program!!  All this by featuring music that had failed to chart previously (or never garnered any airplay at all)- go figure.  Radio success continued for Bob Mack until early 1964 when management and owner decided (over his strong objections) that the station's appeal could be widened by alternating current R&B records in with the obscure sound.  Mack's Wax Museum suffered in quality, with Bob often poking fun on-air at the records he was required to play.  This discontent eventually resulted in Bob giving notice on March 14 (his birthday) that he was leaving his top-rated gig at the end of the month to devote his time to his teen dance clubs and other ventures.  After his departure the station's ratings once again plummeted into the "others" category until the arrival of one "Mad Mike" Metrovich later that fall.

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