Disc jockey Frankie Day is asking fans to replace their annual New Year’s tradition with a night of excitement, dancing and sweating to the oldies.

Frankie Day, known outside the radio world as Frank W. Dittig of North Huntingdon Twp., wanted to make a change. After almost 36 years in business as the owner and president of D&D Office Plus in North Versailles Twp., he needed a bit of entertainment to break up his work day.

Through his business, Dittig met and had an interesting conversation with the manager of WKFB-AM770 radio.

“I had answered the question, ‘What is the worst job you ever had?’ I said I’ve never had a bad job. I worked ever since I was 14, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” he recalled. “When I got to the question, ‘What was the job you had the most fun in?’ When I was a disc jockey at the age of 23.”

Dittig’s youth came back to him in a flash. He was a DJ for Sunday dances in the Lincoln Avenue district. He handled parties and proms for a handful of the city’s Catholic schools.

“I’ve just been away from it,” Dittig said. “This was a dream come true for me. He looked right at me, and he says ‘Would you like to go on the air?’”

He longed for an opportunity to again be known as Frankie Day, but said he had no expectation of ever making it to the radio. The manager promised to call within coming weeks, but Dittig had no clue what to expect.

“Lots of people say they’re going to call you, and they never do,” Dittig said. “He called.” Within two weeks, he had a tryout slot and was ready to become Frankie Day.

“I came into the studio that day with my theme song - the Concerto for the X-15, recorded in 1961 by Elliot Evans,” he recalled. “You have to be very blessed to be in a situation like this - to be my age and have the opportunity to go on the radio. They played my theme song. They loved it, and then they asked me to put a set of headphones on, which I knew was going to happen.

“I had a little note in my pocket, and my theme song started. I knew when to talk, and I had written down, ‘Good afternoon. This is yours truly Frankie Day. I want to thank the staff and management of 770KFB for allowing me to spend the next few hours with you playing my favorite sounds.’ The record ended. He looked right at me and said, ‘You’re starting next Saturday.’ That is how quickly it all happened.”

Within months, Dittig found a loyal local following. Since being initiated onto the airwaves in May, he’s received more than 1,350 e-mails from listeners showing support and making requests.

“The people have been very warm and welcoming to me,” he said. “There’s a lot of great disc jockeys and to even be mentioned in the same breath as some of them is an extreme pleasure to me. when my name is mentioned with Bob Lavorio or Porky Chedwick, that’s really an inspiration. I’m blessed to even be thought of in that kind of group.”

Dittig says he feels like a celebrity everywhere he goes - a feeling that inspired the idea to host a New Year’s Eve bash. After a traditional summer vacation in Wildwood, N.J., Dittig secured Dave & Buster’s in the Waterfront and planned to make an impact on oldies fans in the area.

“I have a lot of listeners over the the South Hills (as well as the Mon Valley),” he said. “I wanted to get a place in the middle that was easy to find with lots of parking and great atmosphere. That room we're going to be in is totally awesome.”

Dittig will wear a cordless microphone for the entire party - from 8:30 pm to 2 am.

When guests registered to attend the New Year’s Eve bash, Dittig requested they list 10 of their favorite oldies.

“We want to play the music that the people who are coming want to hear. We want to play their sounds,” he said. “We’ve combined this list and put it in the computer, and we’re pretty much going to play everybody’s requested sounds. To be honest, 99 percent of the sounds are music that I’ve already been playing.”

Frankie Day is on the air Monday through Friday from 7:15 to 9 am and Saturdays from 1 to 5 pm on 770KFB during the winter months - playing every oldies standard and a few unique tunes.

“I love the Five Satins, the Temptations, but the real nitty-gritty groups make the difference. There’s lots of great songs out there, but a lot of people are looking for the obscure stuff they can’t hear because there has been a deletion of the ‘50s and ‘60s.” Dittig said. “Most of the radio stations now have gone to a ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s format. There’s many Americans and many Pittsburgh people out there who want the true oldies. They only want stuff from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and I really think that’s why my show is so successful.”

You can e-mail Frankie Day at frankieday@comcast.net. “I am oldies proud!”