As host of the "Don Weeks And The WGY Morning News" for almost three decades, Weeks is one of the Capital Region's most well-known and respected radio personalities. Station management gave each of the new disc jockeys a membership in the Junior Chamber of Commerce and several other civic organizations in-order increase their visibility not only to listeners but to business and civic leaders who would supply KB with needed advertising dollars. Clues were given each hour and the first person to dial the mystery number was to receive the cash price. He was the public address announcer for the NBA Braves and the NFL Bills. 50 kW NBC sounded better to my sadly warped values. The guy was a bug. The day: November 30, 1958. At "KB" and WBNY, the rock-jock rosters were dotted with the splendid talents of DAN NEAVERTH, TOM SHANNON, JOEY REYNOLDS, DICK BIONDI, PERRY ALLEN, LUCKY PIERRE, TOM CLAY, FRED KLESTINE, and RUSS "THE MOOSE" SYRACUSE. Buffalo's 1520 WKBW Radio: WNY's great contribution to 20th century pop The station was located at 1420 Main Street in Buffalo, New York, and the call letters stood for "Well Known Bible Witness". by Contributing Editor April 27, 2023. New Summer Internships jobs added daily. Buffalo Evening News, 1964. It was broadcast live from the NASDAQ site in Times Square at 43rd Street and Broadway. What's Next for Tucker Carlson? Former Anchors Chart a Possible Course writing about the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. No content may be copied or reused without written permission fromForgotten Buffalo. Rhythm and blues was still working its way into rock n roll, and it was still a little time before Elvis started to become recognized first as the hottest hillbilly attraction and the king of western bop.. Lorenz wanted nothing to do with a Top 40 style format. A Reynolds WPOP theme song put lyrics to the sax-laden hit "Wild Weekend", by Buffalo, NY group The Rockin' Rebels (the song had been written as a theme for another Buffalo radio personality, Tom Shannon). Tom Shannon, a nationally known disc jockey who made his mark in local broadcasting in the late 1950s with the old WKBW-AM 1520, will retire March 31 as afternoon DJ at WHTT-FM 104.1, a rock. Azar was a graduate of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and Canisius College; he chose the surname Azar as a nod to his Hispanic ancestry, as many Spaniard names ended with "-azar." Amstrong was born John Charles Larsh in December 1945. (Buffalo Stories archives.). Reynolds was basically playing a mix of oldies and adult contemporary cuts along with comedy and personality, and was most notably on the air when the station's traffic helicopter crashed on October 22, killing reporter Jane Dornacker. New Registered Nurse jobs added daily. Anyone who worked at KB in its heyday has stories. Biondi lost weight skulking about. Listeners were told to ask everyone they saw if they had the missing key for a Thunderbird that was sitting in a downtown dealerships window, and all you needed to do was find the key and start the motor. For a period of time, Dick just disappeared from public view. WKBWs ultra-modern Radio Center was actually a refaced barn which stood next door to the Churchill Tabernacle building. She deserves all the praise she is getting over her work at WKBW-TV (Channel 7) during its glory days and at WGRZ-TV (Channel 2) and WIVB-TV after that. The young lady who won lived 100 miles from Buffalo. First appeared on album form from the industry periodical Programmers Digest., Reformatted & Updated pages from staffannouncer.com finding a new home at buffalostories.com. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. If theres a start date for Beatlemania, you might choose Feb. 9, 1964 the date of the bands first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. About 60 percent of American televisions were tuned to the performance of the nations No. Zach's radio career began at WKBW Radio in September 1961, when he was hired by a news director who would later become a fixture on local television screens, Irv Weinstein. The studio was on rural Niagara Falls Boulevard, in a location which soon would be the home of Swiss Chalet for the next 50 years. Across town at WBNY-AM, the first true Top 40 format in Buffalo was inaugurated in the summer of 1957. Jeff Kaye narrates with the KB Players in The Monkeys Paw. On July 4, 1958, Futursonic Radio was alive on WKBW. John Zach: 50 years on Buffalo radio airwaves - ampoleagle.com (O . In fact, The Hounds lead-in show six nights a week was Stan Jasinskis Polka Beehive. By 1995, Joey was no longer playing music on his shows and in 1996 he arrived at WOR in New York. From the earliest days of the internet, Steve has been writing, digitizing, and sharing the stories and images of all the things that make Buffalo special and unique. http://blog.buffalostories.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/KB72sm.mp3, The famous Jeff Kaye produced and narrated look at KB in 1971, with jocks Danny Neaverth, Jack Sheridan, Don Berns, Sandy Beach, Jack Armstrong, Bob McCrea, and Casey Piotrowski, with Kayes thoughts and insights on each in between. As often happens, over the last 50 years, for better or for worse, people who remember Guy King or the earliest Tom Shannon or Daffy Dan Neaverth shows, will think they heard those things on KB, forgetting those early pioneering rock nroll days. The 10 a.m. hour offers a mix of information, entertainment, recipes, and product demonstrations, including live and taped reports from all over the community with interesting people, places, and events. The Disc Jockeys of WKBW. He rose to fame as a Top 40 radio personality during the 1960s and 1970s, amassing large audiences in places such as Hartford, Connecticut, Cleveland, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and his hometown of Buffalo, New York. His first radio job was WWOL in Buffalo with Dick Purtan, then WKWK, in Wheeling, WV. Narrated by then-KB Radio newsman Irv Weinstein, this piece reflects the KB staff from its first year as a Top 40 station. Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic . Prior to coming to WKBW, Azar was an actor and musician in New York City, as well as a staff announcer for NBC in New York, leaving New York City after failing to secure long-term employment there. The King and The Hound, Memorial Auditorium. Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. According to sources, her husband is a lawyer in Chicago. Al Anscombe was a sports announcer under Roger Baker at KB before serving in the Air Corps in World War II. The next day I was fired.. 1top single, I Want to Hold Your Hand.. Sandy says he was prepared for the first day fifty years ago, but Stan Roberts advised him to rent furniture, adding "he didn't exactly say I know you're going to make it big here." Azar also hosted Buffalo Bandstand, a local franchising of American Bandstand, and on at least one occasion substitute hosted the national show in place of Dick Clark. The Beatles are different. Danny Neaverth - Wikipedia Some of his regular voices included "Jack Armstrong" - All American boy; "Maude Frickette" - the 104 year old teenager; and "General Shelby Singleton Silvers Junior Esquire Y'all" - an older southern gentleman. She was loyal to her stations until her last day. Such is Buffalo's Danny. If you watched Elvis shake his hips on Ed Sullivan for the first time, and you then listened to Elvis on the radio It wasnt likely KB, even though your memory might tell you otherwise. In the three years the band toured North America, they never performed a show in Buffalo.[2]. [1] With his wife, he had four children. The programs and talent that WKBW Radio was promoting in 1956- only a matter of months before rock 'n' roll Top 40 would change radio forever- looks much more like KB did in 1930 than it would in 1960. . What helped him decide his career path was he says he wanted to entertain people and didn't want to wear a tie. The energetic Lawrence formed the National Association of Independent Program Directors while at KB. Girls scream for The Beatles on the big screen at the Paramount Theatre, March, 1964. WXRA later became WINE, where Hernando played host. 14 market. Having the good fortune of working with top talent I knew that the station was headed for the top. As many of the smaller stations in Buffalo were churning out rhythm and blues music all day, at night, for Buffalo and the entire eastern seaboard, the Hound Sound was around.. It was sort of weird a woman coming home from her honeymoon and on the first night shes has a pajama party? His more famous co-workers will tell you, his credo Good enough isnt good enough, helped give KB such a great sound over the years. KB broadcast to the white area on the map. Despite a pioneering spirit and great imaginative programming, each of those true rock nroll pioneer stations had unique problems. KB goes KABOOM with FUTURESONIC RADIO! http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/peopleplacesandthings.mp3. Western New Yorks embedded in his DNA. [1] Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV in Buffalo at WGR TV 2 and he worked at various stations, including at WNBC. Read more . He signed the station on with the words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, WKBW-TV Channel 7 is on-the-air!" Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. Bono. For the last fifteen years he's been a talk show host at WBEN930am. The only slight hint of misbehavior on the part of Beatles fans came when the infamous rabble-rouser Reynolds declared on the stage, I hatethe Beatles! and he was pelted with jellybeans. Was it the haircuts, asked the Courier-Express Enquiring Reporter of Western New York high school students? Under the guidance of Dick Lawrence, Director of Programming, Promotions and Publicity for the station, KB made a drastic change in its format by virtually eliminated all previously carried programs, both network and local, and substituting what Lawrence called, ultra modern broadcasting techniques designed to entertain, inform and serve the greatest majority of the radio audience.. Here hes on KBs lawn with Clint Churchill Jr., WKBW General Manager Al Anscombe, KB Polka Beehive host Stan Jasinski, salesman Jim McGrath and Roger Bakerwho, after returning to KB from WBES-TV, dabbled in sports but focused on sales. Yes, the dial was indeed properly clicked in on 1520. Program director Dick Lawrence asked Allen to show up to KB prior to the 4th. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. His young fans, bobbysoxers, were the first teenagers to swoon in force at the voice of a matinee idol and singing sensation. He has been a talk show host since. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. According to Al Anscombe, GM at the time, advertisers who associated with the traditional format were given to option of continuing their schedules free of charge through the Future Sonic change with many renewing at greater levels a month into the new sound. In 2014, the station was acquired by the prestigious E.W. Weather Bureau forecast. The person: Rick Azar. [2] As songs like Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets hit number one on the charts, Elvis Presley was still receiving second billing to Slim Whitman and Andy Griffith in stage shows around the south. Sixteen-year-old Jay Burch of Orchard Park High School described Beatlemania from the midst of it in 1964 this way: The Beatles singing is OK, but its the haircuts and dress that make them standouts. The Joey Reynolds Show was a resounding Number 1 in Buffalo. From the earliest days of the internet, Steve has been writing, digitizing, and sharing the stories and images of all the things that make Buffalo special and unique. SHANNON SIGNING OFF AFTER 50 YEARS IN RADIO - Buffalo News Either they werent well financed, or had daytime-only signals so weak that they couldnt be heard throughout the city and all the nearby suburbs. The new format included a large amount of public interest information and services. The Kings Ball was the easy part, we had over a thousand people outside that the fire marshal would not let in. Stations like WBNY, WWOL, WXRA, and later WYSL and a host of others were capturing the imaginations of young people in Buffalo. Jack Kelly, KBs all night jock prior to July 4th, was only of the few voices to be carried over to the new format. His family owned Lucki-Urban Furniture, sponsors of Jasinskis broadcasts from the 50s-90s. The famous Jeff Kaye produced and narrated look at KB in 1971, with jocks Danny Neaverth, Jack Sheridan, Don Berns, Sandy Beach, Jack Armstrong, Bob McCrea, and Casey Piotrowski, with Kayes thoughts and insights on each in between. It was a McClendon station. Newsman Irv Weinstein, sportscaster Rick Azar, and weatherman Tom Jolls stand as the longest running anchor team in Buffalo television history. Click image to learn more. Nate Oats: The area not only lost a terrific basketball coach after he left the University at Buffalo for the University of Alabama. While inspiring many of the changes that came to KB and many other stations around the country, the Hound stayed true to his style, and founded WBLK Radio; where he continued to uncover and spotlight new artists, both in Buffalo, and to a syndicated audience around the country. Rachele Mongiovi: The Channel 4 reporter left the station last week, a move that was reported here weeks ago. Unwilling to risk the $3500 appearance fee for a Monday night concert, in the poor February weather, for an unproven band he did not expect to sell out the auditorium, the two declined the offer. It was a great break for Gramps, from his numerous jobs- from tinsmith at Buffalo Color and National Aniline, to ticket taker for the Bills and Sabres, to bet taker at Buffalo Raceway. Starting in the mid 50s, and running through the mid 70s, its fair to say cumulatively, that nighttime KB disc jockeys like George Hound Dog Lorenz, Dick Biondi, Tommy Shannon, Jay Nelson, Joey Reynolds, Sandy Beach, and Jack Armstrong enjoyed more listeners on a single radio station during that clear-channel time in the evening, than any other station in the country. Neaverth has entertained his present and former fan base by featuring his quick wit and the great memories of WKBW Radio. He also started an on air club for his listeners called The Royal Order Of The Night People. WKBW RADIO 1520AM Buffalo New York 50,000kw - Forgotten Buffalo Buffalo's Pop Culture Heritage | Buffalo's Radio & TV | Buffalo's Neighborhoods | Parkside | Family & Genealogy | &c, &c, &c:Reflections from Steve's desk, All Content Buffalo Stories LLC | Contact Steve, Steve Cichons podcast: Wonderin How I Got Here, Buffalos Past By Steve Cichon in The Buffalo News, Talks, Seminars, & Workshops by Steve Cichon, &c, &c, &c: reflections from Steve's desk, Buffalo in the 70s: Reggie McKenzie & Fred Klestine, Buffalo in the 60s: Beatlemania in the Queen City, Buffalo in the 70s: Danny Neaverth, one of Buffalos greatest pop culture stars, Stan Jasinski on WKBW, Christmas Day 1954. It is unclear why these five players asked for releases from their national letters of intent. In 1986, he arrived at then-WNBC in New York City doing the afternoon drive, Howard Stern's previous shift. The listening audience was, of course, outraged. People from all over the country, and not just Buffalo transplants, have built websites dedicated to keeping the memory of WKBW alive. Much of the time he simply hid in the Old Cathedral. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. (Buffalo Stories archives). The person: Rick Azar. The 25-year veteran of Buffalo radio and television has written five books and curates The Buffalo Stories Archives-- hundreds of thousands of books, images, and audio/visual media which tell the stories of who we are in Western New York. Marissa Bailey: The former Channel 2 anchor-reporter is on the beach, the phrase that people in the media use after losing their job and not having another lined up yet. BFM Paris le-de-France : Info en continu, trafic, mto, sport He instead stated that, though he was comfortable being in the public spotlight, he did not feel an overwhelming need for it and felt that he retired at the right time. In a matrix thathas repeated itself time and time again as American Pop Culture has evolved, the aversion to the Beatles was just as strong as the fanaticism of their young followers. He remembers playing the two transcription records from which these audio clips came in his grandmas basement as a little guy. Remembering former Buffalo radio personality Don Berns who passed away on Sunday March 1, 2015. (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News). Even though the present building is 30 years old, it still stands as a modern fixture in the city landscape with silver reflective panels. Strictly from a Buffalo point of view, in the late 50s and early 60s, KB was one of many stations cranking out the music and antics that made for great rock n roll radio. "Because I love numbers" he says. Its a part of Buffalos past of which we should all be proud. WKBW-TV has covered the Bills from the beginning, dating back to the days when the NFL team played at the old "Rockpile" in Buffalo. Dan Bongino, one of the most right-leaning hosts in the Fox News stable, is leaving the network after the Fox Corp.-backed outlet and he could not come to terms on a new contract. First appeared on album form from the industry periodical Programmers Digest., Steve Cichon writes about Buffalos pop culture history. Frank Sinatra sang with Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and his popularity exploded when he became a singing front man himself. Mr. Warfield, the former President and COO of ICBC was retained in that position for the new company until assuming his new position in late 2013. There were at least a couple of dozen Buffalonians in attendance courtesy of the WKBW/Orange Crush Beatles caravan, hosted by Danny Neaverth. Poor Clint, foiled again. Youll also hear from Russ Syracuse, Johnny Barrett, Art Roberts, and Dick Biondi. But 370 miles away in Baltimore, the show showed up in the ratings as number 4. All rights reserved. Don Yearke, known as Don Keller the Farm Feller back in the early 60s on KB, was recognized along with his KB Litter Box by a fan in Southern Pennsylvania. Fueled by the notion of carving out a demographic niche among Buffalo teens and very young adults, the little 250-watt station went rock and roll in a bold move that would soon change the . Hernando, on a WINE promo with a microphone flag edited from WXRA to read WINE. (News file photo) By Sharon Cantillon. Scripps Company, which has been a guiding light in journalism since being founded by Edward Willis Scripps in 1878. Known for his trade mark humor and his cutting edge comments, Sandy says his sense of humor would get him in trouble when he was in school "I had to walk home nearly everyday because I had. The masterful promotional folks at KB knew that by sending out this warningwith hope of it being published, that people would flock to hear, as Jeff Kaye puts it in the intro to the 1971 version of the dramatization, what all the hubhub was about. Its the 1960s version of dont click on this link. (Buffalo Stories Photo). What to my wondering ear should appear but a polka, hold everything! Tag on a dozen more years at WHTT, and a few more at KB again, and Danny moved our fannies on the radio for half a century. He had a nightly ritual wearing a purple robe lighting a purple candle on his purple radio while talking over his Night People" instrumental theme which was "Tarantula" by The Tarantulas. Roberts was the morning personality on WKBW from 1963 to 1971 before leaving to take in Boston. writing about the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. His big break came in 1966, when he joined WIXY Radio in Cleveland. BUFFALO, NY For me, hearing the name Stan Jasinski conjures up images of my grandfather, sitting on his South Buffalo porch listening to cassette tapes of polka radio shows he had taped the previous weekend. Sanders, who was hired by Channel 7s legendary Irv Weinstein as newsroom secretary and eventually became the stations assistant news director, was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2013. A week into the contest, a lady slid into the car, took out her old Ford key, and fired up the T-Bird. It is hard to believe anyone would criticize him for taking a job that pays three times as much as UB could afford and that sets his family up for life. Deejay Shane Gibson, 'The Cosmic Cowboy,' dies at 78 - Buffalo News Somebody must have heard it and threw a stone right through the windshield. Strictly from a Buffalo point of view, in the late 50s and early 60s, KB was one of many stations cranking out the music and antics that made for great rock n roll radio. Sandy Beach started in 1968 at WKBW Radio. @stevebuffalo. The rock n'roll era had arrived on a respectable, long established Buffalo radio . Four disc jockeys, brand new to the Buffalo audience were imported from major markets to from the base for the even newer WKBW. Tom Clay, one of many disc jockeys to use the name Guy King on WWOL, was arrested after his playing Rock Around the Clock over and over again, while perched atop a billboard in Shelton Square. All outside as well as on air references confined station identification to KBW. He was a concert promoter and recording artist (who could forget Rats in My Room, even if they tried?). The primary difference in each is the news guy, disc jockey and the music at the start of the show. http://blog.buffalostories.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/KB61sm.mp3. Buffalo Web Design by. When he left I told somebody: My boss is going to the movies, and if you see him going down Main Street, hes got a gray Chevy Impala convertible throw stones at him. He's been inducted into three halls of famebut admits that early on, he did consider being a CPA instead of a radio broadcaster. Frank Frederics, who also anchored newscasts on WBUF-TV, reads the news on WKBW as engineer William Routh looks on. Tucker Carlson is joining a long list of nightly news hosts who once commanded huge audiences before quick departures from their networks. Ironically, the man who brought Elvis to Memorial Auditorium was out at KB when the station went Rock n Roll full-time. Nicknamed The Singing Evangelist, The Encyclopedia of America Gospel Music calls Beck a seminal figure in the formative years of modern African-American gospel music. His shows aired Sunday nights on KB. The new KB also introduced a service unique to the market with meteorologist Louis Allen. In 1950, he replaced Baker as KBs general manager. UBs coaching and support staff will earn a combined $424,874 annually, according to salary information obtained by The Buffalo News through a. If you watched Elvis shake his hips on Ed Sullivan for the first time, and you then listened to Elvis on the radio It wasnt likely KB, even though your memory might tell you otherwise. Listeners were asked to search for the WKBW $200 Mystery Telephone Number, a number chosen from the Buffalo directory. WKBW | RadioDiscussions In 1978, the station moved from Main Street to the current facility near Buffalo's waterfront, at 7 Broadcast Plaza (Church and South Elmwood Sts.). . Many who played a part in making those smaller stations great feel slighted by the fact that KB has swallowed up the collective memory of the early rock nroll era; but its no slight on those great stations and the folks who worked there: Its more a testament to the incredible juggernaut that KB was. On this day, McKenzie dropped by the Buffalo studios of beautiful music WADV-FM to promote two jazz albums that were recorded in the Hotel Statlers Downtown Room.
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