Carlson was by far the network's most prominent personality, stepping in smoothly to replace former star host Bill O'Reilly after a series of sexual harassment allegations forced his departure. Reynolds excelled at comedic voice characterizations, his means of social commentary without it being directly attributable to "Joey Reynolds". My initial handshake with the radio station came upon landing in Buffalo, recalls Perry Allan. BUFFALO, NY Its funny the way memories begin to haze. A strong WBEN, and impending loss of WKBWs NBC affiliation combined with WBNYs success was enough to convince Anscombe to hire Dick Lawrence away from the small station. All contents of this site 2020 byForgotten Buffalo. In another incident while at WDRC in Hartford he once referred to the then Hartford Mayor Ann Uccello as "a stupid broad" while live on the air. First appeared on album form from the industry periodical Programmers Digest., Steve Cichon writes about Buffalos pop culture history. The call letters of WADV-FM were changed to WYRK-FM in 1981. War of the Worlds 1971: The broadcast featuring an intro by Jeff Kaye, Joe Downey-KB Radio News, and Jack Armstrong- KB Radio Music. One night I got mad at my boss who had just come home from his honeymoon. In Denver, Colorado, he hosted a radio-television simulcast on KOA-AM, and launched (and hosted) the first nationwide satellite radio programming featured on more than 35 radio stations coast-to-coast. Stations like WBNY, WWOL, WXRA, and later WYSL and a host of others were capturing the imaginations of young people in Buffalo. In 1960, Capital Cities Communications purchased the station. He's been inducted into three halls of famebut admits that early on, he did consider being a CPA instead of a radio broadcaster. 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. Narrated by Irv Weinstein, Instant KB was actually released on a single-sided album sized record for distribution sponsors on the local and national level. The place: 1420 Main Street in Buffalo, New York - the original home of WKBW-TV. "Because I love numbers" he says. 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. Biondi, known by many as the Wild Itralian had a legendary temper. Reynolds later hosted All Night with Joey Reynolds on WNBC-DT2, the digital subchannel of television station WNBC-TV known as "New York Nonstop." Many of Buffalos Beatles dreams finally came true on Oct. 22, 2015, when Paul McCartney made his first appearance in Buffalo, singing songs that many in the audience had first heard 51 years earlier for the first time on a Sunday evening with Ed Sullivan. However, I was told Channel 4 management wouldnt let her do an interview until after she left the station. 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. Didnt know a think about KB prior to getting off the plane in Buffalo, said Perry Allen. For the last fifteen years he's been a talk show host at WBEN930am. War of the Worlds 1968: The original broadcast featuring an intro by Dan Neaverth, Joe Downey-KB Radio News, and Sandy Beach- KB Radio Music. He's been inducted into three halls of famebut admits that early on, he did consider being a CPA instead of a radio broadcaster. WKBWs ultra-modern Radio Center was actually a refaced barn which stood next door to the Churchill Tabernacle building. Reynolds' career memoir is titled, Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella, But Dont Get a Mouthful of Rain. Runaways Co-Founder Sues Former KROQ Radio Personality, Record Producer In 1959, Clint Churchill Jr, son of the founder, was given the job of promotions manager. One boy from Cardinal OHara High School was convinced that it was The Beatles weird looks more than their musical ability thatmade them popular. Some images and text used throughout the site are protected by individual copyright holders. 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. Steve's Buffalo roots run deep: all eight of his great-grandparents called Buffalo home, with his first ancestors arriving here in 1827. 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. I once threw an ashtray at Gene Taylor. The rock n'roll era had arrived on a respectable, long established Buffalo radio . Buffalo Evening News, 1964. He returned to WWKB (formerly WKBW) in 2003 astheir morning man (6-10 daily) rejuvenating that station's ratings. 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. In fact, The Hounds lead-in show six nights a week was Stan Jasinskis Polka Beehive. From 1958 to 1988, Al Lafler had his hand on the rudder of the production sound that allowed KB to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Verne Stevenson played the best in rhythm and blues on Saturday nights on WKBW. Hernando, on a WINE promo with a microphone flag edited from WXRA to read WINE. Poor Clint, foiled again. He spent much of his retirement in Whispering Pines, North Carolina before returning to Buffalo in 2014.[2]. 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. [2], Azar denied rumors that he retired from WKBW in 1989 at 60 years old because of the station's change in ownership (from Capital Cities Communications to Queen City Broadcasting) nor any contract-related disputes. His big break came in 1966, when he joined WIXY Radio in Cleveland. 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,[4] leaving New York City after failing to secure long-term employment there.[2]. SHANNON SIGNING OFF AFTER 50 YEARS IN RADIO - Buffalo News 694 Summer Internships Jobs in Paris, le-de-France, France - LinkedIn Jacey Brooks will join Bulls head coach Becky Burke's staff as an associate head coach. This mix of talk, entertainment, and game show was an instant hit and led to the creation of "AM Buffalo" in 1978 to continue that tradition. The proof is in a quick search of WKBW on your favorite search engine. 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. K-BIG Feature #1: Forgotten Buffalo Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of KB's Format Change to Top 40. Please contactus at. UBs coaching and support staff will earn a combined $424,874 annually, according to salary information obtained by The Buffalo News through a. Steve's Buffalo roots run deep: all eight of his great-grandparents called Buffalo home, with his first ancestors arriving here in 1827. It starts with The Perry Allen show, with an Irv Weinstein KB Pulsebeat Newscast with some of the great writing and style Irv would become known for in Buffalo over the next 40 years. The names change, but from Frank Sinatra to Justin Bieber, rigid-minded adults cant understand all the swooning over (some singer) with (some bizarre haircut, bizarre dance, etc.). On July 4, 1958, Futursonic Radio was alive on WKBW. At 3 PM in the huge Central Park Plaza, several thousand persons of all ages turned out in pouring rain to greet WKBWs brand new disc jockeys who put on a free star-studded stage show. The rock nroll era had arrived on a respectable, long established Buffalo radio station. Its aim was to set a high moral standard for Buffalo youth and safe driving pledges, something that would be attractive to advertisers afraid that the new sounds would promote juvenile delinquency. More importantly to local television, it is losing a quote machine. His old friends and former co-workers gathered in the studio at WBEN 930am to congratulate Sandy Beach on a half century of Buffalo broadcasting. Part of the legendary lineup of DJ at WKBW in the early 70s, . He was the public address announcer for the NBA Braves and the NFL Bills. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. If you tuned to WBNY in the late 50s, you were likely to hear the voice of Daffy Dan Neaverth, Joey Reynolds (right), Fred Klestine and Henry Brach. He remembers playing the two transcription records from which these audio clips came in his grandmas basement as a little guy. 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. This page is not available in other languages. It starts with The Perry Allen show, with an Irv Weinstein KB Pulsebeat Newscast with some of the great writing and style Irv would become known for in Buffalo over the next 40 years. 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. We offered a reward to the listener who could first find Dick and return him to KB. He has been a talk show host since. 0. 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. Western New Yorks embedded in his DNA. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/thedarkness.mp3. 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.