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. . Granite, under the direction of CEO W. Don Cornwell. (Buffalo Stories archives). Leverage your professional network, and get hired. Henry Ford didnt invent the automobile, he was just the first to make the same car available to everyone. Frank Sinatra sang with Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and his popularity exploded when he became a singing front man himself. It presented, in capsule from, a regular broadcast day, on the even newer KB. Don Weeks. 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. The Disc Jockeys of WKBW. 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. 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. The late newsman Ed Little wouldremember being in the room as packages containing female lingerie were opened; sent from Maryland by an obviously big fan. It was broadcast live from the NASDAQ site in Times Square at 43rd Street and Broadway. Here's where reporters who left WIVB landed, along with other media nuggets She joined the station in 2012 as a weekend morning co-anchor. Enter WKBW Radio, soon with the corporate backing of owner Capital Cities (now THE DISNEY CORPORATION, by the way), and its monstrous 50,000 watt signal. Bailey was recently let go as the morning news weekday co-anchor at WBBM-TV in Chicago, a role she has had since 2017. The listening audience was, of course, outraged. In 1964, "Dialing For Dollars" hit the air with Liz Dribben and Nolan Johannes. This blurb appeared in a Geneseo newspaper during the week leading up to Halloween in 1968. Before Top 40 came to KB, Stan Barron hosted the Morning Clockwatcher show, live each morning outside the Main Street studios. The next day I was fired.. BUFFALO, NY In the 1960s and 70s, Buffalos WKBW Radio billed itself as one of Americas two great radio stations.Never was that more on display than on Halloween night. The mastermind of the new format was program director Dick Lawrence who with a collection of fast talking jocks, quick colorful jingles and the latest wax, put the management at WKBW on notice. 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. Its a part of Buffalos past of which we should all be proud. [5], Azar also served as a color analyst on WKBW's (now WWKB) radio broadcast of the Buffalo Bills games, play-by-play man on the Bills preseason games televised on WKBW-TV and an intermission host on Buffalo Sabres hockey games televised in the 1970s on Ch 7. The answer laid in an even newer, more modern, up-to-date formula, which according to Lawrence responded to the wide-spread, major appeal necessary in the highly competitive broadcasting industry of 1958. In the 70s and 80s, it was difficult to spend a day in Buffalo and not somehow be graced by the voice, smile and personality of Clean Dan Neaverth, a true Buffalonian who never forgot his Seneca Street South Buffalo roots and proudly plied his trade among fellow Buffalonians proud to call him one of us. It was sort of weird a woman coming home from her honeymoon and on the first night shes has a pajama party? Read the coverage of the scare created by the 1968 and 1971 broadcasts from the Associated Press, as printed in the Lockport Union Sun-Journal. There were at least a couple of dozen Buffalonians in attendance courtesy of the WKBW/Orange Crush Beatles caravan, hosted by Danny Neaverth. He began his radio career as a 14-year-old in 1960 at WCHL Radio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Gotta be careful what you say on a 50,000 WATT radio station., In the latter part of the50sJohn Barrett and Perry Allen evolved a call letter-napping. Someone, as established in the promo spots, had stolen one of our Ws, recalls Allen. We look forward to many more years of delivering 7 News, weather, sports, programming, and information into your home every day! by Contributing Editor April 27, 2023. Awards were made to area teenagers who performed special service to their community or fellow teenagers through school or other activities. Tucker Carlson is joining a long list of nightly news hosts who once commanded huge audiences before quick departures from their networks. Listeners were urged to apply adhesive tape to their backs in the form of the station call letters and asked to allow themselves to tan in the sun. 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.). First appeared on album form from the industry periodical Programmers Digest., Reformatted & Updated pages from staffannouncer.com finding a new home at buffalostories.com. War of the Worlds 1971: The broadcast featuring an intro by Jeff Kaye, Joe Downey-KB Radio News, and Jack Armstrong- KB Radio Music. He signed the station on with the words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, WKBW-TV Channel 7 is on-the-air!" They have continued their careers . Don Berns, WKBW Radio, Buffalo, NY 1971 - YouTube Some personalities are so renowned and celebrated just one name will do. Henry Ford didnt invent the automobile, he was just the first to make the same car available to everyone. I also ripped a phone off the wall and threw it at Mike Joseph in Buffalo missing him by a hair. 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]. Carroll Hardy, who would go on to become one of WEBRs legendary jazz deejays, was one of the many men who served as WKBWs Clock Watcher, broadcasting live from the front lawn of the radio station on Main Street near Utica every morning. Wally Wagoner was WKBWs Farm Director. The view of Seneca Street from the Cichons porch on Fairview Place. I was thinking NBCold, ultra classy posturing. This page is not available in other languages. First, Clint ran the Hidden Bankbook contest were a book with a deposit slip of $5000 was hidden in a remote area pasted inside a sewer pipe. The addition of Brooks, who was the head coach of the . Tucker Carlson ousted at Fox News amid lawsuit alleging sexism : NPR Suivez l'actualit francilienne, le trafic en temps rel, la mto, les faits divers, les bons plans culture et loisirs avec BFM Paris le-de-France, premire chane info de Paris et d'le . One night I got mad at my boss who had just come home from his honeymoon. Neaverth, perhaps with his boyish good looks and demeanor, evaded arrest for his stunt. 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. In the Nations Capital, he sat on the Board of Directors of AFTRA, was a staff announcer for WPIK and WWDC, and a freelance television performer. The Joey Reynolds Show was a resounding Number 1 in Buffalo. His young fans, bobbysoxers, were the first teenagers to swoon in force at the voice of a matinee idol and singing sensation. Anyone who worked at KB in its heyday has stories. Azar did not become sports director at WKBW until 1965, when the station's original sports director, Stan Barron, was effectively traded to crosstown rival WBEN-TV in exchange for weatherman Tom Jolls, while Irv Weinstein moved over from AM 1520 to become news director. 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 was also the color man on Buffalo Bills broadcasts alongside Van Miller. Learn how and when to remove this template message. 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. The stunt earned nationwide acclaim, and the group thanked Joey by producing a special radio jingle to introduce of his daily radio show, set to the tune of their hit "Big Girls Dont Cry"). 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. [1] Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV in Buffalo at WGR TV 2 and he worked at various stations, including at WNBC. Tommy Shannon first made girls swoon at WXRA Radio, from a location way out in the boonies. In fact, the original building used to be a tabernacle, which is key to what WKBW stands for: "Well Known Bible Witness." If you ever read this Mike Im sorry I missed I could have improved your looks. I say that affectionately Mike is a genius in radio programming., Dick lasted on the staff for two years before getting fired. With the blessing of the police commissioner and the traffic safety director of the city, KB announcers, during peak driving hours, made public the location of police radar unit and urged motorists to slow down and drive safely. Click image to learn more. In 1986, J. Bruce Llewellyn acquired the station and operated it under Queen City Broadcasting until 1995, when Granite Broadcasting, Inc. took control. He is followed by another top flight personality, Dick Biondi, who was most recently with WHOT, Youngstown, Ohio. 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. Each of the new personalities was rated #1 in their respective markets and their reputations for ingenious broadcasting techniques was unmatched in the industry according to Lawrence. K-BIG Feature #1: Forgotten Buffalo Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of KB's Format Change to Top 40. He was a concert promoter and recording artist (who could forget Rats in My Room, even if they tried?). Of course, his face and voice were everywhere for Bells Supermarkets and dozens of other Western New York businesses through the years. Western New Yorks embedded in his DNA. 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. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/vampires.mp3, http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/wotw68.mp3. Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic . 50 kW NBC sounded better to my sadly warped values. Perry Allen, from KTLN in Denver was hired to fill the early morning 6 to 9 AM slot. Al Anscombe was a sports announcer under Roger Baker at KB before serving in the Air Corps in World War II. During the same era, Johnny Barrett and Perry Allen as a stunt fired Dick Biondi on the air for playing an unauthorized Elvis record. The place: 1420 Main Street in Buffalo, New York - the original home of WKBW-TV. Neaverth has entertained his present and former fan base by featuring his quick wit and the great memories of WKBW Radio. Back at the studio, KB was broadcasting the details of the first of several promotional stunts designed to create immediate interest in the new format. Azar also did basketball play-by-play on St. Bonaventure basketball games on Ch 7 during the Bob Lanier era. WKBW-TV signed on and continues as one of the top ABC affiliates in the country. Buffalo Web Design bySurdej Web Solutions. Reynolds was the focus of a two-part series on The Oprah Winfrey Show concerning talk radio personalities, on which more than a dozen of Reynolds' media peers paid tribute to him. His old friends and former co-workers gathered in the studio at WBEN930amto congratulate Sandy Beach on a half century of Buffalo broadcasting. A week into the contest, a lady slid into the car, took out her old Ford key, and fired up the T-Bird. 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 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. . Joseph Pinto, better known as Joey Reynolds, is a long-time radio show host and disc jockey. He rose to fame as a Top 40 radio personality . Enter WKBW Radio, soon with the corporate backing of owner Capital Cities (now THE DISNEY CORPORATION, by the way), and its monstrous 50,000 watt signal. 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. Click image to learn more. What helped him decide his career path was he says he wanted to entertain people and didn't want to wear a tie. The Ellicott Square Building, to the right, still stands and gives reference to the location. In addition, a WKBW Community Bulletin Board was featured on all disc jockeys shifts which highlighted activities of local churches, schools and civic organizations. Danny Neaverth - Wikipedia He remembers playing the two transcription records from which these audio clips came in his grandmas basement as a little guy. Dan Lesniak, right, with Cassie Lanzalaco, was a KB salesman who founded one of the stations that helped usher in the FM era of Buffalo radio as the owner of WADV-FM. 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. Eighteen uniformed Buffalo Police officers were hired to help keep the peace among the more than 2,500 teens who showed up to watch the show at the Paramount, which was hosted by WKBW disc jockey Joey Reynolds. The first broadcast on that snowy night was the Jimmy Cagney classic film, "Yankee Doodle Dandy!" http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/wotw71.mp3. His family owned Lucki-Urban Furniture, sponsors of Jasinskis broadcasts from the 50s-90s. These Halloween productions are brilliant examples. More importantly to local television, it is losing a quote machine. 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. Some images and text used throughout the site are protected by individual copyright holders. As the popularity of the station grew during 1958 and 1959, the promotion became more intense. At WBNY, Neaverth would pull a rooftop like event similar to Guy Kings, throwing candy out to passersby. 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. Beyonce. He's a proud Buffalonian helping the world experience the city he loves. Youll also hear Stas singing along with the Paderewski Singing Society, working Lucki-Urban into Polish Christmas carols, including a Polish version of Jingle Bells. BUFFALO, NY Its funny the way memories begin to haze. Former KROQ-FM radio personality Rodney "Rodney on the ROQ" Bingenheimer and the estate of the late record producer Kim Fowley were identified in new . 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. (Buffalo Stories archives). Rachele Mongiovi: The Channel 4 reporter left the station last week, a move that was reported here weeks ago. By Steve Cichon Remembering former Buffalo radio personality Don Berns who passed away on Sunday March 1, 2015. KB was a hit from day one.. Kgopolo on Twitter: "CASTING NEWS: Faith Mangope & Brighton Mhlongo The station began under the direction and ownership of the late Dr. Clinton H. Churchill. James Patterson will stay local to start his professional football career, while Justin Marshall will begin his pro career with the Atlanta Falcons. All rights reserved. When you browse the blog here at Buffalo Stories LLC, youre bound to not only relive a memory but also find some context for our pop culture past and see exciting ways how it might fit into our regions boundless future. Each of the holsters held a transistor radio one to our station and one to WBNY.. Stations like WBNY, WWOL, WXRA, and later WYSL and a host of others were capturing the imaginations of young people in Buffalo. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, As supporters pray, Kim Pegula's father shares her words: 'I will continue to fight', Prayer and healing vigil for Bills and Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula scheduled for Saturday, WGRZ meteorologist Elyse Smith exiting station after three years, Bills GM Brandon Beane on potential DeAndre Hopkins trade: 'I don't think that's going to happen', Many Bills fans stumped by identity of social media influencer who announced third-round pick, Ex-Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, on the payroll through 2027-28, comes out of retirement to play in Germany, Nicholas D'Angelo pleads guilty to 8 felonies in rape case, Departure of 5 UB women's basketball commits raises eyebrows among coaches, analysts, Erik Brady: 20 years later, Drew Rosenhaus recounts how he fooled the Bills into drafting Willis McGahee, Mark Gaughan: Buffalo Bills' winners and losers after 2023 NFL draft, Seneca Nation plans to bid for McKinley Mall, Alan Pergament: JP starts on WECK Monday after all; Jennifer Stanonis rejoins WGRZ-TV, Bills trade up in first round, select Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid at No. Their 30-year tenure became the cornerstone for "Eyewitness News" and that tradition continues today. Buffalo Radio - Buffalo Broadcasters Association Click image to learn more. In 1958, plans were underway for a huge, all-encompassing youth group, which was to be headquartered at the station. Kelly, a local talent who joined KB in March of 1958, had a rock solid audience and had a style which could be easily modified to fit into Lawrences master plan. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joey_Reynolds&oldid=1089841832, This page was last edited on 25 May 2022, at 23:26. Today’s top 694 Summer Internships jobs in Paris, le-de-France, France. Well, a week into the contest, a kid playing in the area, finds the bankbook, and his parents claim the prize. Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. 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. Career. 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.. Azar wrote a memoir, "Tales From Azar's Attic". 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. With hope and dreams, I turned on the ever present transistor receiver. Baffos bar on Main Street. WKBW RADIO 1520AM Buffalo New York 50,000kw - Forgotten Buffalo @stevebuffalo. WKBW-AM History - Buffalo Broadcasters Association After that, he continued at several venerable stations, including WKBW in Buffalo, New York, WNBC and WOR in New York City, KQV in Pittsburgh, KMPC and KRTH in Los Angeles, WPOP and WDRC in Hartford, WIXY in Cleveland, and WIBG and WFIL in Philadelphia.. Jeff Kaye narrates with the KB Players in The Monkeys Paw. Russ Syracuse, who came to WKBW from WNDR in Syracuse, was next in the line-up with the 9 to 11 AM and 12 to 2 PM time segments under his care. People from all over the country, and not just Buffalo transplants, have built websites dedicated to keeping the memory of WKBW alive. Jim McLaughlin introduces Halloween 1973, and reminds youDont turn around. Didnt know a think about KB prior to getting off the plane in Buffalo, said Perry Allen. During his time in Buffalo, he and fellow DJ Danny Neaverth recorded a novelty single entitled "Rats in My Room" (an expanded and rearranged cover of a Leona Anderson song of the same name). Buffalo Stories archives. He found superb vehicles not only for his own talent, but also put the stars of KB in situations where they could shine brightest. 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." When the world wide web opened up in 1994, Channel 7 was the first Buffalo station online with www.wkbw.com. The half hour program was recorded on these transcription records, sometime before Christmas Day 1954, for playback on that date. Using ultra modern production methods, ambition and his own fertile idea factory, Lawrence accomplished what many considered would be almost impossiblethe duplication of his successful methods of operation that were still being used with effect on another WBNY.