She was loyal to her stations until her last day. Hengerers was selling Beatles records and wigs. http://blog.buffalostories.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/KB61sm.mp3. Before Top 40 came to KB, Stan Barron hosted the Morning Clockwatcher show, live each morning outside the Main Street studios. Allen sent in daily predictions of weather conditions which were used in conjunction with U.S. He's been inducted into three halls of famebut admits that early on, he did consider being a CPA instead of a radio broadcaster. Buffalo Web Design bySurdej Web Solutions. Later during KBs first month under the FutureSonic format, another promotional stunt which meet with tremendous interest and success was the KB Beach Buddy, KB Beach Beauty contest. WYSL-AM made a valiant effort to take on "KB" but never managed to topple the legendary giant. In the simplest of terms, after decades of economic depression and war, young people of the late 1940s had less responsibility, more economic freedom and a growing segment of pop culture being cultivated to employ and take advantage of that free time and free cash. The listening audience was, of course, outraged. By 1964, American fuddy-duddies had withstood the waves of bobbysoxers and Elvis wagging hips but the arrival of a moppy-headed quartet of singers from England took the genre up another notch. Fred Klestine and Jeff Kaye, WKBW, late 1960s. He remembers playing the two transcription records from which these audio clips came in his grandmas basement as a little guy. Sandy Beach started in 1968 at WKBW Radio. Across town at WBNY-AM, the first true Top 40 format in Buffalo was inaugurated in the summer of 1957. 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. Such is Buffalos Danny. . (Buffalo Stories archives). He spent a lot of time at the apartment occupied by Allen and his wife. Dick Lawrence came to Buffalo with almost 14 years of broadcasting experience under his belt in May, 1957, from Omaha, Nebraska where he was News Director of Todd Storz KOWH. 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.. 25 overall in NFL draft, Former waitress sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison in $50,000 lottery scheme, M&T to relocate 400 employees as it sheds 12% of local office space because of remote work, Tracking UB football's undrafted free-agent signings: LB James Patterson to join Bills for rookie camp, WR Justin Marshall heads to Atlanta, UB releases salaries for men's, women's basketball assistants and support staff, New UB men's basketball coach George Halcovage III gets 5-year contract with annual base salary of $325,000, UB women's basketball hires former Buffalo State standout Jacey Brooks as associate head coach, Five things to know about Buffalo Bills seventh-round pick Nick Broeker, Five things to know about Buffalo Bills seventh-round pick Alex Austin, Five things to know about Buffalo Bills fifth-round pick Justin Shorter, New Buffalo Bills guard O'Cyrus Torrence talks about his play. Cichon puts his wide range of professional experiencefrom college professor, to PBS documentary producer, to radio news director, to candidate for countywide elected officeto work in producing meaningful interpretations of the two centuries worth of people, places, and events that make Buffalo the unique place that we love. It almost happened! What was it about the Beatles? Baffos bar on Main Street. My proudest promotional moment was when the audience voted me KB King, recalls Art Roberts. No one should begrudge him for leaving for that deal. writing about the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. Youll hear snippets of disc jockeys Stan Roberts, Fred Klestine, Jay Nelson, Dan Neaverth, and Joey Reynolds at work, followed by a Henry Brach newscast, and a quick excerpt from Irv Weinsteins documentary Buffalo and La Cosa Nostra. Many KB commercialsand contests follow. At the end of one month of this promotion, six winners were chosen for originality and clarity of the design created. Jacey Brooks will join Bulls head coach Becky Burke's staff as an associate head coach. 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. He began his radio career as a 14-year-old in 1960 at WCHL Radio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. According to sources, her husband is a lawyer in Chicago. James Patterson will stay local to start his professional football career, while Justin Marshall will begin his pro career with the Atlanta Falcons. For my first two months in Buffalo, I nearly lived in Dick Lawrences office. 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. Each of the holsters held a transistor radio one to our station and one to WBNY.. Well, a week into the contest, a kid playing in the area, finds the bankbook, and his parents claim the prize. Join Forgotten Buffalo as historical features about KB are added on a regular basis. It wasnt just with the expected idea of record sales at places like Twin Fair, more staid institutions such asAM&As were offering The Beatle Bob in their downtown and branch store beauty salons. Stations like WBNY, WWOL, WXRA, and later WYSL and a host of others were capturing the imaginations of young people in Buffalo. Over the years Sandy has changed stations, formats and hairstyles but feels that Buffalo was always a good fit, saying " I managed to pick places where my personality and the things I like to do fit." Michael Brocia hosted music and news in Italian on Saturdays on WKBW. Frank Frederics, who also anchored newscasts on WBUF-TV, reads the news on WKBW as engineer William Routh looks on. Four disc jockeys, brand new to the Buffalo audience were imported from major markets to from the base for the even newer WKBW. Traffic was snarled for hours in what was considered Buffalos Times Square, and is now just considered the MetroRail tracks in front of the Main Place Mall. (Coast to Coast had been heard on crosstown rival WABC for several years, before that station dropped the show in favor of an in-house offering from Doug McIntyre, which led Premiere to seek WOR as the new New York affiliate.) Youll hear Stan speaking between the songs, and if youre like me with a very limited understanding of Polish The only words youll understand are a few numbers, and the words Lucki-Urban and Stromberg-Carlson, the latter being a manufacturer of some of the finest radios of that era. Anyone who worked at KB in its heyday has stories. 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. Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic . Click image to learn more. Having the good fortune of working with top talent I knew that the station was headed for the top. He was a member of the staff that included Perry Allen, Russ "the Moose" Syracuse, Art Roberts and Dick Biondi along with Jack Kelly (all Night). Jim McLaughlin introduces Halloween 1973, and reminds youDont turn around. Steve Garrin was the producer and guest booker. 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. 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. All rights reserved. everyone seemed to want to know. Beatlemania continued at a fever pitch through all of 1964 and 1965. Its a part of Buffalos past of which we should all be proud. He was a concert promoter and recording artist (who could forget Rats in My Room, even if they tried?). His stories of Buffalo's past have appeared more than 1600 times in The Buffalo News. With its clear-channel 50,000 watt signal, KB was heard all over the eastern half of North America. Wally Wagoner was WKBWs Farm Director. 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. The changes at the station went far deeper than programming and promotion. 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. 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. Like all the departing Channel 4 reporters, she had nothing but nice things to say on social networks about her time in Western New York. Reynolds excelled at comedic voice characterizations, his means of social commentary without it being directly attributable to "Joey Reynolds". The first broadcast on that snowy night was the James Cagney classic film, Yankee Doodle Dandy. @stevebuffalo. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. He is followed by another top flight personality, Dick Biondi, who was most recently with WHOT, Youngstown, Ohio. He was the chief rock and pop writer for 20 years and helped establish the weekend entertainment magazine. Azar also did basketball play-by-play on St. Bonaventure basketball games on Ch 7 during the Bob Lanier era. Verne Stevenson played the best in rhythm and blues on Saturday nights on WKBW. Such is Buffalo's Danny. 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. Stan Barron calling play-by-play action at Memorial Auditorium on WKBW. 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. 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. Rick Azar began his career at WHLD radio in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s. 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." Dorothy Ireland was on the air daily as Kay B. Cooke with interviews and homemaking tips. Reynolds made a cameo appearance on the ill-fated Buffalo Night in America broadcast on WBBZ-TV in July 2012. 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 . 1top single, I Want to Hold Your Hand.. His first radio job was WWOL in Buffalo with Dick Purtan, then WKWK, in Wheeling, WV. The program began with hosts Brian Kahle and Nancy Foreman, and continued with Linda Pellegrino, and reporter/co-host Jon Summers, and is currently hosted by Emily Lampa and Mercedes Wilson. She joined the station in 2012 as a weekend morning co-anchor. Independence Day, July 4th, heralded the arrival in Buffalo of FutureSonic Radio, the catch-phrase given to WKBW to its brand new, fast-paced, imaginative music-news-service operation. 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. Weather Bureau forecast. Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. Sandy Beach was in the original broadcast in 1968, Jack Armstrong was in the 1971 version, and Shane in 1973. (Buffalo Stories archives). What to my wondering ear should appear but a polka, hold everything! 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. 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. http://blog.buffalostories.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/KB58sm.mp3. She joined Jenn Schanz, Marissa Perlman, Angela Christoforos and Kaylee Wendt in exiting Channel 4 after finishing their contracts at a station in the nation's No. This blurb appeared in a Geneseo newspaper during the week leading up to Halloween in 1968. Ricardo Efrain Thomas Aquino Carballada de Babilon[1] (April24, 1929[2] March 25, 2021), known professionally as Rick Azar, was an American broadcaster who spent 31 years at WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York. Rick Azar was the first voice heard on WKBW-TV on November 30, 1958. . 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. The concept of the American Teenager as we know it today is a relatively new one. It is unclear why these five players asked for releases from their national letters of intent. 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. [3], Rick Azar began his career at WHLD radio in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s. The new format included a large amount of public interest information and services. 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. . The rock nroll era had arrived on a respectable, long established Buffalo radio station. Pictured here in the studios of WKBW on Main Street with newsman John Zach in 1972, Danny Neaverth is perhaps Buffalos greatest pop culture star. All outside as well as on air references confined station identification to KBW. The first broadcast on that snowy night was the Jimmy Cagney classic film, "Yankee Doodle Dandy!" 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.. He was the public address announcer for the NBA Braves and the NFL Bills. Simpsons ability to run for a record 2003 yards in 1973. The promotion worked. Buffalo Web Design by. WKBW-AM History. I tried to interview her a few weeks ago about her career and her plan to say goodbye to TV news. (Buffalo Stories archives). The block where these buildings stood on Main Street is now a grass-covered park. The program is completely on Polish, save the opening and closing voiceover by an WKBW staff announcer, perhaps Larry Brownell. The rock nroll era had arrived on a respectable, long established Buffalo radio station. Hernando, on a WINE promo with a microphone flag edited from WXRA to read WINE. 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. For most of my generation, I would imagine thoughts of Stan Jasinski beckon thoughts of grandparents, and this is true for Edmund Haremski as well. "She was very proud of it, too. His big break came in 1966, when he joined WIXY Radio in Cleveland. The series ended on April 25, 2011. But eventually, a base of homegrown talent sprinkled with some of the most talented people from around the country, KB built an unprecedented following in Buffalo and around the country. 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. Reynolds' career memoir is titled, Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella, But Dont Get a Mouthful of Rain. Copyright 2020Buffalo Broadcasters. (O . Keep reading with unlimited digital access. Tom could be seen every afternoon from 1965 until 1978, and weekends until 1995. 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. Today’s top 47 Registered Nurse jobs in Paris, le-de-France, France. Id been offered a gig, at the same time, from KLIF in Dallas. Since the earliest days of the internet, Cichon's been creating content celebrating the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. 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. Narrated by then-KB Radio newsman Irv Weinstein, this piece reflects the KB staff from its first year as a Top 40 station. Western New Yorks embedded in his DNA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Remembered as one of Buffalos most beloved sports broadcasters, Stan Barron was also a disc jockey through most of his time in Buffalo radio, including his turn as WKBWs Clock Watcher. 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. His old friends and former co-workers gathered in the studio at WBEN930amto congratulate Sandy Beach on a half century of Buffalo broadcasting. 14 market. Why? Didnt know a think about KB prior to getting off the plane in Buffalo, said Perry Allen. (Buffalo Stories archives.). Reynolds and Neaverth, on behalf of WKBW, were offered the chance to bring The Beatles to Buffalo Memorial Auditorium on February 10, 1964, the day after the band had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. They have continued their careers . Lorenz wanted nothing to do with a Top 40 style format. Half of the audience was listening to KB. 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. 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. On July 3rd, 12 beautiful models, all wearing toreador pants and banners proclaiming them to be Miss KB toured downtown streets and businesses distributing the stations new Top 30 tunes sheets and fliers stating, Its Hot! "The Commander Tom Show" anchored the afternoons with a mix of cartoons and information with Tom Jolls and puppets "Dustmop" and "Mattie The Mod!" Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. Youll also hear from Russ Syracuse, Johnny Barrett, Art Roberts, and Dick Biondi. One boy from Cardinal OHara High School was convinced that it was The Beatles weird looks more than their musical ability thatmade them popular. 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. While Reynolds' present persona can be considered mellower by comparison, he still retains a loyal audience. I had promised a free Kings Ball rock and roll concert if I won, and also promised the person with the longest list of votes that I would carry their books to school every day for a week. "Because I love numbers" he says. WXRA later became WINE, where Hernando played host. However, I was told Channel 4 management wouldnt let her do an interview until after she left the station. 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. His wife was having a pajama party. The club included a weekly newsletter and discounts from KB advertisers. It became a cornerstone for a company that would later acquire the ABC television network before selling that to the Walt Disney Company. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/thebed.mp3, http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/themonkeyspaw.mp3. My great grandfather lived in an apartment in the yellow house on the right. She, of course, represented the Polish community at . At WBNY, Neaverth would pull a rooftop like event similar to Guy Kings, throwing candy out to passersby. The new KB also introduced a service unique to the market with meteorologist Louis Allen. I also ripped a phone off the wall and threw it at Mike Joseph in Buffalo missing him by a hair. He writes about Buffalos pop culture history. (News file photo) By Sharon Cantillon. Steve's Buffalo roots run deep: all eight of his great-grandparents called Buffalo home, with his first ancestors arriving here in 1827. 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. Click image to learn more. His first radio job was WWOL in Buffalo with Dick Purtan, then WKWK, in Wheeling, WV. 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. It was . 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. Why? http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/vampires.mp3, http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/wotw68.mp3. Channel 7 and 7 News have been there for you Western New York, serving one of the most unique regions in the country by supporting a diverse range of community groups and events, like The Buffalo Urban League, Summit Educational Resources, The March of Dimes, The American Heart Association, 1490 Enterprises, and Women and Children's Hospital through the Variety Kid's Telethon, just to name a few. It is unlikely she would return to Buffalo TV. 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. Liz Lewin: The former WKBW-TV anchor-reporter, who left the station last summer to become the weekend morning anchor and reporter at WILX-TV in Lansing, Mich., is back in Buffalo. Traffic was snarled for hours in what was considered Buffalos Times Square, and is now just considered the MetroRail tracks in front of the Main Place Mall. McDonald's has closed its U.S. offices through Wednesday and told its corporate staff to work remotely as it prepares to announce a round of layoffs. Each of the new disc jockeys showcased in a nearly wrapped music package, surrounded with all the happy excitement the stations new sound was to feature. 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. Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. 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. Neaverth, perhaps with his boyish good looks and demeanor, evaded arrest for his stunt. The half hour program was recorded on these transcription records, sometime before Christmas Day 1954, for playback on that date. The primary difference in each is the news guy, disc jockey and the music at the start of the show. Whether you loved the Beatles or hated them, they were clearly a growing economic force to be reckoned with. Buffalo Bills guard Reggie McKenzie and WADV-FM disc jockey Fred Klestine. With its clear-channel 50,000 watt signal, KB was heard all over the eastern half of North America. 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. AM Buffalo is one of the longest running and most successful locally produced programs in the country. Perry Allen, from KTLN in Denver was hired to fill the early morning 6 to 9 AM slot. Buffalo Stories archives. One night, Reynolds started playing an endless loop of a The Four Seasons song, and locked the studio door from the inside. 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. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/peopleplacesandthings.mp3. His family owned Lucki-Urban Furniture, sponsors of Jasinskis broadcasts from the 50s-90s. What helped him decide his career path was he says he wanted to entertain people and didn't want to wear a tie.
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