WBUF
Encyclopedia
WBUF is an FM radio station in Buffalo, New York
. Its transmitter is located in Buffalo. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts on 92.9 FM. The station signed on in 1947.
format, which it acquired in May 2005 while still under the management of CBS Radio
. After the station was sold to Regent Broadcasting (now Townsquare Media), 92.9 Jack FM was kept as a low-cost, but highly entertaining format.
Prior to the adoption of Jack, WBUF had a history of short-lived and rapidly changing formats (usually failed attempts to challenge other more dominant stations in the market), with the station typically changing formats every two years between 1993 and 2005.
Since May of 2005, WBUF has been broadcasting as 92.9 Jack FM using the increasingly popular Jack FM
format, playing an eclectic mix of popular music from the past 40 years. At first 92.9 was one of the only Jack FM stations which didn't use Howard Cogan as the voice of Jack due to its proximity to Toronto's CJAQ-FM
, which identified themselves as 92.5 Jack FM. Using Cogan would have most likely caused confusion with listeners due to the fact the two stations are also close by in frequency on the FM dial. WBUF-FM also cannot generally be heard in the Greater Toronto Area
because the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) allows CKJN-FM to broadcast which is often overlapping & very unreliable in that vicinity, though this was not the case until CKJN signed on.
Up until mid April 2009, WBUF used impressive voice talent Brad Davidorf, who is known most notably for his voice work on TBS
. WBUF has since reemployed Howard Cogan ("The Coginator") as imaging voice.
Within two months of the change, CJAQ dropped the Jack FM format and went back to the KISS FM
format that Jack FM replaced six years earlier.
WBUF began streaming its programming on the Internet in mid-November 2006.
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. Its transmitter is located in Buffalo. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts on 92.9 FM. The station signed on in 1947.
Programming
WBUF currently is running the Jack FMJack FM
JACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
format, which it acquired in May 2005 while still under the management of CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
. After the station was sold to Regent Broadcasting (now Townsquare Media), 92.9 Jack FM was kept as a low-cost, but highly entertaining format.
Prior to the adoption of Jack, WBUF had a history of short-lived and rapidly changing formats (usually failed attempts to challenge other more dominant stations in the market), with the station typically changing formats every two years between 1993 and 2005.
- Pre-1975: Beautiful musicBeautiful musicBeautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
, as part of a network including WVORWDVIWDVI is a hot adult contemporary station in Rochester, New York, broadcasting on 100.5 FM. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications. 100.5 was previously known as WVOR, a hot adult contemporary music station for many years. The station was owned by the Lincoln Group before being sold to...
/Rochester and WDDS/Syracuse - 1975: Freeform/progressive rockProgressive rockProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
- 1980: WFXZ "Foxy 93"
- This was the product of veteran Buffalo media executive Donald Angelo. Format lasted one year, calls reverted to WBUF the year after once Angelo departed the station.http://www.buffalobroadcasters.com/news_stories/sep2011newsletter.asp
- Early 1990s: "Mix 92.9", "B93"
- 1995: WSJZ Smooth JazzSmooth jazzSmooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
92.9; Format lasted two years. - 1997: WLCE Alice@92.9 Adult contemporary/Alternative music
- This much-publicized format was intended to challenge then-WMJQ, now WTSS. The format lasted two years.
- 1999: WBUF B92.9 Rhythmic OldiesRhythmic oldiesRhythmic Oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, disco or dance genres of music. Playlists may span from the 1970s through the early 1990s...
/DiscoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
/Classic SoulSoul musicSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
.- Format was intended to challenge WHTTWHTTWHTT-FM 104.1 FM, is a commercial radio station based in Buffalo, New York United States. The station has a classic hits format and is known by the name "104.1 WHTT".WHTT is owned by Cumulus Media. Its transmitter is located in Buffalo....
but lasted less than two years. This format's end was marked with a stuntStunting (broadcasting)In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
, playing the song "We Will Rock YouWe Will Rock You"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
" by QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
repeatedly.
- Format was intended to challenge WHTT
- 2001: Buffalo's Rock Station (Active rockActive rockActive rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
)- Format was intended to challenge WGRFWGRFWGRF is a radio station in Buffalo, New York, USA. The station's on air branding is "97 Rock". The station mostly plays Classic rock from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
and WEDGWEDGWEDG is a radio station in Buffalo, New York, USA. The station's on air branding is "103.3 The Edge" and broadcasts on 103.3 MHz FM. WEDG has an active rock format and is best known for its afternoon-drive hosts, "Shredd and Ragan," and being the co-flagship of the Buffalo Bills Radio Network...
. WBUF in this era brought Howard SternHoward SternHoward Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
to Buffalo's morning drive. Later on, the station added Opie and AnthonyOpie and AnthonyOpie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
. A combination of two events held by the duo led to their demise. The first was "T'n'A with O&A," a raunchy party hosted by Opie and Anthony in western New York and sponsored by WBUF. However, before any disciplinary action for that incident was taken, the hosts were embroiled in the infamous Sex for Sam scandal in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where two lovers had sex in St. Paul's Cathedral in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in exchange for Samuel Adams beer. It was the latter event that ultimately led to their first firing. As Gregg Hughes has stated on their current morning show on competitor WEDGWEDGWEDG is a radio station in Buffalo, New York, USA. The station's on air branding is "103.3 The Edge" and broadcasts on 103.3 MHz FM. WEDG has an active rock format and is best known for its afternoon-drive hosts, "Shredd and Ragan," and being the co-flagship of the Buffalo Bills Radio Network...
, "We were well on our way to being fired for the 'T'n'A with O&A' party, when we were canceled for 'Sex for Sam'." Instead of reverting the drive time back to rock, they instead replaced O&A with the Don and Mike Show.
- Format was intended to challenge WGRF
- 2004: FM Talk
- This format was basically a revival of WWKBWWKBWWKB is an AM radio station in Buffalo, New York that operates on a frequency of 1520 kHz. It is owned and operated by Entercom Communications. The station carries a progressive talk radio format. Declaring itself as A New Voice, A New Choice, The Voice of the New Majority; WWKB carries a number...
's ill-fated "hot talk" format of the mid-1990s. The format was intended to challenge WGRWGRWGR, or WGR Sports Radio 550, is an all sports radio station in Buffalo, New York that broadcasts on 550 AM. It is the flagship station of the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bandits, and is currently the only full-time sports talk station in the city of Buffalo. Its studios are located in Amherst,...
and WBENWBEN (AM)WBEN is an AM and FM radio station serving the Niagara, Buffalo and Western New York area, broadcasting on 930 AM and, as of April 5, 2011, simulcasting on sister station WLKK at 107.7 FM. It previously simulcasted between 1946 and 1960 on 102.5 FM as WBEN-FM. Both stations retained the WBEN...
as well as partially replace WNSAWLKKWLKK is an American radio station located in Wethersfield, New York. Broadcasting on the frequency of 107.7 MHz, the station is currently owned by Entercom Communications and is operated out of the company's studios in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo...
. With both drive blocks filled with hot talkers, the natural progression was to make the station a full-time talker. With the region's best known hot talk host, J. R. GachJ. R. GachJay Robert "J.R." Gach is a controversial talk radio host and shock jock from Schenectady, New York.Gach was born in 1952 to Joseph Harry Gach , a retired army colonel, and Dorothy Louise Shive...
, working in Albany and unavailable, Brother WeaseBrother WeaseBrother Wease is the on-air name of Alan Levin , a radio personality from Rochester, New York. He is currently heard on WFXF 95.1 FM "The Fox" in Brighton, as well as WHTK AM 1280 /FM 107.3 in Rochester and the Finger Lakes...
, from sister station WCMFWCMFWCMF-FM is a radio station located in the Rochester, New York area and broadcasts at 96.5 FM. Its transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton, Monroe County, New York....
in Rochester, was hired to fill the midday, while Tom LeykisTom LeykisThomas Joseph Leykis is an American radio personality. He currently hosts The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis, a weekly lifestyle program dealing with fine food and drink, airing weekends mainly in West Coast markets...
and LovelineLovelineLoveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its flagship station is KROQ-FM in Los Angeles....
were given nighttime slots. The format ended in six months after Wease developed nasal cancer and could not work both his Rochester and Buffalo shifts.
- This format was basically a revival of WWKB
- 2005: Jack FM
- Stern was the only host retained when CBS RadioCBS RadioCBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
, then the station's owner, dropped the talk format in Buffalo in favor of Jack, the first format in about 10 years not intended to directly compete with another station in the market. When Stern left terrestrial radio for Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
, he was not replaced in Buffalo.
- Stern was the only host retained when CBS Radio
Since May of 2005, WBUF has been broadcasting as 92.9 Jack FM using the increasingly popular Jack FM
Jack FM
JACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
format, playing an eclectic mix of popular music from the past 40 years. At first 92.9 was one of the only Jack FM stations which didn't use Howard Cogan as the voice of Jack due to its proximity to Toronto's CJAQ-FM
CJAQ-FM
CKIS-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 92.5 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format branded as KiSS 92.5...
, which identified themselves as 92.5 Jack FM. Using Cogan would have most likely caused confusion with listeners due to the fact the two stations are also close by in frequency on the FM dial. WBUF-FM also cannot generally be heard in the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
because the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) allows CKJN-FM to broadcast which is often overlapping & very unreliable in that vicinity, though this was not the case until CKJN signed on.
Up until mid April 2009, WBUF used impressive voice talent Brad Davidorf, who is known most notably for his voice work on TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
. WBUF has since reemployed Howard Cogan ("The Coginator") as imaging voice.
Within two months of the change, CJAQ dropped the Jack FM format and went back to the KISS FM
Kiss FM
-United States:* KISS-FM , a brand name used for several Top 40 stations, many owned by Clear Channel Communications including:** KBKS-FM, better known as "106.1 KISS-FM", in Seattle** KHKS-FM, better known as "106.1 KISS-FM", in Dallas...
format that Jack FM replaced six years earlier.
WBUF began streaming its programming on the Internet in mid-November 2006.