My proudest promotional moment was when the audience voted me KB King, recalls Art Roberts. Anyone who worked at KB in its heyday has stories. Dan Neaverth narrates People places things. The next day I was fired.. For 70 years, more mature generations have been panning the choices of teenage girls and especially the fervor with which they make those choices. Born in Boston, educated in suburban Philadelphia, Lawrence considered Washington, D.C. his home. Newsman Irv Weinstein, sportscaster Rick Azar, and weatherman Tom Jolls stand as the longest running anchor team in Buffalo television history. 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. 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). Having the good fortune of working with top talent I knew that the station was headed for the top. 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. 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. Some personalities are so renowned and celebrated just one name will do. The series ended on April 25, 2011. 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.. Azar signed the station on with the words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, WKBW-TV Channel 7 is on-the-air!" K-BIG Feature #1: Forgotten Buffalo Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of KB's Format Change to Top 40. After he was reinstated, his first words on the air were "I still think she's a stupid broad". A few of his moonlighting gigs dovetailed more closely with his work as a disc jockey and radio host. It was not until after Beatlemania swept the nation that they acknowledged that it was a mistake to not bring them in. WKBW-TV began as an extension of the popular WKBW radio 1520AM, now WWKB. 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. Wally Wagoner was WKBWs Farm Director. 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. Left: Fred Klestine, Dan Neaverth, Jay Nelson, Jack Kelly, Doug James, Bob Diamond, Tom Shannon. WYSL-AM made a valiant effort to take on "KB" but never managed to topple the legendary giant. I also ripped a phone off the wall and threw it at Mike Joseph in Buffalo missing him by a hair. Jacey Brooks will join Bulls head coach Becky Burke's staff as an associate head coach. 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]. 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. Cash prized ranged from $25 to $100. Some personalities are so renowned and celebrated just one name will do. Stations like WBNY, WWOL, WXRA, and later WYSL and a host of others were capturing the imaginations of young people in Buffalo. He has been a talk show host since. Before Top 40 came to KB, Stan Barron hosted the Morning Clockwatcher show, live each morning outside the Main Street studios. Al Anscombe was a sports announcer under Roger Baker at KB before serving in the Air Corps in World War II. 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). 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. With an eventual 50% of the marketshare, KB quickly blew all of the much smaller competitors out of the water. In 1974, Jeff Kaye became the afternoon drive host on KBs competitor WBEN, effectively ending any future reworking of the covering of the invasion half of the show which remained mostly unchanged through the different broadcasts. Henry Ford didnt invent the automobile, he was just the first to make the same car available to everyone. Jim McLaughlin introduces Halloween 1973, and reminds youDont turn around. Half of the audience was listening to KB. AM Buffalo is one of the longest running and most successful locally produced programs in the country. He found superb vehicles not only for his own talent, but also put the stars of KB in situations where they could shine brightest. He spent a lot of time at the apartment occupied by Allen and his wife. 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. It is unclear why these five players asked for releases from their national letters of intent. 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. Weather Bureau forecast. Please contactus at. The rock nroll era had arrived on a respectable, long established Buffalo radio station. 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. When the station went rock and roll in 1958, Tommy would dominate not only Western New York but also about 17 states and a couple of Nations. In fact, the original building used to be a tabernacle, which is key to what WKBW stands for: "Well Known Bible Witness." Azar also did basketball play-by-play on St. Bonaventure basketball games on Ch 7 during the Bob Lanier era. 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. People from all over the country, and not just Buffalo transplants, have built websites dedicated to keeping the memory of WKBW alive. 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. Jeff Kaye narrates with the KB Players in The Monkeys Paw. While Program Director Jeff Kaye might be best remembered for that deep resonant voice which he used like Horowitz on a Steinway, he was also perhaps the greatest producer and writer that is to say, the greatest radio mind of the generation. But it wasnt just radio Neaverth was also a TV weatherman on Channel 7 and later Channel 2. The young lady who won lived 100 miles from Buffalo. In 1950, he replaced Baker as KBs general manager. Why? Oats was always a terrific interview. 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. Soon to be gone was KBs ethnic, country & western and religious programming as well as George Lorenz who would not conform to a strict top40 play list. His young fans, bobbysoxers, were the first teenagers to swoon in force at the voice of a matinee idol and singing sensation. But 370 miles away in Baltimore, the show showed up in the ratings as number 4. [2] 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. 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. The energetic Lawrence formed the National Association of Independent Program Directors while at KB. Over 600 imitation firecrackers were distributed to the audience, each one containing either movie passes, Elvis Presley dog tag jewelry, gift certificates for free records, ball point pens, cigarette lighters, pocket notebooks and checks valued at $1.52 or $15.20. "Rocketship 7" kicked off the day with host Dave Thomas and "Promo The Robot!" On July 4, 1958, Futursonic Radio was alive on WKBW. Click image to learn more. One night I got mad at my boss who had just come home from his honeymoon. Buffalo Bills guard Reggie McKenzie and WADV-FM disc jockey Fred Klestine. WKBW-TV followed the team to the current facility in Orchard Park, N.Y. in 1973 (known then as Rich Stadium and now as Ralph Wilson Stadium). He was the chief rock and pop writer for 20 years and helped establish the weekend entertainment magazine. It is unlikely she would return to Buffalo TV. He worked at various other radio stations in North Carolina. The first broadcast on that snowy night was the James Cagney classic film, Yankee Doodle Dandy. 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. Program from the night Joey Reynolds and Fred Klestine wrestled the Gallagher Brothers at Memorial Auditorium.. 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. In the three years the band toured North America, they never performed a show in Buffalo.[2]. Didnt know a think about KB prior to getting off the plane in Buffalo, said Perry Allen. Sandy Beach started in 1968 at WKBW Radio. 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. He remembers playing the two transcription records from which these audio clips came in his grandmas basement as a little guy. 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. Career. Some images and text used throughout the site are protected by individual copyright holders. 1top single, I Want to Hold Your Hand.. All outside as well as on air references confined station identification to KBW. Simpsons ability to run for a record 2003 yards in 1973. Rick Azar began his career at WHLD radio in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s. [email protected] (Buffalo Stories archives). They got a good gimmick and made it work.. Stay tuned for an eventual interview, most likely to run next week. 20 market in the country. Moreover, he has been invited to speak about entertainment media at several radio industry conferences. A specially written and produced KB Preview Party was broadcast from 12 Noon to 2 PM on Friday, July 4th. Local bands like the Buffalo Beetles, later renamed the Mods, enjoyed popularity and even their own records on the radio. 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. Find out more about our newscasts, our personalities, our mobile apps, our newsletters and more - all in one place. 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. Why? "Because I love numbers" he says. In 1958, plans were underway for a huge, all-encompassing youth group, which was to be headquartered at the station. Apr 5, 2019. 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.. Neaverth, perhaps with his boyish good looks and demeanor, evaded arrest for his stunt. It was built out in 1951 in the parking lot of Tabernaclewhich by the end of the decade was destined to become the home of WKBW-TV Ch.7. His wife was having a pajama party. 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. (Buffalo Stories archives.). The place: 1420 Main Street in Buffalo, New York - the original home of WKBW-TV. [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. 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. When station manager Al Anscombe first convinced the Reverend Clinton Churchill to make the switch to Top 40, initially, the station was stocked with out-of-towners at the direction of the man whod established WBNY as the citys Top 40 leader, program director Dick Lawrence. Steve Cichon is a proud Buffalonian helping the world experience the city he loves. With its clear-channel 50,000 watt signal, KB was heard all over the eastern half of North America. This page is not available in other languages. Id been offered a gig, at the same time, from KLIF in Dallas. CASTING NEWS: Faith Mangope & Brighton Mhlongo join The Morning Show Television/radio personality and former professional goalkeeper, have joined the show's hosting team as it moves to be simulcast daily on Etv and eNCA from May 1st. For that reason, KB owns a special place not only in Buffalos pop cultural lexicon, but also for thousands and thousands of fans, who just like the ones in Buffalo, fell asleep with their transistor under their pillow, wondering where the hell Lackawanna was. 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. In 1986, he arrived at then-WNBC in New York City doing the afternoon drive, Howard Stern's previous shift. She has told her social network followers that she is considering her next step while being paid through June 1. In addition to his duties with WKBW, he owned an artist-management firm, a music publishing company and was associated with the Mike Conner Publicity-Promotion office which was headquartered in Beverly Hills.