WECK

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WECK is an AM radio station located in the Buffalo, New York area and broadcasts at 1230 AM. Founded in 1956 as WNIA-AM, the station currently is owned by CBS Radio (in the process of being sold to Regent Communications) and runs the Jones Radio Network's classic country format. Prior to the current format, which was established in early 2006, WECK ran an adult standards format. The station also broadcasts play-by-play of minor league professional baseball's Buffalo Bisons and is the flagship station of the nationally syndicated "America's Car Show with Tom Torbjornsen."

[edit] History

The 1230 AM frequency was known as WNIA under the ownership of Gordon P. Brown, who also owned WSAY-AM (now WXXI-AM) in Rochester, NY. After his death, WNIA was sold to Quid Me Broadcasting, a group headed by local broadcast account executive Chet Musialowski. Musialowski was also General Manager of the station during the Quid Me years(1980-88).

Shortly after the Quid Me takeover, in spring of 1980, the station switched from Urban/R&B to a Current Top 40/Oldies hybrid format. Original air personalities included Chuck McCoy, Jeff Reinhardt, Mark Phillips and JR Russ. In the spring of 1980, following dismal ratings (in an era of rapidly declining AM listenership), the station switched formats, to the Big Band/Nostalgia based Music of Your Life format. The format was a big hit with much of Buffalo's large older population. The station maintained a live on-air staff during this time that included Joe Kozma, Tim White, Lynn Dixon, News Director Bruce Allen and Sports Director Walt Hankin. After the station was sold by Quid Me in 1988, the station continued with a nostalgia music format, but became satellite automated, maintaining only a live, local dj show in morning drive. Portions of the station's programming came from the Music of Your Life network.

In February 2006, WECK abruptly pulled the plug on the standards format and, as an attempt to hedge the CBS cluster's most dominant station, WYRK, switched over to its current satellite classic country format. (Thus far, the move seems to have backfired. According to Arbitron ratings, WECK lost nearly two thirds of its audience over a year, while rival WXRL has nearly doubled its audience. Meanwhile, the adult standards audience seems to have flocked to Toronto's 50,000-watt powerhouse CHWO, which has also seen a sizeable ratings increase in Buffalo.)

The station was sold to Regent Communications along with the rest of the CBS cluster in 2006.

[edit] External links

• WECK Web site
• Buffalo Bisons
• America's Car Show