WBUF
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WBUF (FM) | |
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| City of license | Buffalo, New York |
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| Branding | 92.9 Jack FM |
| Slogan | Playing What We Want |
| Frequency | 92.9 MHz (Also on HD Radio) 92.9 HD-2 for My HD (All requests) |
| First air date | 1947 |
| Format | Jack FM |
| Callsign meaning | W BUFfalo |
| Owner | Regent Communications |
| Website | www.929jackfm.com |
WBUF is the call letters of a current FM radio station in Buffalo, New York. Its transmitter is located in Buffalo. It is owned by Regent Communications and broadcasts on 92.9 FM. The station signed on in 1947.
[edit] Programming
WBUF currently is running the Jack FM format, which it has run since May 2005. WBUF has a notorious history of frequently changing formats, earning the dubious title of "Wheel O' Format" among those in the radio industry.
Among the former formats:
- 1970's: Freeform rock
Or maybe called "Progressive Rock" Morning call-in program often featured "Big-Al" the parrot who chimed in on issues such as the political stances of Mayor James Griffin. Spectacular music included obscure overseas bands such as Passport, Renassiance (sp?) Camel, etc, etc. First radio station in Buf to play Dark Side of the Moon with enough frequency to show that this was an artistic achievement and not some commercial trip. Not an exaggeration to say that WPHD changed my life (and who would have thought it would result in a PhD degree down the road). This was the same magic at its time as Joey Reynolds at WKBW in the 1960's. Buffalo radio challenged and motivated people in the 60's-70's like nothing that has existed since. To be repeatative, it was a magical time and place.
- 1980: WFXZ "Foxy 93" Format lasted one year, calls reverted to WBUF the year after.
- Early 1990's: "Mix 92.9", "B93"
- 1995: WSJZ Smooth Jazz 92.9 Format lasted two years.
- 1997: WLCE Alice@92.9
- Format was intended to challenge then-WMJQ, now WTSS. The format lasted two years, until morning host Gary Craig uttered an offensive slur.
- 1998: WBUF B92.9 Rhythmic Oldies/Disco/Classic Soul.
- Format was intended to challenge WHTT but lasted less than two years.
- 2000: Buffalo's Rock Station
- Format was intended to challenge WGRF and WEDG. WBUF in this era brought Howard Stern to Buffalo's morning drive. Later on, the station added Opie and Anthony. 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 City, where two lovers had sex in St. Paul's Cathedral in New York City 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 WEDG, "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.
- 2004: FM Talk
- This format was basically a revival of WWKB's ill-fated "hot talk" format of the mid-1990s. The format was intended to challenge WGR and WBEN as well as partially replace WNSA. 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. Gach, working in Albany and unavailable, Brother Wease, from sister station WCMF in Rochester, was hired to fill the midday, while Tom Leykis and Loveline 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.
- 2005: Jack FM
- Stern was the only host retained when CBS Radio, 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 Radio, he was not replaced in Buffalo.
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 without DJs. This is one of the few Jack FM stations which doesn't use Howard Cogan as the voice of Jack, most likely due to its proximity to Toronto's 92.5 Jack FM. Using Cogan would most likely cause confusion with listeners due to the fact the two stations are also close by in frequency on the FM dial.
The "Jack" format has been a surprising success in Buffalo; while the station is not top-rated like sisters WYRK and WBLK, the format actually increased the station's ratings and is doing better than other higher-profile CBS "Jack" stations, such as WCBS-FM. Regent has decided to maintain and continue the Jack format after purchasing the station from CBS, including the familiar CBS version of the "Jack" logo.
WBUF began streaming its programming on the Internet in mid-November 2006.
[edit] External links
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