WBNY

WBNY

airdate = 1982
Broadcast area Buffalo, New York
Branding "91.3 WBNY"
Slogan Buffalo's Original Alternative
Frequency 91.3 (MHz)
Format Campus radio
ERP 1000 watts
HAAT 34 meters
Class A
Callsign meaning W Buffalo New York
Owner Buffalo State College
Webcast WMA Live Stream
Website
2005-2006 DJ's of WBNY in the Checkerboard Lounge

WBNY is the college radio station of Buffalo State College, located within the city of Buffalo, New York. WBNY, licensed in 1982, broadcasts on 91.3 FM.[1] The station is the descendant of BSC's AM carrier-current station known as WSCB, which could be received only on campus through the electrical system. The WBNY call letters were previously associated with 1400 AM in Buffalo in the 40s and 50s. The WBNY identification is apparently also used by a shortwave pirate radio station, unrelated to the FCC-licensed FM station.

WBNY maintains studio locations at Campbell Student Union 220 with transmitter facilities located on Porter Hall, with an effective radiated power of 1000-watts (originally 100-watts, and 1000-watts as of October 16, 2013), allowing not only for full campus-wide coverage, but also general coverage as far south as South Buffalo and as far west as Fort Erie, Ontario.[2]

Music programs on WBNY include two and three hour blocks of RPM, punk rock, retro, folk/bluegrass, loud rock, jazz, American Roots, reggae, hip hop, and "format" shows, consisting of music from WBNY's library rotation. Once a week, there is a six-hour block of talk radio, featuring shows and discussions about professional wrestling, politics, sports, and trivia. Wrestling radio show "Monday Night Mayhem" originated on WBNY and after moving to an internet-only broadcast in December 2004, continued to be popular.

The station has been entirely student run since its inception in 1982. Carrier-current predecessor WSCB General Manager Michael Lesser and Program Director Scott Michaeloff were the directors of the WBNY effort, along with staff such as Tom Connolly. Lesser, who was also a VP of the Student Government, embraced the vision of Connolly and others, successfully petitioning the FCC and secured funding from the United Students Government (USG) to create WBNY. The DJ lounge, WBNY's "Lesser Lounge", was named in honor of the founding GM.

Lesser elected not to run for General Manager for a third term, and new GM Bob DeAmbra won election through popular vote. DeAmbra and Program Manager Tom Calderone nurtured an alternative format that became nationally recognized. Calderone became a Senior Executive at MTV. DeAmbra (American Express) and Lesser (Healthcare Marketing) went on to marketing careers. John Rosso became a senior executive with ABC, then Citadel and now Triton Digital. Engineer Nick Rozanov was General Manager, US of Radio 7 in Moscow, Russia and then moved into telecom. Scott Michaeloff is Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of Synaptic Digital. Many DJ's, including Tom Connolly, Rick Walters and Dave McKinley, can be heard regularly on radio and TV in the Buffalo, NY area.

In the spirit of predecessor WSCB, local bands, regardless of status or talent, were invited to appear on programs like "Down at Lulu's." The station also began bringing in relatively unknown national acts like R.E.M., The Cure, and The Replacements, and then-breakout act The Smashing Pumpkins for local performances. Some WBNY staffers launched their own bands, among them Tina Peel's "Intergalactic Burnt Toast," Jeff Hastings' "The ShAnkHeAds," and Kevin Walsh's "Leper Gumbies."

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "FCC Database Call sign History for WBNY". United States Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
  2. ↑ FM Query Results--Audio Division(FCC)USA Retrieved 2011-11-22.

External links


Coordinates: 42°55′59″N 78°52′59″W / 42.933°N 78.883°W / 42.933; -78.883

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