All-news radio in Buffalo was a noble experiment that lasted about 16 years. It was the format on WEBR, 970 on your AM dial, and it did some good work. Our softball team wasn't bad either in some years. The picture shows - Top Row: Rob Schaefer, Leon Lewek, Sally Lewek, Bruce Dixon, Dennis Keefe, and Sam Anson; Bottom row: Maureen Rasp, Budd Bailey, Brad Krohn, Scott Brown, Greg Mott and Lauren Migliore. Paul Hamilton is relaxing across the front.
Here's a list of the alumni and what they are doing now - at least at last report. Feel free to send along an e-mail or post a comment if you'd like to update the list:
Jonathan Aiken - Actuality Media, Washington, D.C.
Sam Anson - Retired; Folly Beach, South Carolina
Budd Bailey - Retired, Buffalo, NY
Teresa Beaton-Corrigan - Retired; Buffalo, NY
Pam Benson - Media and communications consultant, Washington, D.C.
Kent Benziger - Attorney, Newburgh, NY.
Jim Berryman - WBFO Radio, Buffalo, NY
Jacqueline Boulden - Boulden Multimedia, Philadelphia, PA
Steve Boyd - Law Offices of Steve Boyd & John Elmore; Williamsville, NY
Eileen Buckley - WKBW-TV; Buffalo, NY
Barbara Burns - U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Buffalo, NY
Rev. Mark Charlton - San Francisco, Calif., area
Marc Chodorow - Chodorow Associates, Los Angeles, CA
Sarah (Britton) Cote - Williston, VT
Dave Debo - WBFO Radio, Buffalo, NY
Mike Desmond - WBFO Radio, Buffalo, NY
Bruce Dixon - Retired, Napierville, IL
Kristen (Greisman) Etu - Public Relations, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY
Toby Gold - Compassion, Rochester, NY
Kevin Gordon - American Public Media, South Florida
Cheryl (Doherty) Hagen - NIITEC; Buffalo, NY
Audrey Hall - WICN-FM, Worcester, Mass.
Paul Hamilton - WGR Radio, Buffalo, NY
Mark Hamrick - Bankrate, Washington, D.C.
Celeste Harwell - Real Estate, Bellmarc, New York, NY
Lauri Githens Hatch - Orchard Park, NY
Marian Hetherly - Metro Insight, Buffalo, NY
Allyssa (Mark) Hillger - Nurse, Columbus, Ohio
Annette (Soos) Hodgens - Falk College, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Paul Hollie - Safeco, Seattle, WA
Anne Hornickel - Office of Equity and Diversity, University of Minnesota
Father Bob Kantor - St. Agnes Parish, Naples, Florida.
Karen Keefe - self-employed, living in Western New York
Dave Kerner - WBBM Radio, Chicago, IL
Jack Kinnicutt -- FixMyMacJack, Green Valley, Arizona
Rich Komonchak - Last sighting: Standard Radio News, Washington, D.C.
Jack Krieger - Attorney, Port St. Lucie, FL
Dan Lenard - Voice actor, East Amherst, NY
Leon Thomas Lewek - Jacksonville, Fla.
Sharon Linstedt - City Hall, Buffalo, NY
Greg Lucas - Retired; Houston, TX
Suzanne Lysak -- Professor at Chapman University; Orange, California
John Martin - Associate State Director, AARP-RI, Providence RI
Harold McNeil - Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY
Mary Jo Melone - Freelance writer and editor, St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL
Lauren Migliore -- Amherst, NY
Jim Militello - Retired; Washington, D.C.
Greg Mott - Bloomberg News, Washington, DC
Mary Travers Murphy - Executive Director, Family Justice Center, Erie County, NY
Sharon (Friedlander) Newman - Al Jazerra America, New York, NY
Lou Paonessa -- Community Relations, New York Power Authority, Niagara Falls, NY
Dave Prohaska - Retired; Malta, NY
Jeanne Ptak - Lawyer, Buffalo, NY
Cheryl (Hartl) Ranney - Nardin Academy, Buffalo, NY
Michelle Layer Rahal -- Education Producer, Windwalker, McLean, VA
Jim Ranney - Assistant to State Senator Patrick Gallivan, Buffalo, NY
Maureen Rasp-Glose - Verizon, Buffalo, NY
John Reiss - MSNBC, New York, NY
George Richert - WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY
Randy Rosen - Rosen Management Services, Chicago, Ill. (?)
Bill Rosinski - Broadcasting for ESPN Radio and PGA Tour Radio
Scott Sackett - Toward Castle Films, Lockport, NY
Karen Sacks - Housewife/music teacher, New Jersey
Eric Scott - Townsquare Media, New Jersey
David Seals - News Director, WHAS, Louisville, Kentucky
Jack Sheehan - Starkey Hearing Technologies, Minneapolis, Minn
Debbie Silverman - Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY
Jola Simon - Last sighting: Imagination Unlimited International, Buffalo, NY
Phil Smith - Under Secretary, Office of Policy and Management, State of Connecticut.
Brad Steiger - Retired, Tonawanda, NY
John Stempin - National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
Shay Stevens - National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
Mike St. Peter - NECN, Boston, Mass.
Kate (Prohaska) Sullivan - Retired, Winston-Salem, NC
Steve Tawa - KYW Radio, Philadelphia, PA
George Tekmitchov - St. Engineer, Easton Archery
Laura (Glass) Thomas - Laura Glass Art Gallery, Tonawanda, NY
Andy Thomas - Andy Thomas Productions, Summerville, SC
Scott Thomas - Business First, Buffalo, NY
Maria Todd - Radio personality; Houston, Texas
Cynthia Wallace - Vung Tae, Vietnam
David Waples - Lecturer, Penn State University; Fairview, PA
Diane Ward - Office of Opportunity Programs, SUNY System Administration, Albany, NY
Pete Weber - Nashville Predators, Nashville, TN
Mark Webster - markwebstermedia.com, Buffalo, NY
Doug Whiteman - Moneywise.com; Miami, Florida
Bill Wyatt - Senior editor, Voice of America, Washington, D.C.
Who are we looking for? Mike Allen, Ricky Banks, Denise Jackson, Jim Lane, Dan Lynch, Cynthia McKoy, Jeff Morrison, Ken Stepian, Carla Taylor, Monica Wilson, Judy Wichrowski, Tom Wright.
And we miss: Scott Brown, Ann Reynolds Carden, Steve Coryell, Jerry Fedell, John Gill, Marty Gleason, Dawn Hamilton, Larry Hatzi, Dennis Keefe, Bruce Allen Kolesnick, Brad Krohn, Jack Mahl, Kim Morey, Dave Prescott, Jim Pyrce, Bill Raffel, Phil Soisson, Bob Wells. It's a little tough to look at that list, isn't it?
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| Several graduates of WEBR Newsradio 970 met in Buffalo for a gala reunion. How many can you identify? Well, in no particular order, there's Dave Kerner, Sarah Britton Cote, Ann Reynolds Carden, Mike St. Peter, Teresa Beaton-Corrigan, Peter Corrigan (married into the group), Sam Anson, Cheryl Hartl, Gerry Glose (married into the group), Maureen Rasp-Glose, Jonathan Aiken, Pam Benson, Jola Simon, Greg Mott, Leon Thomas Lewek, congenial organizer Mark Hamrick. And maybe I missed some people that were hidden. (Photo by Pam Benson) |
8 comments:
Thanks for including me.
Paul Hollie
Seattle
Hi!
I grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario and listened religiously every night to WEBR's "Jazz in the Night Time" program. It was a huge influence on me when I was a teenager in the 1980s. I am wondering if you have any info on any of the fabulous DJs who hosted the program, most notably the late, great "Prez" Freeland. I would LOVE to have access to any photos or audio anyone out there might have. Would love to set up a tribute site or at the least a tribute video on YouTube. He was the best and I miss those days. I used to come out to shows at the Blue Note in Buffalo, then the High Note down the street, where the gigs were always promoted by WEBR.
So any info would help...thanks!
Chris
Al Wallack is still at WNED-AM as program director, at least according to the website. I'd start there. Good luck.
Hi Budd,
I've been in New York since 1981. The RKO Radio Networks, then NBC News, then 1010WINS, and finally WQXR (New York Times)for fifteen years. All that time, still painting portraits:
www.kevingordonportraits.com
It would be great to see the old gang again!
Thanks for looking for me!
Kevin Gordon
Hi guys, I am the proud owner of a piece of WEBR history from the early 70's. I am restoring a three-wheeled pedal car with the WEBR call letters on it. It was supposedly used in parades. Does anyone have pictures of it from back then?
So tough to see who's no longer with us, many of them before their time. May they rest in peace ( except Larry Hatzi,who's definitely raising hell wherever he is!).
So tough to see who's no longer with us, may they rest in peace (except Larry Hatzi, who's raising hell wherever he is!).
I'll try this again. I'm alive and kicking as a retired resident of Naperville, IL. I was an editor at WEBR from 1978 to 1982, missing the Great Blizzard by one year. I think of Al Wallack when I listen to WDCB, a local jazz station operated by the College of DuPage.
I assume that Pete's eye healed nicely after getting whacked by a line drive while playing third base. Brad is gone, but I'll always remember how he could empty the candy machine with a single quarter. I've always appreciated my going away party that Sam Anson threw at Chef's. That was a good time, but I was looking forward to my new job in Chicago. Bruce Dixon dixon-bruce@comcast.net
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