former wkbw radio personalitiesformer wkbw radio personalities

WYSL-AM made a valiant effort to take on "KB" but never managed to topple the legendary giant. New York State Radio Broadcasters Award Winners | Hall of Fame The call letters of WADV-FM were changed to WYRK-FM in 1981. A strong WBEN, and impending loss of WKBWs NBC affiliation combined with WBNYs success was enough to convince Anscombe to hire Dick Lawrence away from the small station. In the 70s and 80s, it was difficult to spend a day in Buffalo and not somehow be graced by the voice, smile and personality of Clean Dan Neaverth, a true Buffalonian who never forgot his Seneca Street South Buffalo roots and proudly plied his trade among fellow Buffalonians proud to call him one of us. In 1964, "Dialing For Dollars" hit the air with Liz Dribben and Nolan Johannes. Dave became a weatherman for WPVI-TV in Philadelphia until his retirement in 2009, after working in his hometown of Buffalo from 1961 until 1978. Each of the new disc jockeys showcased in a nearly wrapped music package, surrounded with all the happy excitement the stations new sound was to feature. The view of Seneca Street from the Cichons porch on Fairview Place. But it wasnt just radio Neaverth was also a TV weatherman on Channel 7 and later Channel 2. Fred Klestine and Jeff Kaye, WKBW, late 1960s. Whether you loved the Beatles or hated them, they were clearly a growing economic force to be reckoned with. Listeners were urged to apply adhesive tape to their backs in the form of the station call letters and asked to allow themselves to tan in the sun. She joined the station in 2012 as a weekend morning co-anchor. Rachele Mongiovi: The Channel 4 reporter left the station last week, a move that was reported here weeks ago. Born in Boston, educated in suburban Philadelphia, Lawrence considered Washington, D.C. his home. Dick Lawrence came to Buffalo with almost 14 years of broadcasting experience under his belt in May, 1957, from Omaha, Nebraska where he was News Director of Todd Storz KOWH. "Because I love numbers" he says. Through the years, WKBW-TV changed ownership and location. The day: November 30, 1958. After that, he continued at several venerable stations, including WKBW in Buffalo, New York, WNBC and WOR in New York City, KQV in Pittsburgh, KMPC and KRTH in Los Angeles, WPOP and WDRC in Hartford, WIXY in Cleveland, and WIBG and WFIL in Philadelphia. Biondi, known by many as the Wild Itralian had a legendary temper. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Here's where reporters who left WIVB landed, along with other media nuggets. With the blessing of the police commissioner and the traffic safety director of the city, KB announcers, during peak driving hours, made public the location of police radar unit and urged motorists to slow down and drive safely. Deejay Shane Gibson, 'The Cosmic Cowboy,' dies at 78 - Buffalo News 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. Poor Clint, foiled again. From 1958 to 1988, Al Lafler had his hand on the rudder of the production sound that allowed KB to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Steve Cichon is a proud Buffalonian helping the world experience the city he loves. Former KROQ-FM radio personality Rodney "Rodney on the ROQ" Bingenheimer and the estate of the late record producer Kim Fowley were identified in new . By Steve Cichon Ricardo Efrain Thomas Aquino Carballada de Babilon[1] (April24, 1929[2] March 25, 2021), known professionally as Rick Azar, was an American broadcaster who spent 31 years at WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York. On July 4, 1958, Futursonic Radio was alive on WKBW. I also ripped a phone off the wall and threw it at Mike Joseph in Buffalo missing him by a hair. @stevebuffalo. The Mods, formerly The Buffalo Beetles from Buffalo Teen News magazine. Since the earliest days of the internet, Cichon's been creating content celebrating the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. (Buffalo Stories archives). For most of my generation, I would imagine thoughts of Stan Jasinski beckon thoughts of grandparents, and this is true for Edmund Haremski as well. K-BIG Feature #4: DJ Tommy Shannon. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. Jack Kelly, KBs all night jock prior to July 4th, was only of the few voices to be carried over to the new format. In 1958, plans were underway for a huge, all-encompassing youth group, which was to be headquartered at the station. Its a part of Buffalos past of which we should all be proud. The Beatles also played a concert at Torontos Maple Leaf Gardens in August 1965. As songs like Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets hit number one on the charts, Elvis Presley was still receiving second billing to Slim Whitman and Andy Griffith in stage shows around the south. While Reynolds' present persona can be considered mellower by comparison, he still retains a loyal audience. Some personalities are so renowned and celebrated just one name will do. Cichon puts his wide range of professional experiencefrom college professor, to PBS documentary producer, to radio news director, to candidate for countywide elected officeto work in producing meaningful interpretations of the two centuries worth of people, places, and events that make Buffalo the unique place that we love. On July 3rd, 12 beautiful models, all wearing toreador pants and banners proclaiming them to be Miss KB toured downtown streets and businesses distributing the stations new Top 30 tunes sheets and fliers stating, Its Hot! Sandy Beach started in 1968 at WKBW Radio. Here's where reporters who left WIVB landed, along with other media nuggets 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. K-BIG Feature #2: Visit the history WKBW Radio Studios located at 1430 Main Street. With hope and dreams, I turned on the ever present transistor receiver. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. KB broadcast to the white area on the map. Later during KBs first month under the FutureSonic format, another promotional stunt which meet with tremendous interest and success was the KB Beach Buddy, KB Beach Beauty contest. I once threw an ashtray at Gene Taylor. My proudest promotional moment was when the audience voted me KB King, recalls Art Roberts. First, Clint ran the Hidden Bankbook contest were a book with a deposit slip of $5000 was hidden in a remote area pasted inside a sewer pipe. Here hes on KBs lawn with Clint Churchill Jr., WKBW General Manager Al Anscombe, KB Polka Beehive host Stan Jasinski, salesman Jim McGrath and Roger Bakerwho, after returning to KB from WBES-TV, dabbled in sports but focused on sales. It is unlikely she would return to Buffalo TV. Neaverth, perhaps with his boyish good looks and demeanor, evaded arrest for his stunt. Azar, Jolls and Weinstein held their respective positions until Azar's retirement in June 1989. By 1964, American fuddy-duddies had withstood the waves of bobbysoxers and Elvis wagging hips but the arrival of a moppy-headed quartet of singers from England took the genre up another notch. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/thebed.mp3, http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/themonkeyspaw.mp3. "Because I love numbers" he says. On this day, McKenzie dropped by the Buffalo studios of beautiful music WADV-FM to promote two jazz albums that were recorded in the Hotel Statlers Downtown Room. It was fifty years ago to the day that Sandy was first heard on the airwaves of WKBWradio. Station manager Al Anscombe had been studying the modern top40 trends in broadcasting as markets across the country felt the power of the format. We look forward to many more years of delivering 7 News, weather, sports, programming, and information into your home every day! Why? Join Forgotten Buffalo as historical features about KB are added on a regular basis. As the outgoing public face of The Electric Company, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Reggie McKenzie and his fellow guard Joe DeLamielleure were given plenty of credit for O.J. Jim McLaughlin introduces Halloween 1973, and reminds youDont turn around. Never before, and never since, has a radio station been so dominant in Buffalo. 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. 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. Thats especially true when you consider what Oats said in one of his priceless TV interviews, -- after signing what turned out to be a meaningless contract extension -- that he would be at UB unless some other school came in with something crazy. Alabama came through with something crazy at around $2.5 million a year. One night I got mad at my boss who had just come home from his honeymoon. SHANNON SIGNING OFF AFTER 50 YEARS IN RADIO - Buffalo News SUBSCRIBE: $1 for 3 months. Fox News Parts Ways With Weekend Host Dan Bongino - Variety Buffalo News archives. He exited WNBC at the end of February 1987 and was replaced by Alan Colmes. KB goes KABOOM with FUTURESONIC RADIO! Traffic was snarled for hours in what was considered Buffalos Times Square, and is now just considered the MetroRail tracks in front of the Main Place Mall. WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: FINDING THE TOUGH ONES - Buffalo News What to my wondering ear should appear but a polka, hold everything! His big break came in 1966, when he joined WIXY Radio in Cleveland. First appeared on album form from the industry periodical Programmers Digest., Steve Cichon writes about Buffalos pop culture history. Amstrong was born John Charles Larsh in December 1945. 14 market. (News file photo) By Sharon Cantillon. The person: Rick Azar. With an eventual 50% of the marketshare, KB quickly blew all of the much smaller competitors out of the water. He rose to fame as a Top 40 radio personality . Tommy Shannon first made girls swoon at WXRA Radio, from a location way out in the boonies. During his time in Buffalo, he and fellow DJ Danny Neaverth recorded a novelty single entitled "Rats in My Room" (an expanded and rearranged cover of a Leona Anderson song of the same name). 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]. She had kicked him out, and he came over (to the radio station). His next programs were morning shows and at that point Joey had evolved into more of a talk intensive program. Paris le-de-France CCI is a source of proposals, informs debates on key issues and plays an active role in the growth of local companies and the economy in its territory. 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. Azar lived in Pinehurst, North Carolina with his wife Edith, and hosted a weekly jazz radio program on WLHC-FM Life 103.1 through at least the late 2000s. Pictured here in the studios of WKBW on Main Street with newsman John Zach in 1972, Danny Neaverth is perhaps Buffalos greatest pop culture star. 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. He's been inducted into three halls of famebut admits that early on, he did consider being a CPA instead of a radio broadcaster. Reynolds excelled at comedic voice characterizations, his means of social commentary without it being directly attributable to "Joey Reynolds". Spot surveys taken over the first weekend of the new operation found literally hundreds of persons dotting beaches and back yards with WKBW large and white on their backs, arms and legs. Russ Syracuse, who came to WKBW from WNDR in Syracuse, was next in the line-up with the 9 to 11 AM and 12 to 2 PM time segments under his care. On July 4, 1958, Futursonic Radio was alive on WKBW. In Buffalo, radio programs and downtown shoe sales were targeted directly to bobbysoxers just after the war. Youll hear snippets of disc jockeys Stan Roberts, Fred Klestine, Jay Nelson, Dan Neaverth, and Joey Reynolds at work, followed by a Henry Brach newscast, and a quick excerpt from Irv Weinsteins documentary Buffalo and La Cosa Nostra. Many KB commercialsand contests follow. The primary difference in each is the news guy, disc jockey and the music at the start of the show. Rick Azar began his career at WHLD radio in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s. Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic . The promotion worked. About Us - Our newscasts, staff, and more - WKBW His family owned Lucki-Urban Furniture, sponsors of Jasinskis broadcasts from the 50s-90s. His stories of Buffalo's past have appeared more than 1600 times in The Buffalo News. In addition, a WKBW Community Bulletin Board was featured on all disc jockeys shifts which highlighted activities of local churches, schools and civic organizations. Apr 5, 2019. [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. In the three years the band toured North America, they never performed a show in Buffalo.[2]. It was fifty years ago to the day that Sandy was first heard on the airwaves of WKBWradio. The next day I was fired.. Buffalo Evening News, 1964. He also started an on air club for his listeners called The Royal Order Of The Night People. The program is completely on Polish, save the opening and closing voiceover by an WKBW staff announcer, perhaps Larry Brownell. Buffalo Bills guard Reggie McKenzie and WADV-FM disc jockey Fred Klestine. Rick Azar & Tom Jolls", "Legendary 7 Eyewitness News broadcaster Rick Azar has died", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rick_Azar&oldid=1098589138, This page was last edited on 16 July 2022, at 15:16. writing about the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. Mr. Warfield, the former President and COO of ICBC was retained in that position for the new company until assuming his new position in late 2013. It was sort of weird a woman coming home from her honeymoon and on the first night shes has a pajama party? [3], Rick Azar began his career at WHLD radio in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s. 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. She deserves all the praise she is getting over her work at WKBW-TV (Channel 7) during its glory days and at WGRZ-TV (Channel 2) and WIVB-TV after that. 50 kW NBC sounded better to my sadly warped values. He is followed by another top flight personality, Dick Biondi, who was most recently with WHOT, Youngstown, Ohio. He was the public address announcer for the NBA Braves and the NFL Bills. Young people were paying attention, but society not yet. Reynolds was reunited with his former WNBC radio sidekick, Jay Sorensen, as the program's announcer. . Some of his regular voices included "Jack Armstrong" - All American boy; "Maude Frickette" - the 104 year old teenager; and "General Shelby Singleton Silvers Junior Esquire Y'all" - an older southern gentleman. The building to the left is Heidis Tuxedo, since burned down. In Denver, Colorado, he hosted a radio-television simulcast on KOA-AM, and launched (and hosted) the first nationwide satellite radio programming featured on more than 35 radio stations coast-to-coast. Ironically, the man who brought Elvis to Memorial Auditorium was out at KB when the station went Rock n Roll full-time. Two crack time salesmen and a commercial manger where hired to insure that FutureSonic was profitable, Don Bannister and Warren Potash filled the sales office and Tony Rocco, well know in Buffalo advertising circles at the time became the sales manger. By 1995, Joey was no longer playing music on his shows and in 1996 he arrived at WOR in New York. It was a McClendon station. Dan Neaverth was inducted in the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2000. She was loyal to her stations until her last day. Using ultra modern production methods, ambition and his own fertile idea factory, Lawrence accomplished what many considered would be almost impossiblethe duplication of his successful methods of operation that were still being used with effect on another WBNY. Well, a week into the contest, a kid playing in the area, finds the bankbook, and his parents claim the prize. Frank Sinatra sang with Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and his popularity exploded when he became a singing front man himself. WKBW-AM History - Buffalo Broadcasters Association Before Top 40 came to KB, Stan Barron hosted the Morning Clockwatcher show, live each morning outside the Main Street studios. The writing and production stands up almost 50 years later, and gives the listener a true sense of the talent that went into playing the hits on KB. When the world wide web opened up in 1994, Channel 7 was the first Buffalo station online with www.wkbw.com. Please contactus at. Art Roberts, formerly with Gordon McClendon and more recently the afternoon man at WCUE, Akron Ohio handled the 2 to 6 PM slot. 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. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, As supporters pray, Kim Pegula's father shares her words: 'I will continue to fight', Prayer and healing vigil for Bills and Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula scheduled for Saturday, WGRZ meteorologist Elyse Smith exiting station after three years, Bills GM Brandon Beane on potential DeAndre Hopkins trade: 'I don't think that's going to happen', Many Bills fans stumped by identity of social media influencer who announced third-round pick, Ex-Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, on the payroll through 2027-28, comes out of retirement to play in Germany, Nicholas D'Angelo pleads guilty to 8 felonies in rape case, Departure of 5 UB women's basketball commits raises eyebrows among coaches, analysts, Erik Brady: 20 years later, Drew Rosenhaus recounts how he fooled the Bills into drafting Willis McGahee, Mark Gaughan: Buffalo Bills' winners and losers after 2023 NFL draft, Seneca Nation plans to bid for McKinley Mall, Alan Pergament: JP starts on WECK Monday after all; Jennifer Stanonis rejoins WGRZ-TV, Bills trade up in first round, select Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid at No. It was not until after Beatlemania swept the nation that they acknowledged that it was a mistake to not bring them in. Baffos bar on Main Street. Either they werent well financed, or had daytime-only signals so weak that they couldnt be heard throughout the city and all the nearby suburbs. Despite a pioneering spirit and great imaginative programming, each of those true rock nroll pioneer stations had unique problems. Western New Yorks embedded in his DNA. He was the chief rock and pop writer for 20 years and helped establish the weekend entertainment magazine. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Jack Armstrong - Buffalo Broadcasters Association As the popularity of the station grew during 1958 and 1959, the promotion became more intense. Traffic was snarled for hours in what was considered Buffalos Times Square, and is now just considered the MetroRail tracks in front of the Main Place Mall. The mastermind of the new format was program director Dick Lawrence who with a collection of fast talking jocks, quick colorful jingles and the latest wax, put the management at WKBW on notice. Liz Lewin: The former WKBW-TV anchor-reporter, who left the station last summer to become the weekend morning anchor and reporter at WILX-TV in Lansing, Mich., is back in Buffalo. Rick Azar was the first voice heard on WKBW-TV on November 30, 1958. Sanders, who was hired by Channel 7s legendary Irv Weinstein as newsroom secretary and eventually became the stations assistant news director, was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2013. Jacey Brooks will join Bulls head coach Becky Burke's staff as an associate head coach. K-BIG Feature #3: The Story About WKBW's format switch to Top 40 in 1958. The stunt earned nationwide acclaim, and the group thanked Joey by producing a special radio jingle to introduce of his daily radio show, set to the tune of their hit "Big Girls Dont Cry"). 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. [2] Such was Azar's popularity that one of the sports anchors hired to replace him (the unrelated Jerry Azar) was chosen specifically because his last name was also Azar.[2]. Carlson was by far the network's most prominent personality, stepping in smoothly to replace former star host Bill O'Reilly after a series of sexual harassment allegations forced his departure. He has been a talk show host since. Radio legend celebrates 50 years in Buffalo - WKBW 24 market in the country. The changes at the station went far deeper than programming and promotion. Joseph Pinto, better known as Joey Reynolds, is a long-time radio show host and disc jockey. Reynolds made a cameo appearance on the ill-fated Buffalo Night in America broadcast on WBBZ-TV in July 2012. The late newsman Ed Little wouldremember being in the room as packages containing female lingerie were opened; sent from Maryland by an obviously big fan. Tom Clay, one of many disc jockeys to use the name Guy King on WWOL, was arrested after his playing Rock Around the Clock over and over again, while perched atop a billboard in Shelton Square. 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. At WBNY, Neaverth would pull a rooftop like event similar to Guy Kings, throwing candy out to passersby. Off the air, he was a coffee-swilling funnyman who was one of everyones favorite co-workers. The gauntlet was tossed to the audience, Find the individual concerned and win a swimming pool. Clues lead to the ultimate uncovering of the culprit who had in his possession a letter W.. Many others agreed, but said it was the combination of talent and different looks that made the Beatles just far out., Buffalo Courier-Express. This blurb appeared in a Geneseo newspaper during the week leading up to Halloween in 1968. 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. The station was located at 1420 Main Street in Buffalo, New York, and the call letters stood for "Well Known Bible Witness". On March 10, 2010, it was revealed that WOR would pick up Coast to Coast AM from Premiere Radio and would cancel "The Joey Reynolds Show." Leverage your professional network, and get hired. 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. Azar was a graduate of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and Canisius College; he chose the surname Azar as a nod to his Hispanic ancestry, as many Spaniard names ended with "-azar." As the man who helped make the way for the Juice, McKenzie even became a spokesman for Niagara Mohawk. If theres a start date for Beatlemania, you might choose Feb. 9, 1964 the date of the bands first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. About 60 percent of American televisions were tuned to the performance of the nations No. Christoforosreturned to her New England area home and has taken a job in public relations in Watertown, Mass. The Disc Jockeys of WKBW. Stations like WBNY, WWOL, WXRA, and later WYSL and a host of others were capturing the imaginations of young people in Buffalo. 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. He remembers playing the two transcription records from which these audio clips came in his grandmas basement as a little guy. A few of his moonlighting gigs dovetailed more closely with his work as a disc jockey and radio host. Dale Anderson Reporter Dale Anderson has been a Buffalo News staff reporter since 1968. Steve Garrin was the producer and guest booker. writing about the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. 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. In 1986, J. Bruce Llewellyn acquired the station and operated it under Queen City Broadcasting until 1995, when Granite Broadcasting, Inc. took control. McDonald's has closed its U.S. offices through Wednesday and told its corporate staff to work remotely as it prepares to announce a round of layoffs. It is unclear why these five players asked for releases from their national letters of intent. The Ellicott Square Building, to the right, still stands and gives reference to the location. 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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Allen sent in daily predictions of weather conditions which were used in conjunction with U.S. Click image to learn more. You have permission to edit this article. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/wotw73.mp3. Perry Allen, from KTLN in Denver was hired to fill the early morning 6 to 9 AM slot. http://www.staffannouncer.com/kbhalloween/wotw71.mp3. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. It almost happened! "Folks, reg 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. Station Management promptly suspended him which created an outcry of public support from his listeners. (O . by Contributing Editor April 27, 2023. Reynolds is often regarded as an early progenitor of "shock talk radio", whose sometimes outlandish on and off-air stunts garnered widespread publicity. No one could ever find it until the station gave an easy clue on the air. Over the years Sandy has changed stations, formats and hairstyles but feels that Buffalo was always a good fit, saying " I managed to pick places where my personality and the things I like to do fit." This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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). The 10 a.m. hour offers a mix of information, entertainment, recipes, and product demonstrations, including live and taped reports from all over the community with interesting people, places, and events. Stay tuned for an eventual interview, most likely to run next week. Stan Barron calling play-by-play action at Memorial Auditorium on WKBW. (Buffalo Stories archives). Zach's radio career began at WKBW Radio in September 1961, when he was hired by a news director who would later become a fixture on local television screens, Irv Weinstein. The first broadcast on that snowy night was the Jimmy Cagney classic film, "Yankee Doodle Dandy!"