WBFO

WBFO

City of license	Buffalo, New York
Broadcast area	Buffalo, New York
Frequency	88.7 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air date	January 6, 1959
Format	Public Radio, full service, jazz
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	117 meters
Class	B
Callsign meaning	BuFfalO
Affiliations	NPR
Owner	University at Buffalo (sale to Western New York Public Broadcasting Association pending)
Webcast	WBFO-FM PLS M3U
Website	WBFO.org

WBFO, broadcast on 88.7 FM, is the largest NPR member station for Buffalo, New York. It is broadcast from the South campus (AKA Main Street Campus) of the University at Buffalo, with an as-of-yet unutilized satellite studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The station runs a hybrid of NPR programming and locally operated jazz, blues, and contemporary music. It has repeater stations on 88.1 in Jamestown, New York as WUBJ and 91.3 in Olean, New York as WOLN.

WBFO has acknowledged that it is considering consolidation of services with, and possibly entering into a local marketing agreement with, crosstown rival WNED-AM, which carries some of the same programming as WBFO. WNED's parent company agreed to purchase WBFO in July 2011 subject to FCC and New York State approval.

Programming

WBFO presents a mix of news and music programming. WBFO's local news department has been highly recognized by the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association. WBFO is all-news during the day and features jazz during the evenings and overnights.

Weekends air a mix of syndicated talk programs (such as Car Talk, Only A Game and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!) in mornings, and music programs (The Thistle & Shamrock, Bebop and Beyond, and Piano Jazz) in the evenings. Locally originated blues programming fills out most of the Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Prior to 2010, WBFO aired a four-hour block of jazz programming during the midday shift between Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation. This was eliminated in 2010, with Fresh Air moving to an earlier time slot and additional talk programming (all network or syndicated) added. The program changes also eliminated an additional two hours of jazz and local music in the evening time slot, pushing the start of jazz programming from 8 p.m. back to 10 p.m., being replaced by replays of programming that had already aired on WBFO earlier in the day.

• Morning Edition, 5-10 AM
• On Point, 10-11 AM and 8-9 PM
• The Capitol Pressroom, 1 PM-2 PM
• Talk of the Nation, 2-4 PM
• All Things Considered, weekdays 4-7 PM, weekends 5-6 PM
• Jazz (The Sunset Lounge) with Debbie Sims, 10 PM-12 M
• Blues with Jim Santella, Anita West, and Debbie Sims weekends 11 AM-5 PM
• Fresh Air, weekdays 7-8 PM, Sundays 7-8 AM
• Only a Game, Saturdays 7-8 AM
• Weekend Edition, 8-10 AM
• Car Talk, Saturdays 6-7 AM, repeated 10-11 AM
• Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Sundays 6-7 AM, repeated 10-11 AM
• This American Life, weekends 6-8 PM
• Science Friday, Friday 2-4 PM (part of Talk of the Nation)
• The Thistle & Shamrock, Saturdays 8-10 PM
• Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, Saturdays 10 PM-12 M
• Bebop and Beyond, Sundays 8-9 PM
• Jazz Favorites Hour, Sundays 9-10 PM

WBFO also runs an HD2 channel called "On the Border," with an adult album alternative format. WBFO On the Border is a reflection of the Buffalo music culture, offering an eclectic blend of alternative rock, jazz, world, folk, country, and blues performed by emerging and heritage musicians.

Staff

Full Time Staff

David Benders, Assistant General Manager and Program Director

Doug Blakely, producer, midday jazz host, and Talk of the Nation host

Kelli Bocock Natale, Associate Director of Community Relations & Member Services Coordinator

Eileen Buckley, News Director

Damian Dolce, Resource Manager

Bert Gambini, Music Director and Morning Edition host

Mike McKay, Underwriting Sales Consultant

Mark Scott, News Reporter/Producer

Mark Wozniak, All Things Considered host and Traffic Director

Donald R. Ingalls, Jr., Advisory Board Chair

WBFO's Part Time Staff

David Chandler, Audio Engineer

Tim Nabzdyk, Director of Digital Media

Michael Kirwan, Sunday control board operator, Jazz and Blues host

Christopher Jamele, Weekend Edition host

Howard Riedel, Alternate Morning Edition host

Jim Santella, Blues host and co-host of Theatre Talk

Debbie Sims, Saturday Blues host from 10PM until midnight, fill-in jazz host, and audio producer

Anita West, Sunday Blues host

Michael Mroziak, News Reporter

WBFO's On-Air/ Production Volunteers

Anthony Chase, co-host of Theatre Talk

Macy Favor, host of the Jazz Favorites Hour

Dick Judelsohn, host of BeBop and Beyond

External links

• WBFO Official Web site
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WBFO
• Radio-Locator information on WBFO
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WBFO