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For the sandwich roll of a similar name, see kummelweck.
For the sandwich, see beef on weck.
WECK
Broadcast areaBuffalo, New York
Frequency1230 kHz
BrandingThe Breeze
Programming
FormatMiddle-of-the-road
Ownership
Owner
  • Dick Greene
  • (Culver Communications II, Inc.)
WLVL
History
First air date
1956
Former call signs
WNIA
Call sign meaning
KummelWECK
Technical information
ClassC
Power1,000 watts
Links
WebcastLive streaming player
Websiteweck.com

WECK (1230 AM) is a radio station located in the Buffalo, New York, area. Founded in 1956 as WNIA, the station currently is owned by Culver Communications. WECK airs a middle-of-the-road (MOR) music format stretching across the modern formats of oldies, adult standards, and adult contemporary music.

From early 2006 until March 11 2008, WECK aired the Jones Radio Network's classic country format.[1] Prior to that, WECK ran an adult standards format for nearly twenty five years. Talk radio was heard on WECK from March 12 2008 until July 12 2011.[2]

History

The 1230 AM frequency was known as WNIA under the ownership of Gordon P. Brown, who also owned WSAY (now WXXI) in Rochester, NY. After his death, WNIA was sold to Quid Me Broadcasting, a group headed by local broadcast account executive Chet Musialowski. Musialowski was also General Manager of the station during the Quid Me years (1980-88).

In 1979, the station switched from Urban/R&B to a Current Top 40/Oldies hybrid format. Original air personalities included Chuck McCoy, Jeff Reinhardt (P.D.), Mark Phillips, J.R. Russ, Barbra Lynne and Partitimers Art Zelasko, Mike Brown, Ricky Banks, David J. Miller, Jon Park, Dr. Jim Rose and newsperson Pam Kloc. To tie in with the local call letters named after the popular local sandwich of roast beef on a kimmelweck roll or "beef on weck", WECK branded itself as "The roll that rocks".

Just over a year later, in the spring of 1981 following dismal ratings (resulting from "churn" of the previous Urban audience and the era of rapidly declining AM listenership), the station switched formats, to the Adult Standards/Nostalgia based "Music of Your Life" format.

J.R. Russ was elevated to Program Director and the station maintained a live on-air staff including Jim Nowicki in mornings (and earlier, Guy Michaels), Joe Kozma, Aaron Christopher (Russ' alter ego) Tim White, Dave Prescott (radio name of the late Joseph Skurzewski), Lynn Dixon, Ray Rogers, News Director Bruce Allen, Dave Teresa and Sports Director Walt Hankin.

Previous owner Gordon Brown saved everything and a knee-deep basement of albums yielded a 2,000 plus library of hit titles. While licensing the "Music of your Life" name, the station rapidly shifted from the tight-rotation "MOYL" tapes to a much larger playlist produced entirely in-house.

The lack of repetition proved worth the effort and the format was a big hit with of Buffalo's large adult population. WECK grew from a "no show" in the ratings at the time of the format change (on 4/4/81) to an all-time high of #4 in the market in late 1983. The trade publication "Inside Radio" touted the headlines: "WECK..takes town by storm" and "WECK skyrockets into contention". Radio and Records designated WECK as a "Fastest Mover" up the ratings ladder.

The 1,000 watt station garnered a 7.2 share of 12+ all listeners, beating most FM, and every area AM station (including 50,000 watt WWKB) except #1 WBEN. The Radio and Records Directory also listed WECK as #4 in the entire U.S. in Average Quarter Hour listening (AQH) among stations with similar formats.

After the station was sold by Quid Me in 1988, it continued with a nostalgia music format, but became satellite automated, maintaining only a live, local DJ show in morning drive. Portions of the station's programming came from the Music of Your Life network, although the station switched to Westwood One's Adult Standards satellite feed for a time.

The station was sold to Regent Communications along with the rest of the CBS cluster in 2006. In February 2006, WECK abruptly pulled the plug on the standards format and in an attempt to hedge the CBS cluster's most dominant station, Country WYRK, switched over to a satellite classic country format.

On Monday, November 5, 2007, local resident Dick Greene, owner of WLVL in nearby Lockport, NY, announced that he had purchased WECK for $1.3 million through his company, Culver Communications. Greene launched a new talk radio format, mixed with local and syndicated programming, in the middle of the night on March 12, 2008.[1] WECK immediately made headlines with the hiring of Buffalo radio veterans Harv Moore and Tom Donahue to helm its morning show; however, just six months after the switch, Moore was released and replaced by local actor and TV personality Loraine O'Donnell, who was subsequently fired in June 2011.[3] Brad Riter and Nick Mendola, former personalities at WGR, were also added to the staff, as was former politician Bill O'Loughlin.

WECK acquired the broadcast radio rights to the University of Buffalo Bulls football and men's basketball games prior to the 2008 season. Previously these rights were held by WGR and WWKB. In 2009 the station acquired the Buffalo rights to New York Yankees baseball through the 2011 season.

Early programming during the talk era included a show by WLVL host Scott Leffler, a tradio service, a news block hosted by Tom Schuh, and a one-hour midday block of local brokered programming. All of these had been canceled as of May 2011. WGRZ news was simulcast during WECK's talk radio era. Syndicated programming on WECK toward the end of its talk run included The Laura Ingraham Show, Dennis Miller, First Light and Fox Sports Radio; some of these affiliations continue on WLVL.

On July 12, 2011, all of WECK's full-time staff, except Donahue, were fired, including Brad Riter and Nick Mendola, while former news director Tom Schuh was rehired as a consultant to return WECK to a music format.[4] O'Loughlin, who had quit WECK on May 24 six weeks prior to the mass firing, moved his show to WGRZ. Just prior to the complete elimination of the news/talk format, the station was the only news/talk station in Buffalo with all local talk from 6:00 am to 6:30 pm. [5]

Programs

Monday to Friday 6:00-9:00 am: Good Morning Buffalo with Tom Donahue.

Monday to Friday 3:00-6:00 pm: Kevin O'Connell[6]

Sunday 8-11 AM: "Drive Time Polkas", a local recorded music show hosted by Ron Dombrowski who also hosts a similar program Monday to Saturday on WXRL, another locally owned station.

Sunday 9-midnight: "Edge of the Unknown", hosted by Mark Henry, a paranormal show featuring local, regional and national guests.

New York Yankees baseball (spring/summer) or Buffalo Bulls men's basketball (fall/winter)7-10pm (approx.).

The rest of the schedule is occupied by automated music.

References

  1. ^ a b Fybush, Scott (2008-03-03). "Thie Week's Bloodbath: Citadel". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  2. ^ WECK-AM sold for $1.3M, by James FinkBuffalo Business First 2007 November 5
  3. ^ WECK officials assess on-air upheaval. Buffalo News. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  4. ^ Kwiatkowski, Jane (July 12, 2011). Two more on-air hosts lose jobs as WECK shifts from talk format The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  5. ^ Buffalo Broadcasters June 2011 Newsletter
  6. ^ Buffalo Broadcasters Association September 2011 newsletter
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