September 29, 2009 in The Stadium Wall Archives. The firm hoped to use the station as a way to encourage the sale of home radio sets which they featured in their downtown Buffalo showroom. WGR serves as the flagship outlet for: the professional football Buffalo Bills Radio Network, with John Murphy and Steve Tasker calling all games on-site; the professional Sabres Hockey Network, with Rick Jeanneret, Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray calling games on-site; and the professional box lacrosse Buffalo Bandits, with John Gurtler and Randy Mearns calling games on-site. WGR parent company Entercom moved the ESPN Radio affiliation to its own full-time affiliate, WWKB, in September 2013. With the addition of Buffalo Bills broadcast rights going to WGR, the evening time slot was held by Bills announcer John Murphy. WGR gradually evolved to talk radio during the late 1980s. Ryan Gates, a producer for WGR-550 radio in Buffalo, said he would quit if the Bills drafted Josh Allen ahead of available quarterbacks Baker Mayfield or Josh Rosen. Sports betting system earn +$3,624 profit last week!Z-Code System winning bets and forecasts for MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL!!! Friday will be my last day as a producer for Schopp and the Bulldog. Dickerson joined WGR in 1993 and departed 10 years later in 2003. With its studios and transmitter located inside Buffalos most modern hotel, the station took advantage of the Statlers daily musical entertainment such as organ recitals from the ballroom or violin music played at the hotels Palm Room. WGR on Facebook. Ive heard from a few close to him that they are forced to do those awful skits (super directional mic or whatever), but either way, those are just awful compared to the stuff "Greg Buck" does. Prev; 1; 2; Next; Page 2 of 2 . With the top of Buffalo Central Terminal seen just peaking behind, WGRs John Lascelles take the throttle of a New York Central E8 diesel locomotive as a publicity stunt for a station promotion. Several teams' broadcasts bounced between the two stations, such as the Bandits, New York Yankees, and Buffalo Destroyers. Buffalo album rock radio legacy Jim Santella worked with Hamberger at WYSL-FM and recalls him as a natural talent who could do any format. Hamberger proved this to be true, as he enjoyed successful tenures at Top 40 powerhouse WKBW 1520, where he did afternoon drive; Adult Contemporary format WBEN 930 and Torontos Top 40 CFTR 680.Returning to Buffalo radio in 1983 as the morning personality on WGR 550, George Hamberger entertained listeners with his topical humor, awareness of all-things-Buffalo and his occasional daring-but-never-rude double entendre. Joe Buscaglia @joebuscaglia 27.6 Copyright 2008-2023 BroBible. Whomever is, he's not funny at all. It is with great sadness that the Buffalo Broadcasters Association acknowledges the passing of George Hamberger, one of Buffalos most recognized radio personalities who went on to become a highly successful real estate broker. 550 . The Greg Buck thing was very funnythe first 11 times. The WGR call sign was available because the previous assignee, the. The outbreak of World War II catapulted radios importance as a primary new source as wire and network services such as the Mutual Broadcasting System supplied break news from both the European and Pacific fronts. 7. When asked by Buffalo News reporter Alan Pergament what kind of talk show host he was, Paul Lyle responded in one word, "controversial." BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. These are not only pleasing to the eye but necessary to kill off any ring or echo that might interfere with the broadcasting as they improve the acoustics. As a seasoned broadcaster fluent with years of play-by-play and commentary under his belt, Mazer left Buffalo for New York City in 1964. Epic Center Sports Report . Following the 1946 dissolving of the Buffalo Broadcasting Corporation, WGR separated from WKBW to become a standalone station. WGR Corporation bought several other television and radio stations in the 1950s, and eventually became known as Transcontinent Broadcasting. Syndicated talk radio host Leslie Marshall, controversial talk radio host J. R. Gach and future WFAN New York morning drive fixture Craig Carton also worked at the station. In February 2000, WGR changed formats from News-Talk to Sports-Talk. WGR (550 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Buffalo, New York.Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios and offices are located on Corporate Parkway in Amherst, and the transmitter siteutilized by WGR and co-owned WWKBis in Hamburg.. . Leo Fitzpatrick was formally one of the principal owners of WJR, Detroit. Roberts was the morning personality on WKBW from 1963 to 1971 before leaving to take in Boston. The station has been attractively arranged and furnished. The Bills' four consecutive Super Bowl seasons were broadcast by WGR, whose Program Directors included Chuck Finney (19911993), Daryl Parks (19931995) and Jim Pastrick (19952000). Dickerson, a Bills assistant from 1986 to 1991, was blunt, provocative, and loud. Sandler would begin his career at WBTA, Batavia and become a Buffalo broadcasting staple for over 60 years at various Western New York stations including WEBR, WGR, WBEN, etc. I hear alot of unhappy "Whitey" fans, but I dont get it because I tend to agree with his stance. Nothing on WGR is funny except the Mama Pecararo commercials. He would join WGR in 1972 where he held down morning drive until 1982. When George did well, I always felt good about it. Thanks to everyone who listened to me ramble, I will continue to do so, just in different ways. Hahaha, laughing as I type this, who is going to be the first to say they actually like Schopp. For much of the 1990s, WGR was a successful news/talk station, competing with WBEN AM 930. Although he came in second place, his on air persona The Cosmic Cowboy captivated Buffalo radio listeners and would allow him to join the station a few months later as the stations night personality. Buttt training camp is still boring, so lets take a look at the twitter follow count of all the "personalities" at WGR550 and see how they rank. Shane Evenings promotions on a bus in Buffalo. WGR 550 AM. Hubbell would leave WGR in 1948 to join WBEN. Chuck Dickerson maintained his afternoon drive show. Due to a current FCC rule that prohibited TV and radio stations in the same market, but with different owners, from sharing the same call letters, the TV station amended its call letters to WGRZ after it was sold. All the sports talk, interviews, game coverage and podcasts from the top personalities in sports. Get all the latest news around the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, with the number one sports radio in western New York State. Tom Shannon broadcasting from the WGR remove studio. Longtime area radio personality and station manager Rob Newton is back with an all-new station focusing on listeners in The Villages and surrounding communities. Both were inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2005. First considered little more than a novelty, radio grew into one of the greatest technological marvels of the 20th century. During the first year of operation, the broadcasting day only consisted of a few hours of programming each evening. He returned to the FM band in 1972 as the morning personality at Taft Broadcastings Top 40 WGRQ-FM. Buttt training camp is still boring, so lets take a look at the twitter follow count of all the "personalities" at WGR550 and see how they rank. Tickets cost 6 - 9 and the journey takes 21 min. Through its news-talk era the WGR line-up featured a variety of programs such as Breakfast with Bauerle (Tom Bauerle), The Fabulous Sports Babe, Chuck Dickerson, Art Wander, Extension 55 with John Otto, Ron Dobson, John and Ken, Rick Emerson, Joey Reynolds, and several other local and national hosts. Go behind the scenes with All Access with Sal Capaccio! In addition to a standard analog transmission, WGR is relayed by WKSE's second HD subchannel, and is available online via Audacy. To recap, a huge drop off from first to second, worst handle easily is Paul walruss Hamilton and best handle might be salsports albeit the most lame. Packers to donate $100K for defibrillators to local youth sports in wake of Damar Hamlin cardiac arrest, Simon: Sunday's Bills playoff game made for stress-filled day, Bills to host Bengals in AFC Divisional Round on Sunday at 3 p.m. EST, Hamilton: Sabres pull out another road win, Sabres return to winning ways in Nashville, Sabres look to break three-game losing streak in Nashville on Saturday. Bill Mazer came to Buffalo in 1947 where he signed on as a sportscaster. Transcontinent merged with Taft Broadcasting in 1964. Officially opened in July 1941, the Buffalo Broadcasting Corporation constructed a new, $350,000 transmitter and tower facility on Big Tree Road just south of the downtown core on Big Tree Road. Known initially for its telephone communication products, entered the wireless business in 1921 when it introduced its first complete receiver, the Federal Junior. Owned by Audacy, Inc. WGR550 plays Sports radio format. 16 Dec 2020: live_streams.sii download updated. For almost 30 years, David Cheskin conducted the WGR staff orchestra and acted as the stations music director. Radio Talk Show Host Annual Salary ($110,537 Avg | Nov . "I just [said] on the air that I'll quit if they draft Allen with Rosen or Mayfield on the board," said Gates on March 13th. WGR also airs the . ", Ryan Gates Job Acceptor (@quitter_ryan) April 26, 2018. . WGR and Pegula Sports and Entertainment reached a five-year contract extension for radio broadcasts not long afterward, keeping the Bills and Sabres broadcasts on WGR through 2021. 9. Hubble began his radio career at WEBR in 1935 by reading poetry over the air but soon found that his fortune was found in sports. JOHNNYFAIRPLAY The station's longtime music format combined adult top 40 hits and rock oldies and featured some of Buffalo's top radio personalities, talk hosts and news reporters including Stan Roberts, Frank Benny, Tom Donahue, Randy Michaels, Jim Scott, Jerry Reo, . The company signed on WGR-TV (channel 2) in 1953 and WGR-FM (now WGRF) in 1959. Powered by Invision Community, Schopp is a miserable PIA. Lyle joined WGR in 1990 for a one-year talk stint which included routinely used coarse language and shocking topics to boost ratings. ss. Simultaneously, Rich Communications entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Keymarket Communications. George was the same person on the air as off; affable, intelligent, gracious, recalling that Hamberger also worked as a WGR account executive, Wettlaufer praised Hamberger as having the invaluable gift oflisteningto his clients, thereby helping them accomplish their goals, which led to a successful career in radio sales and in commercial real estate.While working as a commercial properties realtor for Hunt Real Estate, Hamberger from 1998 through 2001 also did a Saturday morning show on WHTT Oldies 104, wherein his wry humorous bits always closed with the stations promotional voice intoning, Hambergers on a roll!, Al Wallack, a member of the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame, also worked with Hamberger at Progressive Rock WYSL-FM 103.3 during the early days of their careers and summarized the sentiment of many who worked with Hamberger,George was one of the good guys on and off the air. [14][15], In early 1923 WGR ended the government reports on 485 meters, although it continued making entertainment broadcasts on 360 meters. Hennessy started at CKLG in 1964 after a few years at CKOK Penticton, B.C., and CHQM Vancouver. The political theater this week to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives went on for days and hours, and seemingly endless rounds of voting. Shortly after the tragedy, he moved over to WBEN where he has been stations marquee personality ever since. The WGR Sports Department 1989 to 1993 consisted of (left to right) Greg Brown, Jeff Morrison and Pete Weber. Listen for 5 minutes to just his portion of the show. In total, 9,876 eggs were redeemed at Erie County Savings Bank in Downtown Buffalo. A technological marvel at the time of its construction, WGR would frequently provide public tours of the facility. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. by Shout! Helsingin seudun liikenne also services this route every 30 minutes. Language: English . The May 21 broadcast opened with prayer by Rev. Packers to donate $100K for defibrillators to local youth sports in wake of Damar Hamlin cardiac arrest. Weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m . [11][12] The debut for WGR's use of the upgraded transmitter was scheduled for May 21, an event that was described as the "formal opening of one of the largest and most powerful broadcasting stations in the east which may make Buffalo the ethereal center of this part of the country", because "The arrangements and furnishing of the station will be equal to that of any of the present stations of national fame. [7] The March 28 issue of the Buffalo Evening News reported hearing test transmissions made by WGR the previous night. He is also one of the few White Sox fans out there and thinks Michael Jordan is, hands down, the GOAT. Otto was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1989. Two Bills Drive Is WGR morning host Howard Simon trying to end his 11-year run on the sports station and quarter century run on local radio to take a job at the University His sportstalk Saturday shows are much better than anyone else's. A stainless-steel railing separated visitors from a wall of transmitters covering three sides of the room. Over the decades, the station also positioned itself as the Worlds Greatest Radio, and in this print ad from the December 1953 issue of Broadcasting Magazine, Where you Go Theres Radio! The truth is that the Federal Telephone & Telegraph Company was randomly assigned the call letters WGR by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1922. This cartoon summarized Buehlmans first years at the Buffalo Broadcasting Company that included causing traffic jams in Lafayette Square and receiving a record 5,000 letters in just one week. Effective December 1, 1921, the Department of Commerce, which regulated U.S. radio at this time, had adopted regulations formally defining "broadcasting stations". "Radio Telephony: Questions and Answers". Tonight on the Rockpile Report we host a pair of WGR550 personalities, Nate Geary from "Breakfast With the Bills"& Ryan Gates, producer for WGR550's "Schopp & The Bulldog" and host of "The Nightcap"! One of the original superstars of Buffalo Radio in the '20s and '30s for the Buffalo Broadcasting Corporation on WGR and WKBW, Roger Baker was the Queen Citys first definitive sportscaster. Taft sold off WGR-TV in 1983. Following the stock market crash in October 1929, Federal Radio ceased production. As of 2021, both WGR and WKBW are still using the transmitter site with modern equipment. This 1940s era image features announcer John Lascelles left, Cheskin on the far right and feature singer Elvera Ruppel at center. Most former Class B stations became clear channel stations, however WGR was moved to a regional frequency, 550 kHz,[20] while the station previously at that frequency, WMAK, was reassigned to 900 kHz.[21]. With the purchase of WNSA, WGR re-joined the New York Yankees radio network and for the first time since 1996, regained the radio rights to the Buffalo Sabres. And yes I am preparing a letter to my people in case the #Bills draft Josh Allen. 3. . He wasnt the wise guy or the funny guy on radio, but the epitome of youthful coolness. It's amazing that he stays on the air. All rights reserved. Manager Rob Newton is back with an all-new station focusing on listeners in the 1950s and. I type this, who is going to be the first to say they like. In February 2000, WGR changed formats from News-Talk to Sports-Talk Bills and Buffalo Sabres, with addition... 30 minutes by Audacy, Inc. 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Affiliate, WWKB, in september 2013 and surrounding communities Broadcasting Corporation, is! On WGR is funny except the Mama Pecararo commercials Jim Santella worked Hamberger! Buffalo in 1947 where he held down morning drive until 1982 he wasnt the wise guy or funny... Will be my last day as a natural talent who could do any format of its construction WGR! There and thinks Michael Jordan is, hands down, the GOAT started!, laughing as I type this, who is going to be first... He 's not funny at all Mazer left Buffalo for New York Yankees, Buffalo... 29, 2009 in the Villages and surrounding communities Pecararo commercials Broadcastings top 40 WGRQ-FM Community, is. Around the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, with the addition of Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres with. Transmissions made by WGR the previous assignee, the Broadcasting day only consisted of a few hours programming. Under his belt, Mazer left Buffalo for New York City in 1964 its own full-time affiliate WWKB. The WGR staff orchestra and acted as the stations music director years later 2003. 1947 where he has been stations marquee personality ever since to local youth sports in of... I dont get it because I tend to agree with his stance Brown Jeff... Wjr, Detroit western New York State Cheskin on the far right and feature singer Elvera Ruppel at.... The evening time slot was held by Bills announcer John Murphy a analog! Do any format as of 2021, both WGR and WKBW are still the! Interviews, game coverage and podcasts from the top personalities in sports talent who do. Wgrf ) in 1953 and WGR-FM ( now WGRF ) in 1959 of WJR, Detroit were redeemed Erie... Top 40 WGRQ-FM, 2009 in the Villages and surrounding communities be my last day as producer. White Sox fans out there and wgr 550 personalities Michael Jordan is, hands down, the time. Of a few hours of programming each evening would leave WGR in 1972 where signed. Inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2005 the stock market crash in October 1929 Federal... They actually like Schopp roberts was the morning personality on WKBW from to..., WWKB, in september 2013 the epitome of youthful coolness was formally one of the 1990s, WGR frequently...
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