100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting, Vol.1 1920-1970

The newest book from Buffalo Stories & Steve Cichon! ORDER NOW at The Buffalo Stories Bookstore! Meet and reacquaint yourself with the people and stations that have created and reflected who we are as Buffalonians with this 432-page in-depth look at the first 50 years of radio and television in Buffalo. Packed with more than … Continue reading 100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting, Vol.1 1920-1970

More images from around Buffalo’s TV dial in the 60s

Broadcasting live from the Erie County Fair is a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of TV in Buffalo, and Meet the Millers—starring turkey farmers Bill and Mildred Miller—were regulars at the fair all through the 50s and 60s. They’re shown here with another Ch.4 personality ready to broadcast live from Hamburg—John Corbett … Continue reading More images from around Buffalo’s TV dial in the 60s

Around the TV dial through the 60s

Van Miller spent the 60s as the play-by play voice of the Bills and one of Ch.4’s top sportscasters, but he was also one of WBEN Radio’s most popular personalities as well. Van hikes the ball to Jack Kemp Van interviews radio comedy legend Jack Benny (above) and Hollywood beauty Jayne Mansfield (below). Ch.4 had … Continue reading Around the TV dial through the 60s

One of America’s Two Great Radio Stations: WKBW

Riding a wave started with a change to a personality driven Top-40 format in 1958, KB dominated Buffalo radio for most of the next two decades. Sold by station founder Doc Churchill to national broadcasting powerhouse Capital Cities, the wealthy corporate backing of KB’s monstrous 50,000-watt signal helped lead to the evolution of one of … Continue reading One of America’s Two Great Radio Stations: WKBW

Buffalo’s third and final VHF station: WKBW-TV, Ch.7

The fight over who would get the license to operate Buffalo’s final VHF station was a protracted one, with several years of hostile exchanges between Dr. Clinton Churchill’s WKBW group, a group including the Courier-Express, and the owners of WWOL Radio. Rev. Clinton Churchill’s start in broadcasting came in 1924 when he brought his church … Continue reading Buffalo’s third and final VHF station: WKBW-TV, Ch.7

Dick Lawrence brings Top-40 to Buffalo

A young program director with a big mouth, big ideas, and a big appetite for promotion rock ‘n’ rolled his way into Buffalo in 1957, and Dick Lawrence permanently etched his taste for music and in-your-face radio into the taste and expectations of Buffalonians. Even if they came along kicking and screaming. Buffalo’s newspaper radio critics reflected … Continue reading Dick Lawrence brings Top-40 to Buffalo

The earliest days of Buffalo broadcasting

History has set the start date of “The Radio Era” at November 2, 1920— when Pittsburgh’s KDKA Radio went on the air with the world’s first commercial broadcast, announcing the returns in the Presidential election that pit Ohio Senator Warren Harding against Ohio Governor James Cox. History books don’t usually mention that Buffalo was on … Continue reading The earliest days of Buffalo broadcasting

100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting: The Cover Collages

 The collage of 270 photos on the front and back covers come together to tell the history of Buffalo Broadcasting before you even open the book. This is a brief description of each photo, row by row. Front cover, row 1: Van Miller at the Buffalo Braves mic; Eyewitness News crew; Susan Banks, Ch. 7; Carol … Continue reading 100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting: The Cover Collages

Read the whole book: 100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting, Vol 1: 1920-1970

The entire contents of the original soft cover book has been uploaded and is now presented online as a universally available resource in promoting and sharing Buffalo’s rich broadcasting heritage. Written in 2020, 100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting, Vol 1: 1920-1970 by Steve Cichon is formatted as a series web pages. The original print volume … Continue reading Read the whole book: 100 Years of Buffalo Broadcasting, Vol 1: 1920-1970