Fort Makowski More than four decades removed from the time he left office, there aren’t many Buffalonians who can claim to be a better representation of what it means to be a Buffalonian than Stan Makowski. Buffalo’s mayor from 1974-77, Makowski was a World War II vet and a lifelong member of the Grain Millers’ … Continue reading Torn-down Tuesday: Fort Makowski, Niagara Square, 1976
The Buffalo area’s first Wegmans store opened on Dick Road in Depew in 1977. The store was torn-down in 2005 and a new larger store was built in its place. While just about every Buffalonian knows that Wegmans is headquartered an hour down the Thruway in Rochester, it’s been a part of our Buffalo experience … Continue reading Buffalo in the ’70s: Wegmans arrives in town
Through the 50s and 60s, WBEN AM-FM-TV was thought of as a single unit, The Buffalo Evening News Stations. Talent and technicians often moved between the stations to where they were needed, and the product in each place was reflective of each other. In 1968, when Phil “Bucky” Buchanan and John Eaton (left) would arrive at WBEN … Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk… WBEN
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
The Hound Dog made a permanent mark on the pop culture history of America with his nightly show on WKBW from 1954-58. Starting in the late 40s, George Lorenz was known as “the Ol’man,” “Ol’Dad Lorenz,” and “Daddy Dog” before “The Hound Dog” stuck as a nickname. Known for his hep records and jive talk, he refused … Continue reading Beginnings of a Teenage Revolution: The Hound, Lucky Pierre, & Hernando
It’s now been 26 years since James D. Griffin served as Buffalo mayor. He will forever be remembered for the quintessential Buffalo advice he proffered during the Blizzard of 1985 – “grab a six-pack and stay home.” James D. Griffin, Buffalo mayor from 1978-1994, wearing one of his signature Buffalo ties and drinking a draft … Continue reading The legacy of Mayor Jimmy Griffin
Just living life has felt like a movie, hasn’t it? From crazy discussions at our faculty lunch table, to crazy discussions with students in class, to trying to come up with constantly changing coordinated plans for the school and the coffee shop as the ground continues to shift. On Thursday, I went to visit my … Continue reading Opening days of Coronavirus prep feels like a bad movie
If you knew Larry at all, then just like me, this is probably how you knew him– the guy with the long dreadlocks sitting just inside the door at the Tim Horton’s on Main Street in Williamsville. I took this photo last January, after asking him if he needed anything on a cold night. In … Continue reading We’re all to blame for the horrific tragedy of Larry’s death
In 1973, Clint Buehlman was celebrating 30 years of hosting the morning show on WBEN. His program had more listeners than the next three stations’ morning shows combined. More than 300,000 people tuned in to “your AM-MC” during the course of the week. “Dependability,” explained Buehly, was the reason for his 40 years of success … Continue reading Clint Buehlman sings about winter’s slick roads on classic Buffalo radio
Starting in 1948, Buffalo television for its first 18 years was a de facto — and in some cases, policy-driven — segregated medium. During World War II and the years immediately following the war, Buffalo’s black population grew quickly both in real numbers and as a percentage of the overall population. Eventually, there were a … Continue reading From Jimmy Lyons to Sheela Allen, remembering Buffalo’s African-American broadcasting trailblazers
