- WBUF
Infobox Radio station
name = WBUF (FM)
city =Buffalo, New York
branding = 92.9Jack FM
slogan = Playing What We Want
airdate =1947
frequency = 92.9MHz HD Radio
92.9 HD-2 for My HD (All requests)
format =Jack FM
power = 76 KW
callsign_meaning = BUFfalo
owner =Regent Communications
licensee = Regent Broadcasting of Buffalo, Inc.
former_callsigns = "see below"
website = [http://www.929jackfm.com/ WBUF]WBUF is the call letters of a current FM radio station in
Buffalo, New York . Its transmitter is located in Buffalo. It is owned byRegent Communications and broadcasts on 92.9 FM. The station signed on in 1947.Programming
WBUF currently is running the
Jack FM format, which it has run since May 2005. WBUF has a notorious history of frequently changing formats, earning the dubious title of "Wheel O' Format" among those in the radio industry.Fact|date=September 2008Among the former formats:
*1970s: Freeform rockOr maybe called "Progressive Rock"
*1980: "WFXZ" "Foxy 93" Format lasted one year, calls reverted to WBUF the year after.
*Early 1990s: "Mix 92.9", "B93"
*1995: "WSJZ"Smooth Jazz 92.9; Format lasted two years.
*1997: "WLCE" Alice@92.9
**Format was intended to challenge then-WMJQ, now WTSS. The format lasted two years, until morning host Gary Craig uttered an offensive slur.
*1998: "WBUF" B92.9Rhythmic Oldies /Disco /Classic Soul.
**Format was intended to challengeWHTT but lasted less than two years.
*2000: Buffalo's Rock Station
**Format was intended to challengeWGRF andWEDG . WBUF in this era broughtHoward Stern to Buffalo's morning drive. Later on, the station addedOpie and Anthony . A combination of two events held by the duo led to their demise. The first was "T'n'A with O&A," a raunchy party hosted by Opie and Anthony in western New York and sponsored by WBUF. However, before any disciplinary action for that incident was taken, the hosts were embroiled in the infamousSex for Sam scandal inNew York City , where two lovers had sex inSt. Paul's Cathedral inNew York City in exchange forSamuel Adams beer . It was the latter event that ultimately led to their first firing. AsGregg Hughes has stated on their current morning show on competitorWEDG , "We were well on our way to being fired for the 'T'n'A with O&A' party, when we were canceled for 'Sex for Sam '." Instead of reverting the drive time back to rock, they instead replaced O&A with theDon and Mike Show .
*2004: FM Talk
**This format was basically a revival ofWWKB 's ill-fated "hot talk" format of the mid-1990s. The format was intended to challengeWGR and WBEN as well as partially replace WNSA. With both drive blocks filled with hot talkers, the natural progression was to make the station a full-time talker. With the region's best known hot talk host,J. R. Gach , working in Albany and unavailable,Brother Wease , from sister stationWCMF in Rochester, was hired to fill the midday, whileTom Leykis andLoveline were given nighttime slots. The format ended in six months after Wease developed nasal cancer and could not work both his Rochester and Buffalo shifts.
*2005: Jack FM
**Stern was the only host retained whenCBS Radio , then the station's owner, dropped the talk format in Buffalo in favor of Jack, the first format in about 10 years not intended to directly compete with another station in the market. When Stern left terrestrial radio forSirius Satellite Radio , he was not replaced in Buffalo.Since May of
2005 , WBUF has been broadcasting as 92.9 Jack FM using the increasingly popularJack FM format, playing an eclectic mix of popular music from the past 40 years withoutDJ s. This is one of the few Jack FM stations which doesn't use Howard Cogan as the voice of Jack, most likely due to its proximity to Toronto's 92.5 Jack FM. Using Cogan would most likely cause confusion with listeners due to the fact the two stations are also close by in frequency on the FM dial.The "Jack" format has been a surprising success in Buffalo; while the station is not top-rated like sisters
WYRK andWBLK , the format actually increased the station's ratings and is doing better than other higher-profile CBS "Jack" stations, such asWCBS-FM . Regent has decided to maintain and continue the Jack format after purchasing the station from CBS, including the familiar CBS version of the "Jack" logo.WBUF began streaming its programming on the Internet in mid-November 2006.
External links
* [http://www.929jackfm.com/ Official website for 92.9 Jack FM]
*FML|WBUF
*fmq|WBUF
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