March 2013

Broadcasters in the News 

Diana Fairbanks

"Wake Up!" Meteorologist Amelia Segal is leaving Channel 4.  Segal's last day was February 28th.  She is joining WRC, the NBC affiliate in the nation's capital.  Segal has been with Channel 4 for three years. 

Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Famer Vic Baker has left Channel 4 after 40 years.  Baker was a senior producer at Channel 4 and joins cable news outlet Central Florida News Channel 13 in the same capacity. 

Melissa Holmes

WGRZ, Channel 2 has also made a major change to its anchor line-up.  After "Daybreak" anchor Jodi Johnston left in November for a banking position, Channel 2 re-assigned Melissa Holmes from its 10pm newscast on WNYO, Channel 49 to "Daybreak."  She joins co-anchor John Beard.  Holmes is also co-anchoring Channel 2's 5pm newscast, working a split shift, at least for the time being, as Johnston did.   

Channel 2 has hired Kelly Dudzik as an anchor-reporter.  Station officials haven't yet assigned Dudzik to an anchor position.  Her first day on the job is March 4th.  Dudzik comes to Buffalo from a FOX affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

And Channel 2 honored veteran sports director Ed Kilgore on his 40th anniversary with the station in early January.  Kilgore is a member of the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Kate McGowan has left YNN, where she had served as a reporter for the past three years.  McGowan is joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation as its media relations manager in both Buffalo and Rochester.

Former Channel 2 photojournalist John Kooistra was part of an NBC News team that was kidnapped in Syria in late December.  Kooistra, Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and a producer were held for five days before they were freed unharmed. 

Moving on to radio, Townsquare management fired long-time WYRK mid-day host John LaMond in January.  He had been with the station for 29 years.  Another Townsquare staffer, Joe Russo, also left for a new position.  After six years as program director of WBUF's "Jack FM," Russo has joined SparkNet, where he is working with "Jack FM" stations and promoting its brand in other markets in the US.  Russo is a member of the St. Bonaventure radio station's Hall of Fame. 

Former WJYE morning host Joe Chille has found himself a new job.  Chille is now a manager overseeing Tim Hortons outlets in Niagara County.  He also formed his own radio and voice-over company after 34 years with WJYE.

Three months after taking over as host of Morning Classics on WNED-FM, Peter Johnson left the station in early January.  Bob Krum is filling in the interim while a search continues for a permanent host.    

Ashley Hassett

Ashley Hassett has re-joined WBFO as a full-time reporter for the statewide "Innovation Trail" collaboration among public radio stations in New York.  Hassett started at WBFO as an intern in 2010 and rose to become a part-time reporter.  After WBFO's sale to Western New York Public Broadcasting in March 2012, Hassett was a news anchor and reporter at Batavia's WBTA.  She also spent a short time as a weekend anchor on WBEN.

Longtime WBFO Program Director David Benders retired at the end of December.  Following the station's sale from the University at Buffalo to Western New York Public Broadcasting, Benders stayed on in UB's Communications division.  He joined WBFO as a volunteer announcer in 1969 and became program director in 1977, serving in that position through March 2012.

Chris Tyler, who once worked as a disc jockey at WBEN in the late 1970s,  was recently named program director of news-talk WSBA-AM and sports-talk WGLD-AM in York, PA. 

A couple of other former Buffalo broadcasters were also in the news.  Sam Malone, who once hosted mornings on WKSE, 98.5FM, is now doing a talk show in the Houston market.  And Brian DeMay, who lost his job as program director at WTSS, 102.5FM a couple of years ago, is once again looking for work following his dismissal due to budget cuts at a Wilmington, Delaware AC station where he was PD and afternoon host. 

On the business side of the broadcasting industry, Dave Gillen has joined the sales team at WGRZ, Channel 2.  Gillen, president of the Buffalo Broadcasters Association, had been a sales executive at WIVB, Channel 4 for several years before leaving the station in October. 

WIVB has parted company with its longtime marketing and promotions guru, Dan Meyers.  He had been with the station for 25 years. 

Members of the Buffalo Broadcasters Association have elected a new slate of board members.  Returning to the board are Dave Gillen, Rich Newberg, Ron Rice and Mark Scott.  Newly-elected board members are:  Eileen Buckley, assistant news director at WBFO; Kevin LoVullo, host of Channel 2's "Spiel the Wine"; Polly Van Doren, news director at WKBW, Channel 7; Shannon Ross, "Wake Up!" producer at WIVB, Channel 4; and Don Heins, a sports anchor at YNN.  Heins takes the place of Bob Koshinski, who has resigned from the BBA board.  At its January meeting, the board re-elected its officers -- Gillen as president, Heidi Raphael as vice president and Herb Flemming as secretary/treasurer. 

Don Kirsch, aka Don Castle and Bob Diamond, WINE and WKBW Radio  

Robert Coles, floor manager/TV production, WKBW, Channel 7

Ben Freedman, "The Jingle Guy," WYSL-FM

Mike Riley, program host, WJYE, Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service and WBFO Radio  

Twila Henneberg, operations manager, executive producer of "Beat the Champ" and "It's Academic," WIVB, Channel 4 

Don Berns Called Me the Son of Buck and Roy

By Tom McCray (aka Tom Donahue)

I consider myself so fortunate to grow up in a city like Buffalo with its great heritage radio stations and the personalities that walked their halls. I got bit by the "radio bug" early, listening to that "brown Philco radio" that sat atop our refrigerator...always on WBEN...at a volume loud enough to hear, but never enough to disturb conversations. From the time I was 11 years old, now in possession of my own transistor radio, I discovered WKBW radio. Fifty KW meant nothing to me, but oh those great personalities and the fabulous music they played. I was in heaven. At that time I had a paper route, delivering the Buffalo Evening News on my street in Snyder. I had that job for over 5 years, all the time listening to Danny Neaverth and others between 4:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon. Little did I know then, that in about 10 years I would be working with the likes of Danny, Sandy, Don, and Jack...and, oh yeah, Bob McRae...but I'll get to him in a second.

In the summer of 1966, shortly after Gordon McLendon took over WYSL-AM and FM, I jumped at the opportunity to "volunteer" as a teen DJ on WYSL-FM 103.3. I only did 4 shows, but I had the radio bug big time. I still have tapes of those shows...but, trust me; they will never see the light of day.

During my senior year of high school at Amherst High (1967-1968), I auditioned to be a part of a Junior Achievement company sponsored by Cap Cities and WKBW radio. We (this is where I first got to meet Jim Pastrick and Bob Sikorski) were able to work under the tutelage of Jeff Kaye, KB's program director, and production engineer Al Laffler. What an opportunity to rub elbows with working pros.

Four years of college followed in Utica, NY. While in Utica, I worked part-time at WRUN, WOUR, and WTLB -- a great opportunity to add to my resume. Being somewhat savvy, I continued my correspondence with Jeff Kaye while away at college. That resulted in my first job back in Buffalo, literally two weeks after graduating. Jeff hired me to work overnights on the weekends beginning Memorial Day weekend in 1972. He said I could use my real name, Tom McCray, which I didn't have a problem with...EXCEPT...there was that Bob McRae guy. He was using McRae as his radio name...and I didn't want people to think we were brothers. Thinking fast (I was on in less than 6 hours), I decided to use my middle name Roger...and I became "Tom Rogers." Yes, it was lame...but I didn't care, because I WAS ON KB...THE 50 THOUSAND WATT BLOWTORCH. One of the things I remember...Don Berns always referred to me as Tom Rogers, the son of Buck and Roy.

Now KB still had engineers who ran the controls from 7:00 am to midnight. Overnights, however, you worked combo...with three large transcription turntables and a couple of cart machines. Every couple of weeks...they did studio maintenance...overnights of course, meaning you were relegated to production control. My first night in there was interesting to say the least. The thing I recall is that you couldn't really cue records. In fact, it was difficult to even slip cue. I just remember putting the needle on the beginning of the record, playing a jingle, and hoping that when the jingle ended, your song would begin. And nine times out of ten, it did. Heck, they could have asked me to do the show hanging upside down from the rafters and I would never have complained. I was on KB...working with my heroes.

As a program director, Jeff Kaye was nothing short of genius. He could and would bring out the best in all of his on-air people...including me. My first critique session with Jeff was an eye opener. We sat in his office...and he played segments of one of my recent shows. It was recorded without my knowledge, which is always the best kind. He played...we listened...he critiqued. Soon I began to get the idea he did not like what he was hearing. With his deep baritone voice, he began to rip it apart. "McCray, Rogers, whatever the hell your name is...you suck! Why did I hire you?" In so many words, many of which were profane...he dressed me down until I felt about 3 inches tall. He kept digging away until I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up...looked him straight in the eye...and said this is bullshit. What are you accomplishing with this diatribe? With that, he slammed his hand on his desk...smiled...and said, "That's the jock I want! I want you fired up! Now go out there and knock-em dead."

One KB story I will never forget: I was working a Friday night graveyard shift. Jeff Kaye and one of the sales guys were partying in Jeff's office in the front of the building at 1430 Main Street. About 2:30 in the morning, the two of them came wandering back to the control room...both rather inebriated. I, of course, said "Hi Jeff." He then said, "What's this shit you're playing?" At the same time, he took the needle off the record that was playing and told me to play something else. Fortunately I had another record cued...so I started it. He didn't like that either...so he decided he wanted to take over the show. He was my boss, but considering his condition at that moment, I didn't think that was a very good idea. Fortunately, with the sales guys help, I was able to escort Jeff out of the studio. Lord knows how he made it home that night, but it certainly made my early radio career interesting.

I will also always remember a line from one of Jeff's memos to the staff just before a rating period. I am paraphrasing, but he wrote, you can make me laugh, you can make me cry, and you can even make me mad. Just never, ever bore me. They are words I remember to this day. Thank you Jeff. You were the best.

This is too long already. There are more stories to tell. I haven't become Tom Donahue yet.