WGR

For the television station formerly known as WGR-TV, see WGRZ. For the FM radio station formerly known as WGR-FM, see WGRF.

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 site—utilized by WGR and co-owned WWKB—is in Hamburg.

In addition to a standard analog transmission, WGR is relayed by WKSE's fourth HD subchannel, and is available online via Audacy.

Programming

WGR has a

In early 1922, the Federal Telephone & Telegraph Company, headquartered in North Buffalo, began producing radio receivers.^[4] As part of its marketing efforts, the company decided to establish a local broadcasting station.

Effective December 1, 1921, the Department of Commerce, which regulated U.S. radio at this time, had adopted regulations formally defining "broadcasting stations". The wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) was designated for entertainment broadcasts, while 485 meters (619 kHz) was reserved for broadcasting official weather and other government reports.^[5] On March 14 Federal Telephone & Telegraph was issued a license for Buffalo's first radio broadcasting station, with the randomly assigned call letters WGR,^[6] transmitting on both 360 and 485 meters.^[7] The March 28 issue of the Buffalo Evening News reported hearing test transmissions made by WGR the previous night.^[8] On April 1 it was announced that, starting that day, WGR would broadcast weather reports provided by the Department of Navigation on 485 meters each weekday at 12:30 and 6:00 p.m.^[9] In mid-April, WGR's regular broadcast schedule was reported to be musical programs sent on 360 meters on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, plus daily weather and market reports on 485 meters.^[10]

WGR suspended regular operations while company employees worked on constructing a more powerful transmitter that could be easily heard by the

In early 1923 WGR ended the government reports on 485 meters, although it continued making entertainment broadcasts on 360 meters.[16] In September 1922 the Department of Commerce set aside a second entertainment wavelength, 400 meters (750 kHz) for "Class B" stations that had quality equipment and programming.^[17] In May 1923 additional "Class B" frequencies were made available, with 940 kHz reserved for "Zone 1",^[18] which was assigned to WGR later that year.^[19] Effective November 11, 1928, the recently formed Federal Radio Commission implemented its General Order 40, which divided transmitting frequencies into three categories: Clear Channel, Regional and Local. 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]

The August 1941 adoption of the Federal Communications Commission's "duopoly" rule restricted licensees from owning more than one radio station in a given market,^[23] and the Buffalo Broadcasting Company decided to divest WGR, while retaining WKBW. In late 1946, WGR was bought by a consortium of Western New York families known as the WGR Corporation. This company signed on WGR-TV (channel 2) in 1953 and WGR-FM (now WGRF) in 1959. WGR Corporation bought several other television and radio stations in the 1950s, and eventually became known as Transcontinent Broadcasting. Transcontinent merged with Taft Broadcasting in 1964. Taft sold off WGR-TV in 1983. 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. Taft retained both WGR and WGRQ (the former WGR-FM).

During its days as a

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. 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. Jesse Ventura was at one time a candidate to host a show on the station, but lost out to Dobson.^[24] The station was, from the network's inception, an affiliate of ESPN Radio, which it carried on the weekends from 1992 to 2013.

In 1995, Rich Communications which owned both WGR and its FM counterpart

Adoption of all sports format

In February 2000, WGR became an all-sports talk radio station. Bauerle, for a short time, was retained and paired with Chris "Bulldog" Parker, who joined from WBEN for the morning show. Chuck Dickerson maintained his afternoon drive show. Jim Rome, who was added to the WGR line-up in late summer 1998, was retained when WGR switched to all sports. Anne Burke, a frequent caller to the station's talk shows, joined Bob Gaughan to co-host middays. Mike Maniscalco and later Brad Riter hosted the evening shift.

From October 2000 to 2004, WGR competed with

WGR landed a coup when it signed WNSA's top afternoon host, Mike Schopp, from WNSA-FM in 2002; the event came at about the same time as when

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. Howard Simon, also from WNSA, joined in November 2004, with White moving from evenings to mornings to be Simon's sidekick.

In 2006, the Sabres and WGR renewed their broadcast agreement through 2012, and Yankees rights were dropped by 2007. In 2007, host Brad Riter was fired after failing to report for work, and he joined rival

WGR began a partial simulcast on Rochester sister station WROC in September 2008. Sabres games, Schopp and the Bulldog, and ESPN Radio were carried on WROC; Schopp and the Bulldog was dropped in 2011.^[26]

In 2012, WGR secured the rights to the

In 2016, the formation of MSG Western New York was announced. A regional sports channel for Western New York, the channel includes both Sabres and Bills programming. Two main WGR shows Sabres Hockey Hotline and The John Murphy Show began simulcasting on the channel on October 3, 2016. 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.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to WGR.

• Official website
• WGR in the FCC AM station database
• WGR in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for WGR (covering 1927–1981)
• WGR Jock History (billdulmage.com)
• Rock Radio Scrapbook page including recordings of Frank Benny and Shane on WGR, April 28, 1980