Buffalo Broadcasting History
Hall of Fame
Sounds
Video. This section coming soon!
Photographs


1998 Inductees


Chuck Healy
Healy was one of the most versatile craftsmen ever to ply his trade in Buffalo broadcasting. In an astonishingly eclectic career at Channel 4, he anchored sports, was Buffalo’s most popular news anchor, hosted the "Beat the Champ" and "Strike, Spares and Misses" bowling shows, and was the announcer for the flamboyant wrestling telecasts from Memorial Auditorium. After retiring from Channel 4, Healy hosted "Over 50" for 13 years on WNED-TV. He died in 1994.


Van Miller
The "Voice of the Buffalo Bills" for nearly 40 years. He’s nationally acknowledged as one of the great pro football announcers of all time. Miller spent 43 years at Channel 4 and WBEN-AM until his retirement in 1998 . He was the emcee of the TV quiz show " It’s Academic" and hosted an acclaimed afternoon radio show at WBEN in the 1960s.


John Otto
The dean of talk radio in Buffalo. His calm manner, rich voice and warm style have set a remarkable standard for high-quality conversation since he first positioned himself at a WGR microphone nearly four decades ago. Otto also has anchored news, hosted d ocumentaries and been a quirky music personality.


Buffalo Bob Smith
Created "Howdy Doody" at WNBC-TV in New York City and launched that ground-breaking children’s show on the full NBC network in 1947. A winner of multiple Emmys for his Doodyville characters, he also earned the coveted Peabody Award for his combination of wholesome entertainment and good citizenship during Howdy’s 13-year run at the top of the dinnertime audience ratings. Before becoming one of the icons of early television, Smith was a singer, actor and personality at WBEN and WGR Radio in his hometown.


Frank Striker
Created "The Lone Ranger" while working at WEBR Radio in 1930. He originally called it "Covered Wagon Days" and took the program to WXYZ in Detroit, where in 1933 "The Lone Ranger" got launched from coast to coast. Striker also created and wrote "The Gree n Hornet" and "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon". He died in a 1962 car crash in Elma.


Ernie Warlick
Was the first African-American personality to anchor on a Buffalo television newscast, breaking the racial barrier in the 1960s when he handled sports on WGR-TV (Channel 2). Earlier, Warlick was one of the most popular athletes ever to play for the Bills.


Irv Weinstein
In 1958 Weinstein became news director of WKBW Radio’s "Pulse Beat News" and developed the concept of "rock ‘n’ roll radio news" - fast-paced, sometimes bombastic delivery; tabloid emphasis on the police blotter. In 1964 Irv took over as news director an d lead anchor for TV’s "Eyewitness News." Seated at the Channel 7 news desk with Tom Jolls and Rick Azar, Weinstein made up the longest running anchor team in the history of television (24 years - begining in 1965.) On December 31, 1998, Weinstein retired from Channel 7, leaving Buffalo airwaves as the most popular TV personality in the history of Western New York.


Rick Azar
Famous for his quarter century run as the twice-a-night sports anchor at WKBW-TV (Channel 7). To hundreds of thousands of viewers, his face and voice are the definitive representation of sports on the Niagara Frontier. In the mid-1950s , he became one of the youngest staff announcers at NBC-TV in New York, eventually returning to Buffalo to work at NBC-owned WBUF-TV, Channel 17. In 1958, when Channel 7 signed on, it was Azar’s voice that welcomed viewers to what would become Buffalo’s No.1 TV station. Seated at the Channel 7 news desk with Tom Jolls and Irv Weinstein, Azar made up the longest running anchor team in the history of television (24 years - begining in 1965.)Azar retired from WKBW-TV in 1989.


Tom Jolls
Jolls was Buffalo’s all-time favorite weatherman as a 34 year vet of WKBW-TV’s "Weather Outside." He was also host of one of the city’s most memorable children’s programs, "The Commander Tom Show." Before Channel 7, he anchored news at WBEN-TV, wrote and produced radio dramas for WBEN-AM. Seated at the Channel 7 news desk with Rick Azar and Irv Weinstein, Jolls made up the longest running anchor team in the history of television (24 years - begining in 1965.)


Distinguished Broadcaster Award
Simon Goldman
Eddy Joseph
Don McLean
Ramblin' Lou Schriver
Iney Wallens


Milestones
WIVB (WBEN)-TV (50 years)
WLVL (WUSJ)-Radio (50 years)

© 2006 - The Buffalo Broadcasters. No content from this site may be reproduced in any format without written consent.
Web hosting service graciously provided by: