WBFO Has Imploded

[Mike Sheridan]

Yes, and that was a valid question until we learned that there was no advance planning and no intention to cover the storm as it appears that the focus of management has changed.

But TO DO is you have to want to and pre-plan.

Again, we have no official statement from the current management, but it appears that "the building is leaky" in more ways than one and it sounds like the upper management did not see storm coverage as a priority and did not allocate resources to that area.

If management didn't believe this story was newsworthy then there is something wrong. Again I'm sure other stations licensed to serve Western New York dropped the ball as well.

Look back to the Blizzard of '77 for an example on how stations responded.

 

[davideduardo]

If management didn't believe this story was newsworthy then there is something wrong. Again I'm sure other stations licensed to serve Western New York dropped the ball as well.

But one should not expect pure music stations to suddenly be news sources. In the case of WBFO, there was an historically based expectation of service in this sort of situation.

Look back to the Blizzard of '77 for an example on how stations responded.

Different technology, including weather forecasting, and different types of service from the station array back then. You did not expect full coverage from the Shulke station, right?

 

[tbolt909]

Many of “those people,” among the 40 souls lost didn’t “put themselves into that situation.”

It would be a good idea to review these situations and the demographics of those killed.

Some who ventured out of their cars were found, frozen to death in snowbanks.

Sadly, some homeless and low income people suffered the most. More storm coverage on WBFO would not have changed this. WBFO is running a program addressing the May mass shooting and the underlying issues of systemic racism and disenfranchised in Buffalo. They should be commended for that. The same cannot be said for WBEN which spews hateful rhetoric daily.

This storm started in the Midwest. When people like Rox say "Nobody thought it would hit in metro Buffalo", that is blatantly false. Severe Warnings were given many days in advance. Temperatures dropped rapidly on Friday morning and hurricane force winds began. ALL of that was expected and travel bans were implemented. You can argue that WBFO should have covered the storm DURING the event, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome. You have some people who don't trust the media. They think the forecast was hype & COVID was a hoax...

 

[SirRoxalot]

This storm started in the Midwest. When people like Rox say "Nobody thought it would hit in metro Buffalo", that is blatantly false. Severe Warnings were given many days in advance. Temperatures dropped rapidly on Friday morning and hurricane force winds began. ALL of that was expected and travel bans were implemented. You can argue that WBFO should have covered the storm DURING the event, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome. You have some people who don't trust the media. They think the forecast was hype & COVID was a hoax...

You simply don't have a grasp of this area or this storm. We knew that the storm would hit WNY. Many people expected it to be like most other storms, with temperatures falling over a few hours as winds built up. A fair number of people lost thought that they had more time to finish their errands or chores. Normally, the storm begins to the south and may shift north into the city for a while. This storm dropped over thirty degrees in about an hour and the winds hit like a freight train in the city and north-eastern suburbs. Time ran out on people VERY quickly.

There are also people who thought they were equipped for a "bad winter storm" who simply weren't. I've never heard of a storm here that used the term "flash freeze," or where emergency vehicles couldn't get to people who needed help. Fire trucks were unable to leave their buildings. PLOWS couldn't get out because of zero visibility and couldn't handle the snow if they did. Most streets were cleared by front-loaders. That hasn't happened here since '77.

You weren't here and don't have any experience with a storm of this magnitude. Your posts are simply as inaccurate and based as much on your political beliefs as the vitriol spewed by the hosts that you abhor.

 

[davideduardo]

There are also people who thought they were equipped for a "bad winter storm" who simply weren't. I've never heard of a storm here that used the term "flash freeze," or where emergency vehicles couldn't get to people who needed help. Fire trucks were unable to leave their buildings. PLOWS couldn't get out because of zero visibility and couldn't handle the snow if they did. Most streets were cleared by front-loaders. That hasn't happened here since '77.

And that means that anyone under about 60 has no "adult memory" of any prior big storm similar to this one. That means that about 80% of the population had no reality reference point for such a storm and tended to think of it in comparison to other "bad storms" they had witnessed.

 

[davideduardo]

WBFO is running a program addressing the May mass shooting and the underlying issues of systemic racism and disenfranchised in Buffalo. They should be commended for that. The same cannot be said for WBEN which spews hateful rhetoric daily.

So if you are a Republican or a conservative, you should not be allowed to do breaking news coverage?

They think the forecast was hype & COVID was a hoax...

Let's not mix weather with partisan politics.

 

[TheBigA]

Again, we have no official statement from the current management, but it appears that "the building is leaky" in more ways than one and it sounds like the upper management did not see storm coverage as a priority and did not allocate resources to that area.

Maybe I'm missing something here. We're not talking about the military. We're talking about a public, non-profit radio station. Why couldn't an employee, who has access to the building, and is a regular on-air person who normally performs certain functions, volunteer to work a holiday during an emergency on his own time, for no extra remuneration?

 

[davideduardo]

Maybe I'm missing something here. We're not talking about the military. We're talking about a public, non-profit radio station. Why couldn't an employee, who has access to the building, and is a regular on-air person who normally performs certain functions, volunteer to work a holiday during an emergency on his own time, for no extra remuneration?

And if that was not authorized?

The legality of letting a person "volunteer" to work for a corporation is dubious.

 

[TheBigA]

And if that was not authorized?

The legality of letting a person "volunteer" to work for a corporation is dubious.

Once again, we're talking about a local public radio station, not some big corporation. I don't know about this station, but most news people I know don't need to be assigned or authorized by upper management to do their job. Unless they were specifically told NOT to do something, I see no reason why they couldn't.

 

[tbolt909]

You simply don't have a grasp of this area or this storm. We knew that the storm would hit WNY. Many people expected it to be like most other storms, with temperatures falling over a few hours as winds built up. A fair number of people lost thought that they had more time to finish their errands or chores. Normally, the storm begins to the south and may shift north into the city for a while. This storm dropped over thirty degrees in about an hour and the winds hit like a freight train in the city and north-eastern suburbs. Time ran out on people VERY quickly.

There are also people who thought they were equipped for a "bad winter storm" who simply weren't. I've never heard of a storm here that used the term "flash freeze," or where emergency vehicles couldn't get to people who needed help. Fire trucks were unable to leave their buildings. PLOWS couldn't get out because of zero visibility and couldn't handle the snow if they did. Most streets were cleared by front-loaders. That hasn't happened here since '77.

You weren't here and don't have any experience with a storm of this magnitude. Your posts are simply as inaccurate and based as much on your political beliefs as the vitriol spewed by the hosts that you abhor.

Sorry, you're wrong. I've been through very bad storms and I take them seriously. National and local meteorologists stressed the importance that Thursday would be the last day to be out buying food or gifts. You're way off in your assessment. It's unfortunate that too many people ignored good advice and suffered for it. If WBFO had covered the storm while it raged on, some folks would have still been stranded outside. Same outcome...

 

[SirRoxalot]

Sorry, you're wrong. I've been through very bad storms and I take them seriously. National and local meteorologists stressed the importance that Thursday would the last day to be out buying food or gifts. You're way off in your assessment. It's unfortunate that too many people ignored good advice and suffered for it. If WBFO had covered the storm while it raged on, some folks would have still been stranded outside. Same outcome...

I'm "way off in my assessment?" I was HERE, in the middle of the worst of the storm. We're inundated with meteorological watches and warnings in WNY, most of which aren't so far out of the day-to-day here. This storm was VERY different.

If you were here, you'd have a clue. You're not, and you don't.

If WBFO had been covering the storm, maybe a few people who only have FM radio in their cars would have made different choices. Your point of view seems to be that they were all ignorant or careless. I think you know a lot about ignorant and careless.

 

[Mark1981]

Once again, we're talking about a local public radio station, not some big corporation. I don't know about this station, but most news people I know don't need to be assigned or authorized by upper management to do their job. Unless they were specifically told NOT to do something, I see no reason why they couldn't.

Indeed, Big A! Which brings to mind an amusing story. After I retired as WBFO news director in 2010, I continued part-time as an independent contractor. I’d help out where needed and billed the station. I was no longer an official employee. On the night Osama bin Laden was killed, the news began to spread during the 10pm hour. I called the program director. No answer, so I left a message. The acting news director was out-of-town on vacation. After getting word that President Obama would speak, I headed to the station. Still having all the access codes, I entered the studio, faded out the Blues show and went to special coverage from NPR, staying until 2am. I wasn’t told to do this. And I wasn’t even employed by the station. The acting ND thanked me via text for being there as did the PD when I saw him the next day. Now, the culture at BTPM is different from the station’s UB days. When I was working there part-time, I wouldn’t have done such a thing without being asked to or getting permission from a manager beforehand.

 

[Mark1981]

If WBFO had been covering the storm, maybe a few people who only have FM radio in their cars would have made different choices.

I hope people here don’t mind my stories from storms past. After 40 years, I have loads of them. But reading this sentence, Rox, brought back a story a friend shared with me following the Thanksgiving Week storm in November 2000. She was on the road, listening to my coverage. She said my station was the only one providing live coverage. I said wait a minute. Both WBEN and WNED-AM were also covering the storm. Her response was that she didn’t listen to AM radio. To her, WBFO was the only station covering the storm. Not sure how many people out there are like her. It’s not hard to hit the button for the AM band and scan for a station. But I always remembered that conversation with my friend.

 

[TheBigA]

Now, the culture at BTPM is different from the station’s UB days. When I was working there part-time, I wouldn’t have done such a thing without being asked to or getting permission from a manager beforehand.

Are news people at WBFO members of the union? If so, then I understand. The union has rules about when & how members can work. You can't do what I suggested in a union shop. There would be penalties and grievances. Otherwise, I don't understand the issue.

 

[Mark1981]

Are news people at WBFO members of the union? If so, then I understand. The union has rules about when & how members can work. You can't do what I suggested in a union shop. There would be penalties and grievances. Otherwise, I don't understand the issue.

No union at WBFO.

 

[fybush]

So if you are a Republican or a conservative, you should not be allowed to do breaking news coverage?

Let's not mix weather with partisan politics.

I would contend that there is, in fact, a reason to be discussing politics in this scenario, at least where WBEN is concerned.

Go back to the Blizzard of '77 and back then, WBEN was everybody's station. It didn't matter what your politics were - you trusted Clint Buehlmann to be there with the information you needed, whether it was a sunny August morning or the middle of a storm. (And if you weren't a WBEN listener, you were getting the same sort of information from WGR or WKBW.)

WBEN is, if not unique, then at least unusual in that even as its everyday talk programming has zeroed in on a single political viewpoint, it still drops the politics entirely when there's a major storm in order to go wall-to-wall information. The WBEN that I listened to over Christmas weekend was literally a completely different station from the day-to-day sound of WBEN these days.

(Other stations do that too, including WHAM here in Rochester, but not to the extent WBEN does.)

Does WBEN's move to a more niche audience make Buffalonians less likely to go there for information when it shifts into all-blizzard mode? I don't have any solid data on that, but I would imagine it takes WBEN off the radar of at least some potential listeners. And if that's the case, it does mean that it's important to have other sources for storm coverage too, including and especially WBFO.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

A very relevant point was made earlier in this thread regarding references to the Blizzard of 77, soon to notch 46 years past. That Blizzard was so severe that it became a weather milestone in Buffalo (weather) history, the storm to which all subsequent blizzards are compared, which is why it's significant when older residents of Western New York ("WNY") remark, "This was worse than '77."

BTW, this area is never called "upstate." To do so shows the locals "you're not from here."

To many younger demos, the Blizzard of '77 is the lore of their parents or grandparents. Same with the nearly as powerful Blizzard of 85, which this month will mark 38 years past. As noted earlier in this thread, there are people who haven't experienced the power and fury of severe, long-lasting oscillating lake snow bands combined with 50 mph sustained winds that gust to 70 mph.

Snow-vember 2014, when some areas of WNY received six feet of snow, is a proper reference ... but that powerful lake effect snowfall "parked" over one area of WNY and lacked the intense and consistent wind of a blizzard (defined as snowfall of a certain magnitude combined with 35+ mph sustained wind over three successive hours.) Same for Snow-vember 22, which dropped several feet of snow over narrow bands of WNY.

Regarding the Blizzard of 22, a friend related a comment from his 30-something son who said, "Now I know what you mean when you talk about the Blizzard of 77." This is a significant comment as relates to demographics and the use of media, AM, FM, social and internet service.

By his own admission, the Blizzard of 77 "made" WKBW morning man and market legacy, Dan Neaverth. Although he was well-known and firmly established for decades prior to '77, his performance and that of the WKBW news department sparked the slow downward slide of WBEN legacy Clint Beuhlman, who appeared overwhelmed by the intense flow of information, business and school closings, worsening conditions and the swirl of uncertainty. It was, to be fitting and kind, not Clint's finest performance.

It also helped that WKBW radio and television at the time were co-owned by CapCities and were charter subscribers to the AccuWeather brand. It could be said that AccuWeather made its chops in the Blizzard of 77 and subsequently used it as a springboard to sign up a number of radio and television stations.

AM radio in Buffalo still had a firm hold on listeners' ears and habits in 1977 and to a degree 1985, but FM was making inroads. In 2023, the only AM radio stations with significant, consistent listenership are WBEN, WGR and to an extent, WECK. Arguably, they remain ratings and revenue solvent. Only WBEN offered the waether related information that listeners sought.

Today, FM is the dominant RF provider, but even FM listenership is facing challenges. The Blizzard of 22 was not the time for WBFO to be caught short-handed, ill-prepared or oblivious to the needs and listening habits of its members. Its poor day-of performance is a large blemish on the station's otherwise fine reputation. Beyond the opinions of readers and posters on a radio-tv message board, WBFO members are likely to give the station a failing grade for its performance. Justifiably.

A re-test is not part of the course syllabus.

 

[davideduardo]

BTW, this area is never called "upstate." To do so shows the locals "you're not from here."

My father was from "Upstate". Newburgh. He always said that it really meant "up river".

As noted earlier in this thread, there are people who haven't experienced the power and fury of severe, long-lasting oscillating lake snow bands combined with 50 mph sustained winds that gust to 70 mph.

Just as the Great Lakes can be worse at times than oceans, both in winter storms and summer ones, your area is worse than Toledo, Chicago, Cleveland, Duluth, and others. The snow bands are astounding.

Today, FM is the dominant RF provider, but even FM listenership is facing challenges. The Blizzard of 22 was not the time for WBFO to be caught short-handed, ill-prepared or oblivious to the needs and listening habits of its members. Its poor day-of performance is a large blemish on the station's otherwise fine reputation. Beyond the opinions of readers and posters on a radio-TV message board, WBFO members are likely to give the station a failing grade for its performance. Justifiably.

And many from other areas don't know how long it takes to fully recover services after that kind of storm.

 

[Mark1981]

By his own admission, the Blizzard of 77 "made" WKBW morning man and market legacy, Dan Neaverth. Although he was well-known and firmly established for decades prior to '77, his performance and that of the WKBW news department sparked the slow downward slide of WBEN legacy Clint Beuhlman, who appeared overwhelmed by the intense flow of information, business and school closings, worsening conditions and the swirl of uncertainty. It was, to be fitting and kind, not Clint's finest performance.

It also helped that WKBW radio and television at the time were co-owned by CapCities and were charter subscribers to the AccuWeather brand. It could be said that AccuWeather made its chops in the Blizzard of 77 and subsequently used it as a springboard to sign up a number of radio and television stations.

There was another station that earned its chops in the Blizzard of ‘77 — WEBR Newsradio 970. Western New York Public Broadcasting had acquired WEBR the year before and converted it from commercial to public. It took several months to put together the newsroom. But if memory serves, the station launched its all news service in November 1976, less than three months before the blizzard. The all news service was patterned after the slogan “give us 20 minutes and we’ll give you the world.” Market veterans John Gill and Jack Mahl were among the anchors. The all news service aired from 6am - 7pm Monday through Friday. Many listeners found the revamped WEBR and its ongoing news coverage during the blizzard. NPR and public radio as we know it today was in its infancy at the time. So, WEBR and its all news service was the top rated public station in the country in the late’70s. WEBR was rebranded as WNED-AM in 1993, becoming a traditional public radio station airing Morning Edition and All Things Considered, shows UB’s WBFO were already airing. WNYPBA eventually acquired WBFO in 2012 and then sold off WNED-AM. Which brings us to today — and this thread about WBFO’s dropping the ball by not covering this blizzard, which WNYPBA did so admirably some 45 years ago.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

By his own admission, the Blizzard of 77 "made" WKBW morning man and market legacy, Dan Neaverth. Although he was well-known and firmly established for decades prior to '77, his performance and that of the WKBW news department sparked the slow downward slide of WBEN legacy Clint Beuhlman, who appeared overwhelmed by the intense flow of information, business and school closings, worsening conditions and the swirl of uncertainty. It was, to be fitting and kind, not Clint's finest performance.

It also helped that WKBW radio and television at the time were co-owned by CapCities and were charter subscribers to the AccuWeather brand. It could be said that AccuWeather made its chops in the Blizzard of 77 and subsequently used it as a springboard to sign up a number of radio and television stations.

AM radio in Buffalo still had a firm hold on listeners' ears and habits in 1977 and to a degree 1985, but FM was making inroads. In 2023, the only AM radio stations with significant, consistent listenership are WBEN, WGR and to an extent, WECK. Arguably, they remain ratings and revenue solvent. Only WBEN offered the waether related information that listeners sought.

Today, FM is the dominant RF provider, but even FM listenership is facing challenges. The Blizzard of 22 was not the time for WBFO to be caught short-handed, ill-prepared or oblivious to the needs and listening habits of its members. Its poor day-of performance is a large blemish on the station's otherwise fine reputation. Beyond the opinions of readers and posters on a radio-TV message board, WBFO members are likely to give the station a failing grade for its performance. Justifiably.

Let us remember who owns WBEN, WGR, WWWS, and WWKB today not to mention FM stations WTSS, WLKK, and WKSE. Just because they aren't news stations it doesn't absolve them from the requirement to stop the music and do some updates. They all could have used the resources of either WBEN or even the 3 area TV stations WGRZ 2, WIVB 4, or WKBW 7. This would have been a big help to those without power. In South Florida during a hurricane many of the FM music intensive stations partner with one of the Miami TV stations to provide information.

WBFO made a big mistake the people of Buffalo will remember. This is a problem for a station claiming to cover news.