1960's News Department at WBFO-FM University of Buffalo radio 88.7

[donwarnersaklad]

During the 1960's who was the news director at WBFO-FM University of Buffalo radio 88.7 ?... his first name is Dave/David .... Did he continue in broadcasting or related fields?...

 

[alw]

The name that stands out for me is Miky Waters.

 

[alw]

Miky Waters.

Mike

 

[JimMcGrath]

Are you thinking of Bill Siemering?

 

[alw]

Are you thinking of Bill Siemering?

Although Mike Waters and Bill Siemering are spelled almost exactly alike, I do in fact mean Mike Waters.
When Siemering left WBFO to head to DC, along with him went the stations News Director (Mike Waters).

I worked with Waters for awhile at WWOL and found him to be an extremely good guy, even though he was miles ahead of me in the brains department (but then who wasn't), (figured I'd say it before you did).
One day he showed up and announced he would be leaving WWOL for a job at the radio station at UB. We couldn't believe he was giving up "show biz" to go work at a college radio station. The rest is history; and here I am, still on AM radio in Buffalo.
I've always had a keen talent for looking behind the big picture.

 

[Philip_Airtime]

Well, it's probably time for me to weigh in on this discussion. I never met Mike Waters. He was gone from NPR News by the time I arrived in public radio a quarter century ago. Mike was involved in a public radio documentary program in the 1980s (I'm sorry that I can't recall the title). Unfortunately, he passed in the 1990s.

Bill Siemering is still going strong. When Marty Biniaz was president of the Buffalo Broadcasters group, he was prepared to induct Bill into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame. But Bill was unable to attend the ceremony because he was out of the country, as he is these days forming radio stations in foreign countries.

Bill is traditionally on the ballot for the Hall of Fame each and every year. Here's a pitch that he be elected some day. There is no one in Buffalo radio who has had the impact on radio than Bill has. After leaving WBFO, he went on to found All Things Considered on NPR. And, as I mentioned, he travels the world, even at his advanced age, working with people in various Third World countries to create radio stations. He's an unbelievable man. If memory serves, he was once awarded one of the MacArthur Foundation's Genius Grants.

So, the next time you're voting for inductees for the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame, remember Bill Siemering in the management category. He did extraordinary things at WBFO, such as creating a satellite station on Jefferson Avenue in the 1960s to give voice to African Americans who were pretty much ignored at the time. Many of the things he tried here in Buffalo were incorporated into All Things Considered.

Indeed, WBFO was a key player in the formation of NPR. The station is a charter member of the network. Besides Bill Siemering, former News Director Ira Flatow became NPR's first science correspondent and hosts Talk of the Nation's Science Friday to this day. And Terry Gross, WBFO alumna and UB Class of 1975, is host of Fresh Air. She has made such a name for herself that Terry will be appearing as a guest voice on "The Simpsons" this coming season.

Well, enough of the history lesson. But I though I'd weigh in here in light of this discussion about Bill Siemering and Mike Waters.

I would also point out that ALW's station, WNED-AM, is also held in high esteem in the annals of public radio. In the late 1970s, the all-news WEBR was the highest rated public radio station in the country. So, public radio in Buffalo has a wonderful legacy!