Buffalo Broadcasting
stdopeorSn45afl664aulf44fitum5gc6f30t1ltt10i80umtc3c0gh41tt9 ·Hank Nevins, one of the unsung legends of Buffalo broadcasting. A Vietnam veteran who has succeeded both behind the mic and in broadcasting management. Henry Patrick Aloysius Nevins III was born in Lockport in 1948 and attended both DeSales Catholic School and Lockport Senior High School. His radio career began at just 17 years old when he provided color commentary for high school sports on Lockport's WUSJ alongside Clip Smith.
After high school, Hank pursued a communications degree at Grahm College in Cambridge, Boston. The day after he graduated Nevins volunteered for military service.
During the Vietnam War, he served in a combat zone with the American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN) in Pleiku and Saigon. Starting in 1969, he hosted a rock show on AM radio, delivered sports and news on Armed Forces television, and managed an easy-listening program on FM. In Southeast Asia, he worked with, among others, Pat Sajak.
Following his honorable discharge, he returned to WUSJ before joining WGR in 1971 as the replacement for overnight host Bob Christian. In 1975, Hank joined WKBW Radio on the same day as Jon Summers. In August 1976, he briefly left WKBW to explore opportunities outside local radio but returned in 1977. By 1980, he was named General Manager of WLVL in Lockport. After resigning in 1983, he took on part-time work at WBEN-AM before moving to WQCR in Burlington, Vermont.
Returning to Western New York in 1985, Hank succeeded Roger Christian as Program Director of Rock 102 (WBEN-FM). In 1987, he became Program Director of WBEN-AM, and by 1988, he took on programming duties for WMJQ while continuing his programming work at WBEN. He returned exclusively to FM programming in 1990 but left in 1991. In 1994, he became Operations Manager at WGY-AM and FM in Albany-Schenectady, where he also hosted the morning drive show.
In 1998, Hank transitioned from broadcasting to become the Marketing and Public Relations Manager for Lockport Memorial Hospital, though he remained active in radio, working shifts at WLVL and WHTT 104.1. He played a key role in the brief return of WWKB's nostalgic "KB" comeback music format from 2003 to 2006. Since 2006, Hank has hosted the Saturday morning show on WBEN (later added Sundays) and can also be heard weekday mornings on WLVL in Lockport. This recording is from WBEN NewsRadio, January 2025.
A few years ago, a former Buffalo broadcaster sent us a private message about Hank, "I was drinking like a fish, my reputation was in tatters. I interviewed with Nevins at 102 and he hired me for a part-time shift. Hank threw me a bone knowing what a drunk I was, but because he was a Nam vet, he gave me a gig when no one else would touch me. I quit drinking shortly after. I still remain grateful to Hank as he believed in me."
Hank Nevins is most deserving of broadcasting career honors.
See link in comments to listen to a recent broadcast of Hank Nevins on WBEN