Make no mistake: Tom Bauerle was one of the more controversial figures in the history of Buffalo broadcasting. I haven’t listened to him regularly in years. I despise right-wing talk radio. It spreads misinformation, fosters rage and hate, and is largely responsible for where we are today as a divided country.

But Tom Bauerle was a top-notch broadcaster. He had the voice and intelligence to propel him to a stellar career, whether you agreed with him or not.

When I became news director of WBFO in 1981, a polite 17-year-old freshman at the University at Buffalo stopped by the station and asked to volunteer. Yes, it was Tom Bauerle. I assigned him to evening newscasts on John Penney’s Jazz 88 show. Penney was also a talented announcer. There wasn’t a radio station in town that sounded better during the evening hours than WBFO did with this pair.

It didn’t last long.

Bauerle was soon hired by WJJL Radio in Niagara Falls. I’m not sure if he felt badly about leaving so soon, but he offered to file stories from Niagara Falls for our newscasts on WBFO for a few more months.

In less than a year, Bauerle was hired at WGR Radio and installed as the new host of Extension 55 after the legendary John Otto left WGR for WKBW Radio.

Perhaps success came too soon for such a young broadcaster. His ego began taking over. I suppose that happens to many announcers who become huge personalities.

Bauerle eventually became the morning host at WGR, when it was a talk station competing directly with WBEN. I’ll never forget the morning when Hillary Clinton, then running for the U.S. Senate in New York, was doing radio phone interviews.

My interview was scheduled directly after Bauerle’s on WGR. I remember listening to his interview while sitting in my studio waiting for my call. Bauerle was in full attack mode. The interview made national news, including an appearance by Bauerle on NBC’s Today show.

Thirty seconds after the Bauerle interview ended, my phone rang. Hillary was clearly flustered during my conversation with her.

That was also the year WBEN and WGR became part of Entercom, now Audacy, which led to WBEN becoming a news/talk station while WGR went all sports. It’s largely forgotten, but Bauerle was actually paired with Chris “Bulldog” Parker on a morning sports show before coming to WBEN.

In 2002, his 24-year run at WBEN began with a 9 a.m. to noon shift.

I will say this about Tom Bauerle: When Buffalo was dealing with the aftermath of a paralyzing snowstorm, I knew Bauerle would be on top of it. I would listen to him then. During the Christmas 2022 blizzard, Bauerle was there with the latest weather information. He was authoritative and factual. He excelled in those situations.

But that wasn’t always the case.

When we were babysitting our grandson in Ann Arbor during Thanksgiving week in 2023, I received an alert on my phone about an explosion on the Rainbow Bridge. I spent that afternoon listening to Bauerle on the Audacy app. He was citing sources suggesting this was an act of terrorism.

Granted, there was little information coming out in the immediate hours after the explosion. But when Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the media at 5 p.m. that afternoon, we learned that it was a tragic accident involving a sports car that suddenly accelerated.

Bauerle did not acknowledge his errors but instead placed the blame solely on Hochul for not sharing information sooner. Shameful.

So, Tom Bauerle leaves a mixed legacy.

He spread misinformation but stepped up when the big storms hit. Bauerle had a very public mental health crisis in 2014 and is currently involved in a messy lawsuit with his siblings over his late mother’s estate. Now, he exits WBEN without a chance to say goodbye on his own terms.

Perhaps Bauerle will end up at WUSW, the Patriot 1270 in Buffalo. The conservative talk station has languished in the ratings since Buddy Shula launched it more than a year ago. Adding Tom Bauerle would certainly attract listeners from WBEN.

The question is: Can Shula afford Bauerle? Or would Bauerle take less pay to “stick it” to WBEN?

Bauerle now lives in Florida, where he did his show remotely for WBEN. So perhaps he’s ready to retire.

As we say in the biz: Stay tuned…

Medical experts, sleep specialists, and scientists say that "springing forward" and "falling back" disrupt our circadian rhythms, contribute to health problems, and increase the risk of accidents. I wouldn't argue with the science. All I can say is that, in nearly 71 years of life, the time changes have never significantly bothered me.

I usually go to bed between 9:45 and 11:00 p.m. On the night we move our clocks ahead in March, I make sure I'm in bed by 10:00. When we turn the clocks back in the fall, I stay up until 11:00. In both cases, I still get my usual seven to eight hours of sleep. Perhaps a sleep specialist monitoring my sleep would detect some subtle changes, but I don't notice them. In any event, scientists say our circadian rhythms typically adjust to the time change within three to seven days.

Making Daylight Saving Time permanent should be a nonstarter. The nation tried it in 1974. Less than a year later, Congress reversed course because the public disliked the late winter sunrises. Humans rely on natural morning light to signal our bodies that it's time to wake up. If the sun doesn't rise until 8:45 a.m., getting out of bed becomes much more difficult.

I experienced that firsthand when I worked early morning shifts in radio. Winter mornings were always a struggle, but on days when the sun was rising during my commute, I felt noticeably more energized.

I also remember visiting Paris in January 2019. Between the jet lag and the 8:30 a.m. sunrise, I was miserable for the first few days. When my wife woke me at 7:30 each morning to begin sightseeing, it felt like the middle of the night.

Under permanent Daylight Saving Time, darkness wouldn't fall until nearly 6:00 p.m. in Buffalo during the winter. But the trade-off isn't worth it. Seasonal depression could become more common. Schoolchildren, many of whom already wait for their buses in the dark under Standard Time, would begin even more of their school day without natural light. Those who start work before 8:30 a.m. would face the same challenge.

That has led some people to advocate for permanent Standard Time instead. I understand the argument, but after a long, gray winter, I treasure those summer evenings when daylight lasts until after 9:00. There's nothing quite like sitting on the patio with a good book or taking a walk after 8:00, when the heat of the day has faded. Still, I'd gladly accept an earlier sunset if it didn't come with an absurdly early sunrise.

Scientists point out that Standard Time aligns more closely with our natural circadian rhythms. That's true. But the science also tells us that early morning light suppresses melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep. Under permanent Standard Time, the eastern sky in Buffalo would begin brightening between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. In parts of Maine, it would happen even earlier—around 2:30. That's simply too early.

Perhaps those hours made sense in an agrarian society, when people went to bed shortly after sunset and rose with the dawn to tend the fields. That's no longer how most Americans live.

My wife and I installed blackout curtains a few years ago. They work far better than shades, but some natural light still seeps through. During the summer, my body often begins getting the signal to wake up around 5:00 a.m. Some mornings I manage to sleep until 7:00; on others, I'm up shortly after 6:00. I can't imagine dealing with that at 4:00 every day. In fact, I generally sleep more soundly during the 6:00 hour when sunrise comes later. For me, year-round Standard Time is just as unappealing as permanent Daylight Saving Time. Summer sleep would suffer.

To me, the only practical solution is keeping the current system. For roughly 50 weeks each year, everything works reasonably well. We experience about a week of adjustment after each time change, but that's preferable to enduring months of overly dark winter mornings under permanent Daylight Saving Time or excessively early summer sunrises under permanent Standard Time.

There are other improvements worth considering. Our time zones could use some adjustment. It seems odd that northeastern Maine and western Michigan share the same time zone despite being so far apart geographically. Arizona, which remains on Standard Time year-round, provides another example. Because of its southern latitude, the state experiences a sunrise around 5:18 a.m. and a sunset around 7:42 p.m. on the summer solstice. That schedule works well there, where earlier sunsets provide relief from the desert heat. It would not work nearly as well in northern states. Allowing each state to make its own decision would only create confusion for travel, broadcasting, and commerce.

The bottom line is that we've long since moved beyond the rhythms of an agrarian society. Electricity allows us to light our homes and workplaces. Most of us no longer go to bed at sundown, and we certainly don't need dawn breaking at 3:30 a.m. Changing the clocks twice a year may be inconvenient, but it remains the best way to strike a reasonable balance in our use of daylight. Permanent Daylight Saving Time isn't the answer, and neither is permanent Standard Time. Sometimes the imperfect compromise turns out to be the most sensible one.

One of the reasons I launched this Substack was to share stories about my lifelong love of radio. A while back, I wrote about my experiences listening to Buffalo radio while growing up. In this piece, I look back at my first real experience of "playing radio," even though it wasn't on an actual station.

I was a senior that Fall when I learned that a group of students had created a "radio station" that "broadcast" over the school's PA system. They used the call letters WUSA, an homage to the film WUSA, which had been released two years earlier. The founding fathers of WUSA were Marshall Zotara, Jeff Jensen, Pete Zolnowski, and Craig Edlin.

You might recognize a few of those names. Jeff worked in progressive radio at WBUF and later at album rock giant QFM97 (WGRQ, now 97 Rock). He eventually left Buffalo and became the longtime morning host at a Dallas album rock station. Pete worked at WGR and WECK before moving on to a stellar career in other markets. Marshall built a successful career in radio sales in the Buffalo market. I'm not sure what happened to Craig. We lost touch after high school.

I reached out to the group, and they wholeheartedly welcomed me to WUSA. By the time I arrived, a makeshift studio had been assembled in a room adjacent to the school offices. Record players, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and mixers had been procured from the school's AV department. In fact, it was Marshall's perseverance that finally convinced Mr. Banks, the AV director, to allow us to go "on the air."

Each of us hosted a 20-minute DJ show during homeroom. The daily broadcast concluded with the morning announcements, which we presented as a newscast complete with a custom-made news opener.

Shortly after I joined the station, we spent a day visiting several Buffalo radio stations. To this day, I'm not sure how we finagled our way in, but we toured WKBW, WGR, WEBR, and WBNY.

Don Berns recorded WUSA station IDs while we were at KB. At WGR, Stan Roberts recorded a personalized ID for my show: "Great Scott, it's Mark Scott on WUSA." Kevin O'Connell, who had just moved from WYSL to become WEBR's music director, gave us a stack of 45s.

WBNY had just launched its beautiful music format. While we watched the host—I can't really call him a DJ because there were no records, only tapes of prerecorded music—a man walked in to coach the announcer on how to deliver the line, "All music, all the time." That man was Dan McBride. Just 14 years later, I would be working for Dan at his advertising agency.

At WUSA, most of my colleagues adopted radio names. Jeff Jensen became Doug Whitman. Pete Zolnowski went by Kevin Bradley. Marshall Zotara became Ken Ford. I stuck with Mark Scott. It's a name that was made for radio, so there was no reason to change it. In fact, when I met Don Berns, he asked me what my real name was and burst into his distinctive laugh when I told him it really was Mark Scott.

I don't think Principal Wesley Starkweather and his office staff realized the can of worms they were opening by allowing us to operate WUSA. Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling" had just been released. As teenagers, we all thought the double entendre was hysterical. But a key figure higher up in the food chain didn’t. Principal Starkweather ordered us to stop playing it.

The noise we generated also became an annoyance to the office staff, so we were moved to the projection room behind the auditorium. There, well away from the offices and classrooms, we could make as much noise as we wanted. It was Room 234.

Since radio stations have frequencies, we started calling ourselves "WUSA, Radio 2-3-4." The problem, of course, was that there was no 234 frequency on either the AM or FM band. So, after I left for college, Jeff, Pete, and Marshall summarily changed the room number to 610. WUSA was now "Radio 6-10," a much more believable AM frequency.

I brought my stack of 45s to WUSA so they could be played—including my Beatles singles. I had original copies of "I Want to Hold Your Hand"/"I Saw Her Standing There" and "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever." They're probably worth something today. I often wonder whatever happened to them.

One of the singles Kevin O'Connell gave us was Doctor Hook's "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone.'" I remember playing it and announcing afterward that I thought it was a terrible song. It went on to become Doctor Hook's biggest hit. I guess I wasn't destined to become a radio station music director.

Twenty minutes each morning wasn't enough time for any of us. We spent study halls and after-school hours doing practice shows. I even put together an audition tape to give the managers of St. Bonaventure's radio station the following fall.

I was the only graduating senior, so Jeff, Pete, and Marshall all returned to WUSA while I made my debut on Bona's WOFM in Fall 1973.

During his senior year at West Seneca East, Jeff became friends with Don Berns and began answering phones during Don's 6–10 p.m. shift at KB. Jeff's family had an in-ground pool, so Don would often hang out with us poolside during the summer of 1974. It was kind of cool being in the presence of a “real” Top 40 personality!

When Don left KB for progressive WPHD in August 1974, I accompanied Jeff to Don's house on Maple Road in Amherst one evening. We watched as Don practiced album segues on his home turntables. I had to pinch myself to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

After the summer of '74, I lost touch with my WUSA friends until the internet brought us back together. Today, Marshall and Pete are Facebook friends, and I've corresponded with Jeff by email.

Last December, Marshall posted on my Facebook page that WUSA continued in one form or another for many years. He also told me that an astonishing 30 alums from West Seneca East radio went on to become professional broadcasters. That's quite a legacy, and it makes me prouder than ever to have been part of that first year.

Make no mistake: I wasn't very good back then. I wasn't blessed with a great set of pipes, nor did I have the quick wit and timing to become a successful Top 40 DJ. But radio was what I wanted to do, and I was determined to pursue that dream when I arrived at WOFM.

My Bona radio years are coming up in a future installment.

During my time as news director, I knew the UB Archives held historic recordings from the 1970s. But it wasn’t until three years ago that I became fully aware of this remarkable collection. I had a box of cassettes in my basement filled with recordings of my work and that of my news staff from the 1990s. With my wife’s prodding to do something with this “stuff,” I decided to reach out to the UB Archives.

I exchanged emails with UB’s then new archivist, Hope Dunbar, who invited me to stop by for a visit. So, lugging my box of tapes on a cold spring day, I made my way to the Archives. Hope was delightful. She gratefully accepted my donation. A few weeks later, a thumb drive arrived in the mail containing a digital copy of a WBFO trivia show that Mark Wozniak and I hosted in 1982. I knew then that Hope and her team were committed to preserving our work for generations to come.

It wasn’t until Thursday night that I learned just how seriously the UB Archives has embraced this responsibility. Ken Axford is the WBFO Project Archivist, responsible for digitizing more than 2,000 hours of audio recordings. In addition, he is preserving documents and photographs from WBFO’s UB era. Many of WBFO’s program guides are already available online for public viewing. By the end of 2027, the digitized recordings will be available with the click of a link. It’s comforting to know there are people whose mission is to preserve the work of countless WBFO producers and contributors dating back to 1959.

When I arrived for Thursday’s event, Hope greeted me with obvious excitement. She couldn’t wait to show me what she called my “baby pictures.” I had no idea what she meant until I saw this:

I have no memory of this photo being taken. But here it is, preserved for years to come.

Now, I have 39 years of stories to share, from my arrival in 1981 until my retirement in 2020. What struck me Thursday, though, were the incredible 20-plus years that preceded my arrival at WBFO.

The station first went on the air in January 1959. There’s a photograph from that year showing a female engineer at the control board while three male broadcasters announced from the adjacent studio in UB’s then-new music building, Baird Hall. Their names are likely lost to history.

According to Hope, those early years lacked direction until a Wisconsin broadcaster named Bill Siemering arrived in 1962 as WBFO’s first full-time employee and station manager. Bill was a visionary.

By the end of the decade, he had created a format that would become the template for NPR’s All Things Considered. He opened a satellite radio studio on Jefferson Avenue, giving Buffalo’s African American community a voice. Under his direction, WBFO and news director Ira Flatow provided live coverage of anti-Vietnam War protests on the Main Street campus in 1970.

Bill also created a daily program called This Is Radio, devoted to news, arts and culture. After he left WBFO to help create All Things Considered at NPR, a young broadcaster named Terry Gross became one of the hosts of This Is Radio. Bill and Terry later worked together at Philadelphia public radio station WHYY, where they created Fresh Air.

As Hope Dunbar noted in her remarks Thursday, both Bill and Terry have said there would have been no Fresh Air without This Is Radio. Incredible, isn’t it?

Hope also shared that WBFO funneled more people to the then-fledgling National Public Radio than any other station in the country. Siemering brought with him smooth-voiced WBFO staffer Mike Waters to host All Things Considered. WBFO broadcast engineer Jon “Smokey” Baer became a longtime associate producer and audio engineer for the program. Ira Flatow went on to become NPR’s science correspondent. Alex Van Oss, one of the hosts of WBFO’s groundbreaking gay rights program, Stonewall Nation, also moved to NPR, where he served as a reporter and editor. Quite an impressive legacy.

Thursday’s gathering at the UB Archives allowed many of us to reconnect. David Benders, Mary Van Vorst, Mary Ann Rogers, Mary Lou Wiltberger (wife of the late Jim Santella), Anthony Chase, Mike McKay, Gabe DiMaio, Pat Feldballe, Dan Sack, Bill Altreuter and Andrea Schillaci (former advisory board members), and Thomas O’Neil-White were there. Buffalo Toronto Public Media President Tom Calderone and Assistant News Manager Ryan Zunner joined us as well, providing a link to the present. Ryan is a talented broadcast journalist. He told me he plans to bring the rest of the BTPM NPR news staff to the Archives so that they can experience the significant history of WBFO. Also attending Thursday was the legendary Shonnie Finnigan, the longtime UB archivist now in her mid 90s who did so much to preserve materials from the 1970s.

We leafed through photo albums, remembering those who are no longer with us. We shared stories. Though I’ve been retired for six years now, it was humbling to meet listeners who still recognized my voice.

Ken Axford will continue curating the WBFO collection over the next three years. Hope Dunbar hopes to stage a major public event celebrating WBFO’s UB years sometime in 2028. I gladly accepted her invitation to record an oral history, and I hope my former colleagues will do the same.

It’s heartening to know that the WBFO we knew will live on. Long after we’re gone, people will be able to click a link and hear “The Marks of Excellence”—as Mark Wozniak once dubbed us—hosting a trivia show that somehow survived in my personal archives and is now available to everyone.

Thanks, Shonnie, Hope and Ken!

So, what did we learn Wednesday night?

WBFO 88.7 FM will become BTPM Classical, with two hours of “Morning Edition” airing from 7-9 a.m. and two hours of “All Things Considered” from 4-6 p.m. “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” will continue on weekends, but the remainder of the schedule at 88.7 will consist of classical music.

WNED 94.5 FM will be rebranded as “BTPM The Source.” The station will carry commercials, although listeners were assured the advertising will appeal to a public radio audience. We also learned that WBFO programs such as “What’s Next,” “Group Chat,” and “Skin in the Game” will air on 94.5 FM. The BBC World Service will likely have a presence, along with other programs from American Public Media. We were also told there will be a partnership with Canada’s CBC. Though it was not explicitly stated, CBC’s legendary “As It Happens” will likely return.

“BTPM The Source” could become unique in American broadcasting: a public radio news station operating without NPR content.

Still unanswered, however, is the future of several NPR programs currently airing on WBFO. As we learned from the initial announcement in March, NPR will not allow its programming to air on a commercial station. So what happens to “Weekend Edition?” It was not included among the shows remaining at 88.7. We’re talking about Scott Simon here, the longest-running anchor in NPR history. Also left unclear was the status of “Fresh Air” and “Here and Now,” two programs produced by member stations but distributed by NPR.

I do have to question BTPM’s emphasis on high school sports. On one hand, the organization deserves credit for covering a segment of the sports world largely ignored by media outlets focused almost exclusively on the Bills and Sabres. On the other hand, BTPM’s core audience appears resistant to having favorite programs pre-empted by live play-by-play coverage.

Just this past weekend, Bill Kurtis’ final appearance on “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” was pre-empted for a girls’ flag football game. Make no mistake: public radio listeners are sports fans. But many prefer thoughtful sports journalism, such as what is offered on “Skin in the Game,” rather than live high school broadcasts interrupting flagship programming.

I was genuinely offended by comments from BTPM President Tom Calderone when host John Di Sciullo asked about the widespread perception that NPR has a liberal bias. Rather than defending NPR — as I believe a public broadcasting executive should — Calderone instead reinforced that perception.

I will concede that NPR’s story selection and framing can sometimes contribute to the view that it leans left. But its editorial standards are second to none. Its reporting is accurate, disciplined, and fact-based. I experienced NPR’s rigorous editing process dozens of times during my career while submitting reports to NPR News. NPR receives more than enough criticism from conservative commentators. It does not need the head of our local public broadcasting organization adding to it.

The reality is listeners no longer need BTPM in order to access NPR content. I regularly listen to “Morning Edition” segments directly through the NPR app. While biking this week, I heard a delightful interview with writer David Sedaris on the “Fresh Air” podcast, followed by an informative discussion on “1A” — a program that once aired on WBFO before being dropped — about a potential shortage of healthcare workers.

Calderone is correct in saying BTPM has no future if it merely functions as a pass-through for NPR and PBS programming. To its credit, BTPM does appear to be connecting with the community in a variety of ways. I was especially pleased to hear that the radio news staff is once again focusing on breaking news coverage. Management clearly learned important lessons following the Blizzard debacle four years ago.

BTPM is capable of producing ambitious investigative reporting, such as I’Jaz Ja’Ciel’s current series examining how money donated in the aftermath of 5/14 is being spent, while also keeping listeners informed about day-to-day developments like the city budget.

For much of my career, I was able to focus solely on radio. During the final decade before my retirement, the web was added to the workload, and even that felt challenging. Today, managers and journalists alike are expected to feed multiple platforms simultaneously. I can only imagine how overwhelming that must be at times.

I wish my former colleagues well as they navigate this rapidly changing media environment.

As heartbreaking as the loss of Stephen Colbert is, I’m more saddened by the other shoe to drop in recent days — the shuttering of CBS Radio just a year before it would have celebrated its Centennial. Its last newscasts aired Friday. It’s inconceivable to me that we now live in a world where the radio network that brought us Edward R. Murrow no longer exists.

For those who read my previous column on how I got interested in radio, let me repeat how intrigued I was with CBS Radio when I was ten-years-old with my first transistor radio. Before I was born, radio in its “golden age” aired drama and comedy shows. There were live music presentations and concerts. I remember my mother listening to soap operas on the radio. And when I started listening, one of the last radio variety shows hosted by Arthur Godfrey was still on the air. It lasted through April 1972.

By then, all three of the major radio networks were focused primarily on news, though CBS’ wonderful “Mystery Theater” aired nightly through the 1970s and ‘80s. I listened to such familiar CBS News voices as Dallas Townsend, Allan Jackson, Neil Stawser, Reid Collins and Douglas Edwards. Ten-year-old Mark couldn’t even imagine that one day he would be delivering local news alongside these broadcasting giants who were anchoring my station’s world and national coverage.

In early 1980, veteran Rochester radio personality Jack Murphy had acquired WMNS/WBJZ Radio in Olean. This was where I had been working since 1977. We had the Associated Press wire, so that I could read world and national stories. But we didn’t have a network to provide us with reports from correspondents stationed across the world. Jack changed that. He decided to make WMNS an affiliate of CBS Radio. Unfortunately, it wasn’t done by the time President Jimmy Carter launched an ill fated attempt to free the Iranian hostages. While I could only read the AP accounts of what happened, our competition, WHDL, was able to provide live coverage as an ABC Radio affiliate. I remember Jack gritting his teeth, saying “This is the last time this happens.”

And it was! A month later, we began airing CBS Radio. I remember the thrill of hitting the fabled CBS top of the hour tone for the first time. Having CBS Radio allowed us to offer a half-hour news block at 12noon that included “The Osgood File,” written and presented by Charles Osgood. Later in the day, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather offered commentaries. “The CBS World News Roundup” with Dallas Townsend aired in the morning while the evening version anchored by Douglas Edwards ran at 6pm. 

In 1981, we were able to provide live radio coverage of the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president and the simultaneous release of the Iranian hostages. In March, we had non-stop coverage of the assassination attempt on President Reagan. Then in May, just as I was about to give Jack my notice that I was leaving for WBFO in Buffalo, the CBS NetAlert system was activated late one morning, allowing us to immediately go on the air with news that Pope John Paul II had been shot. 

I like to say I had the honor of being associated with two stations that were affiliated with the two greatest radio networks — CBS and NPR. While the commercial radio networks played second fiddle to their television counterparts, NPR News began to thrive in the early 1990s. There’s little doubt that NPR News is now the leading national radio network. But it was comforting to know that CBS Radio was still there.

CBS has not had a Buffalo radio presence for quite some time. For some reason, WBEN dropped its longtime affiliation with CBS Radio in favor of ABC. WECK became a CBS affiliate when Buddy Shula acquired the station in 2017. But that didn’t last long. I would ask Alexa to play WCBS in New York City so I could hear CBS News Radio. That station changed formats in 2024. And now, the CBS Radio Network is no more.

I understand the economic realities of radio in 2026. There is no longer such a thing as full service radio stations that present news, music, weather and sports. Music stations play music with quick newscasts airing in AM Drive. CBS Radio lost affiliates. It wasn’t generating revenue for the company. News consumers, especially the younger end of the demographic, are now getting their news from social media sites and podcasts.

That said, there still should be a place for CBS Radio. Veteran Buffalo journalist Rick Pfeiffer posted on his Facebook page Saturday morning that we need CBS Radio more than we need influencers, podcasters and blathering talking heads on cable news. For the first time in 88 years, there will be no broadcast of the “CBS World News Roundup” come Monday morning. Imagine that! There hasn’t been a week day without that iconic broadcast since 1938! How sad! Ironically, the very technology that contributed to the demise of CBS Radio allowed me to hear the last newscast. I got up in the middle of the night and found that last broadcast on YouTube. I listened with a tear in my eye and a heartfelt thank you to all those who made it possible.

There’s nothing more to say other than — “Good night and good luck!”

In the “old days,” I would have read all these stories in the newspaper that was dutifully delivered to my doorstep. There was a time when I couldn’t envision not having the print edition. When I was working, I’d bring my copy into the sauna of the old Northeast YMCA in Snyder after my morning workout. After retiring from full-time work, my mornings started with the print edition in one hand and my cup of coffee in the other.

But it became a daily crapshoot whether my print copy would arrive. Complaining did nothing. The News’ customer service department is among the worst. The subscription rate was skyrocketing! So, about five years ago, I said enough. I canceled the print edition, opting for digital only.

The transition was easier than expected. I leaf through the E-Edition on my iPad like I did the print product. On most days, the E-Edition is an exact replica of what print subscribers receive. But today’s E-Edition featured a digital only special front page with the banner headline “What A Ride” that highlighted the Sabres’ overtime loss to the Canadiens. After reading the Sabres stories, I made my way through the rest of the E-Edition and arrived at the Sports Section to find this:

This is a screenshot of the sports section print subscribers received on their doorstep this morning. The headline is ridiculous! Every reader of this print edition is well aware the Sabres lost. Why would one even read this article? Why even include it in the print edition when the editor has to know it will be horribly outdated! It’s embarrassing!

Now, many of you are probably aware that the decision by News owner Lee Enterprises to shift printing operations from Buffalo to Cleveland is the reason for all this. The early deadlines mean the morning sports section will have nothing from the previous night’s sports contests.

Besides the outdated article about the Sabres, the sports section highlighted results from Sunday, including the PGA Championship golf tournament, an NBA playoff game and Major League baseball games. All these events occurred 36 hours ago. I read all about those events Monday morning. They’re now ancient history. Frankly, it’s a waste of newsprint!

The News should simply retire its print sports section. In its place, there could be two pages of timely enterprise stories about the Bills and Sabres written by beat reporters and columnists. But game stories and columns should be digital only.

Now some of you could make the same argument when it comes to actual news content. Anything that happens from late afternoon on will not make the next day’s print edition. But the editors usually use the front page for enterprise stories and analysis pieces. So, the news content does not appear to be as outdated as it does in the sports section. 

The News no longer publishes a Monday print edition. I fully expect that will extend to other days at some point in the future. Perhaps there will come a time when the News will be digital only. I know some of you still savor having a printed newspaper in your hands. I get it. I used to feel the same way. But the News’ digital edition meets all my needs now.

This column is not an indictment of News writers. They’re hardworking. They’re breaking news or writing enlightening enterprise pieces. I value the work of my former colleagues in TV and radio news. I financially support and read The Investigative Post. I have a subscription to The Athletic. But as a news consumer, I go to the Buffalo News many times a day to stay in touch with what’s happening in our community. It’s just this morning’s headline in the sports section struck a nerve. It was the clearest indication yet that it might be time for management to raise the white flag and acknowledge they’re serving no one when the content is so outdated. 

What is known is that the Bills ended their relationship with Buffalo sports radio station, WGR, at the end of last season. The Bills opted to take total control of their radio broadcasts. The team is now in charge of producing, selling and distributing their games. In a Buffalo News article Friday written by Alan Pergament, Bills President of Business Operations Pete Guelli declined to reveal any terms of the new deal with Cumulus, the owner of 97 Rock.

Why the secrecy? The cost of contracts between the NFL and the networks and streaming services airing games is public knowledge. As a radio geek, I’m interested in this information. Are the Bills paying Cumulus to air the games? Is it a barter arrangement? Or is Cumulus paying a rights fee? If it’s the latter, how does Cumulus, already in bankruptcy, really benefit? Perhaps being able to boast about its status as the “Bills station,” 97 Rock will sell more spots across the rest of its schedule, thereby generating more revenue. But this is all speculation. A little transparency would be nice here. Now, some might respond that this is none of my business. I will argue that as a taxpayer of the county and state governments that provided $850 million for construction of the new stadium, my interest in how this is all working is not unreasonable.

Guelli told Pergament this new deal will allow the Bills to “reach more fans across New York.” What a load of malarkey! (I’m not talking about Mike.) Show me a Bills fan that hasn’t been reached already. The Bills have always had a broad network of stations across the state airing their games. I remember traveling across New York on a gameday as I was returning home from a wedding in the Catskills several years ago. I had no problem finding radio stations along my route airing the game. The only real change would be the Bills securing a station in Southern Ontario. 97 Rock is one of the less powerful FM stations in Western New York. The previous rights holder, WGR, is an all-sports station. You’d think it would make sense for the Bills to air on a radio station that talks sports 24/7. Plus, WGR is now airing on FM at 107.7, a signal that reaches both Buffalo and Rochester.

It’s obvious, as Pergament opined, that the Bills want to be in charge of all of their content. Fans will remember the incident last year when General Manager Brandon Beane expressed his displeasure with some comments made by WGR’s morning team. The Bills deny that had anything to do with the Bills’ departure from WGR. Beane even joined Jeremy and Joe last month after the NFL Draft. But there’s little doubt there will be much less criticism of the team now that the Bills are in total control of game-day broadcasts.

I’m a daily listener of WGR. The success of the Sabres this winter and spring has kept me tuning in. I do want to hear critical coverage of both teams. I’m a fan of Schopp and the Bulldog. I think Jeremy and Joe do a credible job in morning drive. Sal Capaccio is an outstanding reporter whose daily insights are invaluable to me. I used to listen a lot to “One Bills Live” on WGR. But I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve logged into the Bills app to listen to the show since it was removed from WGR. Guest hosts Brad Riter and Tim Graham are much better in WGR’s 1-3pm slot, especially during the current Sabres run. I imagine I’ll be sticking with the pre and post game shows on WGR, though I admit I will be checking out the 97 Rock product. 

It’ll be interesting to find out how the Bills will staff their broadcasts on 97 Rock. Obviously, the in-game team is set with Chris Brown, Eric Wood and Steve Tasker. It’s likely all three will be part of a one hour pre-game roundtable as Brown and Wood were on WGR. I’m sure the team-employed reporter Maddie Glab will have a role. But more hosts will be needed to fill out the pre and post game hours. There is no longer a huge bench of available, big name sports radio talent in the Buffalo market. They’re all employed by WGR. Will the Bills poach one or two staffers from WGR? Is it possible Howard Simon would come out of retirement as a pre-game host? Will Shredd and Ragan, who do sports interviews as part of their morning show, have a gameday role? The coming months will be interesting as this new era of Bills radio broadcasts begins.

And once the Sabres season ends — hopefully sometime next month with a Stanley Cup — we’ll be anxiously awaiting news of which radio station will air their games starting in late September.

Roberts’ father was an executive at the then-Bethlehem Steel headquarters in Lackawanna. Young Roberts attended St. Bernadette Catholic School in Orchard Park. I remember seeing a letter on Supreme Court stationery written by Chief Justice Roberts that was framed and mounted for visitors to see as they entered the school lobby. 

But any lingering pride we had of Roberts’ ties to Buffalo is long gone, at least for some of us. I now think Justice Roberts and the court he presides over will be remembered as one of the worst in the history of this country. And that saddens me.

Chief Justice Roberts, in recent days, is taking umbrage at the criticism his court is receiving. He argues justices are not “political actors.” He claims they’re not setting policy. Really? Overturning Roe v. Wade did not set policy? Roberts is deeply conservative. So are five other justices. I was not surprised when Roe was overturned. But don’t try to tell us you’re not setting policy.

Moreover, I will never understand the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. This was signature legislation of President Lyndon Johnson 60 years ago. When changes were made strengthening the act in 2006, there was bipartisan support. But last week, the court ruled 6-3 to gut parts of the act that allowed minorities to challenge unjust electoral maps as discriminatory. Seeing the overt racism of state legislators in Tennessee as they voted to eliminate the state’s lone Black district in the wake of this ruling was sickening!

Then there’s the inexplicable ruling that grants immunity to the president. It’s a “get out of jail card” for the lawless Trump administration. Innocent civilians are being gunned down in cold blood by masked federal agents. The East Wing of the White House was demolished for an unnecessary ballroom. Trump started a chaotic war with Iran, without Congressional approval, that has resulted in skyrocketing gasoline prices. The ineptitude of his cabinet is astounding. I could go on! Yes, the Court rejected Trump’s ill-advised tariffs. But that’s not enough! With the Republican-controlled House and Senate subservient to the whims of this cancer in the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court is the last bastion when it comes to stopping Trump’s abuses of the law.

John Roberts is keenly aware of the declining public perception of his court. He’s obviously concerned about his legacy. If that’s true, he should look at the example set by another Western New Yorker who served as a US Supreme Court Justice. Robert H. Jackson hailed from Frewsberg in Chautauqua County. He served as an associate justice on the High Court from 1941 to 1954. One of the highlights of my career as a public radio journalist was providing live coverage of then Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s 2003 address dedicating the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown. Rehnquist had served as a clerk to Jackson in the early 1950s. Though their judicial philosophies differed, Rehnquist praised Jackson in his 2003 remarks. Jamestown is fiercely proud of Jackson and has preserved his legacy as a Supreme Court justice at the center bearing his name. Why? Because Jackson was on the right side of history, particularly as chief US prosecutor of Nazis at the war crimes trials in Nuremberg.

Make no mistake! History will judge John Roberts and his court. He still has time to re-shape his legacy. But it starts with holding Trump accountable! Chief Justice, you and your court need to stop issuing rulings that allow overt racists in Tennessee to celebrate as they disenfranchise Black voters. You need to protect the rights of all Americans — women, minorities, LGBTQ — not just the wealthy elite. And you need to stop easing gun laws that allowed an avowed racist to travel to the city you once called home to shoot and kill ten innocent citizens four years ago this week. 

Ann Arbor is our second home. Our son, daughter-in-law and grandson live there. I’m a big Michigan football fan. I attend one to two games a year at the Big House with my son and usually watch the rest on TV. But my enthusiasm doesn’t extend to the basketball team. Now some of that is due to the fact I’m more of a football fan. I was rooting for Michigan. I’m glad they won. But Monday night’s game ranked last in the things of interest to me over the course of the day. My sister hosted her annual Dyngus Day feast, where she makes homemade kielbasa and pierogis. We played polkas, just like we did when we were kids. Plus, the Sabres were playing arch-rival Tampa Bay for first place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. I was following the Artemis II mission to the Moon and had a Facetime call with my son and grandson to share that experience. The basketball game was almost an afterthought.

Granted, Monday night was huge for fans of both teams. But for the rest of us, I’d love to hear just how interested you were in the game. I’ve come to a conclusion about the football and college basketball championship games. They’re anti-climactic! Let’s start with college basketball. There is so much hype going into the post-season. The conference championship tournaments are compelling. My St. Bonaventure Bonnies made a run as a 13th seed in the Atlantic 10. Then, Selection Sunday unveiled the teams that got in and those that were snubbed. The tournament is referred to as March Madness. Fans are talking about their brackets. Lower seeded teams upset higher seeds. There are multiple games at the same time. The fact that first and second round games were played in Buffalo added to the excitement of March Madness this year. That vibe extended through Sweet 16 weekend as well. But unless you’re a fan of one of the Final Four, I would argue the “madness” — that vibe — evaporates by the time a champion is crowned.

The same is true in college football. There’s so much hype surrounding rivalry weekend at Thanksgiving. All eyes are on the selection show a week later to pick the 12 teams that will compete in the College Football Playoff. I was personally outraged when Notre Dame didn’t make it this past season. The first round of the playoffs were a disappointment as the better teams crushed their opponents. But the quarterfinals held as part of the New Years Bowls were great, even Indiana’s blowout win over Alabama. (It’s always satisfying when the Crimson Tide lose big!) Yet, the CFP is now stretching into late January — a time when many football fans are more interested in the NFL playoffs. In my opinion, the championship game held on a random Monday night in the middle of winter loses the excitement that resonates with college football fans on New Year’s Day.

I don’t feel this way about pro sports. The anticipation builds toward the end. Of course, the Super Bowl and the hype surrounding that is unmatched. Last Fall’s World Series Game Seven was one of the best — if not the best baseball game — I ever watched. I usually watch the last game of the Stanley Cup Final where I would reflect about what it must be like for your team to hoist the Cup. As a Sabres fan, it’s hard to believe that dream could actually become a reality if Buffalo makes a run in this year’s playoffs. 

So, as John Oliver is fond of saying, what do we do? Why are the ultimate games in college football and men’s basketball held on Monday nights? I would argue the movers and shakers in college football should shift the schedule so the championship game is played as close to New Year’s Day as possible, preferably on a Friday night or Saturday. (I know this is a pipe dream given the greedy nature of the NFL. But it would be nice if the league ceded a window on a Saturday to allow for college football to play its championship game.) Basketball’s March Madness should conclude with a men’s and women’s doubleheader played on Sunday. There can still be separate venues. Imagine the women playing at 3pm eastern followed by the men at 6pm eastern. It’s a Sunday. People are off from work. The games would air at times that are accessible to all on both coasts. I will always argue that East Coast fans are punished by the scheduling of games that extend way past our bedtimes. 

Please share your thoughts in the comments. Were you all in for the men’s and women’s championship games? Or did the excitement of March Madness peter out for you. Again, I find it interesting that despite having an affinity for one of the teams Monday night, I wasn’t excited enough to stay up and watch.

To avoid confusion, I’m going to refer to the stations by their call letters rather than by their BTPM branding. Personally, I still call my old station WBFO rather than BTPM NPR. Let me begin my analysis by pointing out the obvious — technology has changed tremendously. Many listeners, including me, stream WBFO whether it’s through Alexa or the app on a mobile phone. The same is true for at least some listeners of WNED-FM’s classical music. From my reading of Calderone’s email, listeners of both stations will continue to hear both as they exist today — 24 hours a day — by streaming them.

But the fact is radio remains the primary delivery system for listeners. As such, this will be very disruptive to those who tune in WBFO or WNED-FM on their kitchen radios and on their car radios. WBFO radio listeners will continue to hear such staples as “Morning Edition,” which currently airs from 5-10am, and “All Things Considered” from 4-6pm. But the rest of the day and night at 88.7FM will be devoted to Classical music. There will be no more “Here and Now” or “Fresh Air.” The email fails to mention the status of “Weekend Edition” at 88.7FM, much less the other popular weekend programs. The only weekend show mentioned in the email that will continue airing on 88.7FM is “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me.”

Listeners of 94.5FM will hear an entirely new station. According to Calderone’s email, it will consist of local, national and world news, public affairs, entertainment, music and sports. There will be commercials on this frequency. But creating a brand new radio station is risky. With money already tight because of the elimination of federal funding, how can BTPM afford to hire a staff to provide the kind of programming that will enable 94.5FM to compete in this market? Will potential advertisers find value in airing commercials there? We won’t know the answers to these questions until programming decisions are finalized.

Running NPR and Classical on the same station is a throwback to the way things used to be. Back in my day, WBFO was NPR and Jazz. That frustrated listeners. News listeners had to go elsewhere at 10am when Jazz began. Four hours later, Jazz listeners hated it when we disrupted their music by returning to News. Public radio consultants always advocated that stations pick a lane — News/Talk, Classical, Jazz or Adult Alternative. WBFO finally did so in 2010 by becoming NPR News and Talk from 5am-10pm weekdays. Now, 88.7FM will return to the old ways, programming news and music together, no doubt frustrating listeners of both formats.

Here’s some more history. In 1998, Don Boswell, shortly after he took over as president of the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association (WNYPBA), wanted to get rid of WNED-AM. He held secret negotiations with our then General Manager Jen Roth. Employees of both WBFO and WNED-AM were in the dark until a 4pm meeting one afternoon when we were all informed in separate meetings. WBFO would be simulcast on WNED-AM for a month. WNED-AM would then go off the air and be sold. The outcry was immediate! Movers and shakers voiced their outrage that WNED-AM would be silenced. Boswell reversed his decision. WNED-AM continued. The station had its most successful fundraiser soon after. Fourteen years later, WBFO was acquired by the WNYPBA from the University at Buffalo. WNED-AM was soon sold after that to a religious broadcaster. So, Boswell’s 1998 vision was eventually realized.

I think this change will be hardest on Classical listeners. During my time fundraising on WNED-FM from 2012-2022, I would overhear volunteers struggling with some callers during pledge drives. These listeners are on the older end of the demographic. Technology is foreign to many of them. They were able to hear their favorite music by clicking on their radios, which were probably tuned to 94.5FM for years. Will they find their music at 88.7FM? Will they figure out how to stream their music? These are legitimate questions. 

BTPM’s email said the programming of WBFO and WNED-FM will continue on HD frequencies. HD is failed technology. I’m probably one of the few people in Western New York to own a desktop HD radio. HD is standard in some car models, including my Subaru. But one has to actively select HD frequencies. I doubt many listeners have done that. It’s either FM or Sirius/XM for most.

What’s most weird is this. Listeners of WBFO’s radio frequencies in Olean and Jamestown will continue to hear programming as it exists today on their radios. That’s also true for listeners of Classical music on the radio in Jamestown. But listeners of the two radio frequencies in Buffalo will experience drastic change. Does that make any sense? 

There are so many questions remaining to be answered. And they may not be fully answered until this change is implemented. Mike Collins and Boswell were great stewards of public broadcasting in Western New York. I’m not so sure about Calderone. Our paths crossed a couple of times before I left WBFO/WNED in 2022. That’s when WBFO’s local news presence was decimated. The station’s commitment to local news has been renewed in the past year-and-a-half with some smart staff hirings. I even resumed my support of WBFO last September. But the jury is out again in the wake of these announced changes. I truly hope Calderone knows what he’s doing. Again, technology has changed. The future is digital, not radio. Calderone may be making decisions now that other radio ownership groups will eventually have to make. I had a middle of the night thought that he may be going big and bold by making a pitch to the Buffalo Bills to become a part of the Bills Radio Network. It’s not outside the realm of possibility. 94.5FM will again be able to air commercials. It has one of Buffalo’s strongest FM signals. Sports is one of the programming components Calderone is planning for the new format. Acquiring Bills game day play-by-play would be quite a coup and would certainly give the new 94.5FM some clout. 

Right now, both WBFO and WNED-FM are successful public radio stations, with each offering a distinctive service. WBFO has a listening share in the three to four percent range in the Nielsen ratings. That means three to four percent of the people listening to the radio at any given time are tuning in WBFO. That sounds like a small number. But even the top rated radio station in Buffalo is lucky to top a ten percent share. WNED-FM earns a respectable two to 2-½ share. It appears listeners respond to the on-air fundraisers each station holds several times of year. All that will be put at risk once these changes are implemented. Listeners hate change. Believe me, I experienced that firsthand every time we tinkered even a little with our programming. This is arguably the biggest change of all. 

ICE is pure evil! If these so-called officers of the law were actually removing the worst of the worst, I would be supportive. But that’s not happening. They’re targeting the most vulnerable who are simply here hoping for a better life. With some exceptions, it’s not a crime to be in the United States without proper documentation. It’s a civil violation. There’s a difference! Making matters worse, ICE murdered two US citizens in cold blood on the streets of Minneapolis.

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before a House committee this week was detestable! She refused to acknowledge the victims of sexual abuse who were standing behind her while proclaiming the Dow Jones Industrial Average was above 50,000. Do I need to say more?

Then there was the stunning announcement of the ten day closing of air space around El Paso, TX because of a national security threat. That was rescinded within hours but not before the travel plans of thousands were affected. What was shot down by a US Defense Department drone? A party balloon! The incompetence of this administration is simply astounding!

It makes me angry! I want to lash out! But this is supposed to be an essay about love. And how love will prevail.

I’ve experienced a couple of examples of joy in recent days. The most notable was Bad Bunny’s halftime show during the Super Bowl. As a 70-year-old white male, I’m way outside his target audience. My four semesters of college Spanish 50 years ago were of no help. I didn’t understand a word of the lyrics he sang. But I did get Bad Bunny’s message loud and clear — a message of love, diversity and inclusion. I’m glad I watched it. It was a shining light in the darkness we’ve been experiencing.

Another example of joy was this week’s Slate “Political Gabfest” podcast. I’ve been listening to this podcast for all of its 20 years. One of the regular panelists is a journalist I very much respect, John Dickerson, late of CBS News. The “Gabfest” did one of its occasional live shows before an audience in Washington, DC. At the end, host David Plotz asked the audience to sing “America.” It was simply beautiful! Patriotism is not exclusive to conservatives. Here was a mainly liberal audience joyfully singing about the beauty of our country. Tears welled in my eyes as I listened. Again, some badly needed light!

As we embark on the Lenten season, I’m embracing Pope Leo’s message of love. Since his election last May, Leo has clearly stated that immigrants should be welcomed, not banished. He’s now asking Catholics to focus on love during the next six weeks of prayer and reflection. So, I will take his message to heart. I will stop lashing out with my own harsh words at objectionable social media comments. It’s tempting to go low when they go low. But what does that really accomplish? So, I’m vowing to simply block the posters of objectionable comments and not respond.

Admittedly, I will continue to struggle with all this. I will use this Lenten season to reflect on how I can diminish the angry feelings I have. How does one truly embrace the Church teaching of loving thy enemy? One of my favorite priests, Fr. Rick Reina, preaches in his Sunday homilies that we must embrace love and reduce the divisiveness in our broken world. But it’s hard!

This is no longer about politics. I liked Barack Obama. You liked George W. Bush. We could be friends. We might have disagreed over policies. But I hope we agree that at their respective cores, both are decent, caring men. What this is now about is good vs. evil. Right vs. wrong. For instance, I will not debate that the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were in any way justified. I will not accept the premise that a racist meme about the Obamas was satire. There is no humanity — nothing good or positive at all — that can be found in the heart of the man who shall not be named. I will never understand how we ended up here. But this is where we are. And in my heart, I know I’m on the side of love, of helping the most vulnerable and opposing racism, misogyny and hatred. 

I have to believe our nation will get through these dark times, that light will eventually shine and that, indeed, love will prevail!

Happy Valentines Day!

I’m quite amazed that Wegmans has fallen so precipitously in a customer satisfaction rating. I just don’t see it! I will say unreservedly that Wegmans is still the best! My son spent eight years in Cleveland and now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. So, we’ve patronized more than a half-dozen supermarkets in those cities, including several that now rank above Wegmans. One of them is Meijer’s in Ann Arbor. Admittedly, it’s a magnificent store that is a full-fledged supermarket with many departments, including clothing, that you’ll find in a big box store like Target. We never escape the toy department without buying yet another Lego for our grandson. But last year, we bought some chicken fingers in Meijer’s prepared food section. They were terrible! Tough, rubbery, virtually inedible! Wegmans prepared food section is clearly superior. My son and daughter-in-law always stop at Wegmans when they visit. Wegmans, you’ll always be number one! But, yeah, maybe lose the biometric scanning!

Let’s stay in the grocery aisle here. If you haven’t shopped Costco, you’re in for a wonderful experience when the Buffalo area’s first store opens later this year. We got our first Costco membership when our son lived in Cleveland. We now shop at the Ann Arbor store every time we visit. I’m outfitted each day in low cost clothing I purchased at Costco — shirts, pants, socks, etc. Their house brand is Kirkland. I find it amusing that my pants and my coffee have the Kirkland label! Granted, it will be a zoo when Costco opens here. But once things settle down, I have no doubt patrons will get in and out smoothly. This store will be situated much like the Cleveland Costco is. I have never been stuck in backups there. The only downside is New York’s law prohibiting wine and alcohol sales in grocery stores means I’ll still have to shop Costco in Ann Arbor for my value priced Kirkland brand wines and scotch.

The Super Bowl used to be a big event for my family and friends. My sister hosted yearly watch parties. Back in the day, we spent several Super Bowl Sundays at a friend’s house. But now there are years when I don’t even watch. I was so heartbroken by the 13 second Bills loss to Kansas City five years ago that I didn’t watch any football after that. Last year, I didn’t watch the Philadelphia-Kansas City game because I didn’t like either team. I’ll be tuning in at some point tonight, but only after my wife and I finish watching a couple of our favorite British mysteries. 

Am I even able to write the words Super Bowl? Or do I have to call it the Big Game?

It’s so funny how the halftime shows create so much controversy. I’ll watch Bad Bunny tonight. I’ve never heard one of his songs. But I want to support him simply because MAGA is so opposed to his appearance. I’ll admit that I haven’t watched the halftime shows in recent years. I just don’t like rap and hip-hop. That’s okay. I’m a 70-year-old aging Boomer. But I don’t criticize the NFL for scheduling artists who play such music. They’re popular and have millions of fans. That said, I’m no fossil either. I thoroughly enjoyed Lady Gaga in 2017. She is an unparalleled artist. Katy Perry was amusing a few years before that, especially because of the legendary Left Shark. But those who know me probably can name my all time favorite Super Bowl  halftime show. Bruce! Glory Days! Boss Time!

Again, I’ll be all in for Bad Bunny tonight! His performance will bury that alternative halftime show being sponsored and web streamed by an extremist right-wing group. It’s headlined by the totally irrelevant Kid Rock. I’ve never heard his music either. But an aging rocker who still goes by the name “Kid” is ridiculous. Plus, it’s the height of hypocrisy for Christians to support a singer who has written lyrics about underaged girls. He’s a disgusting creep!

And you know who else is? The vile racist Donald Trump! This is not open for debate!

Okay, I’ve gone off the rails here. So, let’s end my column of random thoughts with this. My grandson loves Knock Knock jokes. I shared with him one I particularly liked this week. Knock Knock! Who’s there? Ribbit! Ribbitt who? Make up your mind! Are you a frog or an owl?

First, the Bills news. The team is taking full control of the production, distribution and advertising sales of Buffalo Bills gameday radio broadcasts. It has retained a company that specializes in such endeavors. This is something that is becoming more popular in the sports world. In fact, it has already happened here in Western New York. It was just a couple of years ago that the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team ended its decades-old relationship with WPIG Radio in Olean and took over the production and distribution of its games. Bonnies games are still heard on another Olean radio station. But they’re also available to Bonnies’ fans across the country through a digital stream.

Now, Bills management is doing the same thing. The team will create its own radio network. There is still a chance WGR will be part of that network. But it’s likely Bills games will air on another radio station in Buffalo, as well as in other cities and towns across New York, Southern Ontario and elsewhere. I read some comments on social media from fans worried that they’ll have to pay for a digital audio stream. Don’t worry! That won’t happen here, at least for now. Bills games will be on Buffalo radio next season. We just don’t know where. The Bills could stream their games on their website and app. But that stream would only be available to Buffalo area fans since the NFL does have contractual relationships with other digital streamers, such as Sirius/XM and the Tune In app that already bring Bills games to out-of-town fans who pay subscription fees. 

The Bills also announced its flagship daily show, One Bills Live, which had been airing on WGR, will be streamed on the Bills website and app as well as MSG TV, starting next Monday. This should be really interesting! Airing on WGR attracted thousands of listeners to One Bills Live. Will these listeners take the extra steps to log into a digital stream? WGR will presumably assign some local hosts during the noon to 3pm to talk Bills and Sabres. It could be quite the competition. Though they are officially Bills employees, I’ve always found One Bills Live hosts Chris Brown and Steve Tasker offer objective analysis. They’ll likely be going against the B team of WGR sports talk hosts. 

According to Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News, WGR will continue to air pre- and post-games shows on Bills game days. That reminds me of the old days when WGR did the same thing when 97 Rock aired Bills games. Plus, WGR will simulcast its all sports format on 107.7FM, which ironically had been a sports station in the early 2000s. Pergament also reported the Sabres will embark on a similar strategy of producing and distributing its games on radio, though there was no formal announcement of that Tuesday.

In the case of the Sabres, I would question whether a music station would want to interrupt its programming 84 days a year to air games. It might be in everyone’s interest to keep the games on WGR. It would not be good for the all-sports station in Buffalo not to have the play-by-play of at least one of the city’s major sports franchises. 

Now onto the second big story of the day, WNED-FM going commercial. As you all know, the federal government eliminated all of its funding to public stations last year, creating a huge hole in the budget for Buffalo Toronto Public Media. Being able to sell full-fledged commercials would be a revenue generator. Back in the day, 94.5FM was a commercial radio station, WEBR-FM. When Western New York Public Broadcasting purchased WEBR AM 970 and 94.5FM in 1976, they became non-profit entities. But, apparently, BTPM is able to apply to the FCC to revert the frequency to commercial status. 

The implications are fascinating. WNED-FM’s audience is older, educated and affluent. I’m sure they’ll be able to attract luxury car dealers, cultural organizations and medical/health sponsors. They’ll no longer be restricted by the highly-regulated underwriting announcements that prohibit calls to action. On the other hand, it will be jarring for listeners. Will the music be interrupted by five minute commercial sets like other music stations? Will listeners respond to on-air fundraisers when the station is running commercials? There might be some answers in a Zoom session with BTPM members scheduled for February 11th.

One final note, this is not an option for WBFO. My old station operates in a part of the FM spectrum that is reserved only for non-profit stations. WBFO becoming a commercial station is just not possible unless the FCC were to make a major policy change. In this administration, I suppose anything is possible. But for now, WBFO is unable to become a commercial radio station.

I’ve been reading some silly speculation on an Internet radio site that these two developments are related. WNED-FM is one of Buffalo’s most powerful FM stations. Some are suggesting WNED-FM would be a perfect landing spot for Bills and Sabres games because of its strong signal. Look, never say never. But the email I received from BTPM was unequivocal in saying classical music and the station’s hosts will continue if WNED receives permission to run commercials. Airing football and/or hockey games on a classical music station would be an extremely odd pairing. I just don’t see that happening.

There are so many unanswered questions about the Bills plans. Chief among them is how will this all work? The Bills will presumably earn hundreds of thousands of dollars from the ads they sell. Will the team share a portion of that revenue with the network radio stations? Or will these stations have to pay the Bills for the games? If that’s the case, what’s in it for them other than the prestige of airing Bills games? I’m sure these questions will be answered in due time. But as Van Miller was fond of saying. Fasten your seatbelts! Watching the evolution of sports radio in Buffalo over the coming months will be quite a ride!

I wasn’t a sports reporter. Yet, when I first arrived at WBFO in 1981, I thought it would be cool to cover the Bills. The team’s PR department reluctantly gave me credentials, but only for games that didn’t draw national interest. For two prime time games that year, my space in the press box would be needed for visiting national reporters. But I was able to cover the six Sunday afternoon games at then-Rich Stadium in 1981. It was a heady experience for me. I remember famed CBS play-by-play announcer Lindsay Nelson walking by me one game. There were pre-game and half-time buffets. And, oh yeah, I got to watch games for free! 

The press box was a pretty sterile environment. The glass kept out much of the crowd noise. It was very professional. Reporters were reminded that cheering was not allowed, though that rule was violated when QB Joe Ferguson threw a Hail Mary touchdown pass to RB Roland Hooks to beat the New England Patriots. After the game, we were allowed access to the locker room to interview players. Then, it was back to the station to put together my game story for the next morning’s news.

By 1982, my role at WBFO was more well-defined. The station began doing play-by-play of UB football, which I was assigned to produce on Saturdays. I was engaged to my soon-to-be wife, Mary Lou. So, covering Bills home games wasn’t a priority any longer. I didn’t even try to renew my credentials, though I doubt the Bills PR staff missed me.

In 1986, I left my full-time position at WBFO, thinking the grass was greener in public relations. (It wasn’t, at least for me.) I joined a video-centric advertising/PR agency that had produced a weekly Bills show for cable TV the previous two seasons. Given my experience, I was back in the press box for the first two home games of the 1986 season, including Jim Kelly’s debut with the Bills. After the games, I was joined by a cameraman to record player interviews. But the ad agency’s owner had lost interest in producing the show. So, my interviews never aired. Yet, I had already been given season-long press box passes. So, I used my pass to attend a mid-season game against New England, even though I no longer had a legitimate reason to be there. I kept a low-profile trying to avoid the PR staff while pretending to “cover” the game. 

By 1990, I was hosting Weekend Edition on WBFO, while employed full-time as development officer at the old St. Francis Hospital. After my Saturday shift at the station in January 1991, I headed to the Boulevard Mall to get fan reaction the day before the Bills’ first Super Bowl. After I recorded five interviews, Mall security told me I didn’t have permission to be there. No worries! I had gathered enough interviews by that point. I went back to the station and pitched the Super Bowl preview story to NPR. They accepted it! It was the second time in my career that one of my stories aired nationally. (The first was when Alexander Mogilny defected to the Buffalo Sabres in 1989.)

By 1992, I had been rehired as news director of WBFO. NPR’s sports producer Tom Goldman reached out to me the day before New Year’s Eve that year to cover the upcoming Wild Card game between the Bills and Houston Oilers. Because it was so close to the holiday weekend, it was too late for me to be credentialed. Tom wanted a story, nonetheless. So, with Van Miller as my guide on the radio on Sunday, January 3, 1993, I took careful notes of all the big plays.

We all know what happened. The Oilers grabbed a 35-3 lead. At that point, I began crafting my game story on a very rudimentary word processing software package on my son’s Apple II computer. “The Buffalo Bills’ two year Super Bowl run is over,” I wrote. And then, the miraculous comeback! I was more than happy to revise my copy. The challenge was getting all the highlights of that game into one 40-second script. But as any broadcast reporter knows, that’s just what we do! My game story of the greatest comeback in NFL history was heard by hundreds of thousands of listeners across the country who happened to be tuning in Weekend All Things Considered on that Sunday night. 

The following season, Tom Goldman obtained my credentials well in advance for the Bills last Super Bowl run. I picked up my packet Friday evening at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo downtown. The next day, Buffalo would host the Los Angeles Raiders in bitter cold Rich Stadium. The gametime temperature was one below with wind chills in the minus 20s. Fortunately, I was in the press box. But because of all the reporters covering the game, I was relegated to the lounge behind the press box risers, watching the game on a big screen TV. Unlike the throttling of the Raiders in the AFC Championship game two years earlier, this divisional round game was more competitive. The Bills prevailed, sending Buffalo to the championship game against Kansas City the following week. I remember calling in the story to NPR from a pay phone in a hallway adjacent to the press box. 

For the AFC Championship game, the National Football League itself was in charge, not the Bills. So, seeing that a reporter representing NPR was there, the league’s PR staff was able to squeeze me in with the other reporters watching the game from the risers. I found myself sitting next to retired Bills receiver Jerry Butler! The Bills pulverized Kansas City and an aging Joe Montana at quarterback. Unlike the other games I covered, my report for this game would air in a segment of Morning Edition itself. So, I needed comments from both locker rooms. I brought two tape recorders with me. Like they do today, the Bills held formal post-game press conferences with Coach Marv Levy and key players. So, after Levy spoke, I kept my one recorder going to get Jim Kelly’s comments. Then, I grabbed my second recorder and ran to the Kansas City locker room, where a dazed Joe Montana was just beginning to speak. Nailed it! I was in two places at one time. I returned to the Bills locker room as Bruce Smith was speaking. When he was finished, I knew I had enough reaction. And then one of the most embarrassing moments of my career happened!

As Thurman Thomas began speaking, I went to unplug my cord from the audio box. Except I didn’t unplug my cord. I disconnected the plug for the PA system in the room. Thurman stopped talking. A producer for WGR yelled that he was still on the radio. So, he resumed his remarks. Mortified, I disconnected my cord and plugged the PA back in. Thurman was interrupted again when he heard himself in the speakers, saying something like “I guess I’m back.” Totally embarrassed, I didn’t even pack up. I just gathered all of my equipment and cords in my arms and slinked out of the room to make my way back to the press box.

After packing up there, I walked back to my car for the trip to the radio station. I produced my report for NPR and phoned it in to Washington. Then, I prepared a second story for our local host Mark Woziak to air Monday morning. I was exhausted after a twelve hour day! Now, my newsroom colleague at the time, Ian Aronson, had given me a bottle of Buffalo Bills-branded champagne for the previous year’s Super Bowl. You’ll remember there was nothing to celebrate, so the bottle stayed in the back of the refrigerator for a year. When I got home that night, I decided to pull out that bottle, poured a glass and reveled in the TV coverage of the game. For the first time that day, I was a fan, not a reporter! The Bills were going to their fourth Super Bowl in a row. Incredible! Even more rewarding was the next morning when I got to hear the legendary Bob Edwards introduce my story, “We have two reports from yesterday’s championship games, the first from Mark Scott of member station WBFO.”

I was a freshman at St. Bonaventure University when Rich Stadium opened in Fall 1973. I attended my first game there when I was home for Thanksgiving vacation. You’d think that day would be seared into my memory. But it’s not. The only thing I remember is that we lost to the Miami Dolphins 17-0. In December 1975, I attended the Minnesota Vikings game that is infamous for the thrown snowball that injured the eye of Vikings running back Chuck Foreman. During my college years, I attended more concerts than football games at the stadium. I went to the first seven Summerfest/Superfest concerts held there — the most memorable ones featuring the Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton and Elton John.

1979 marked the beginning of a 15 year stretch where I attended the most Bills games of my life, many of them unforgettable. The season opener that year was a game against the Dolphins. Buffalo had lost 18 straight to its hated rival by that point. It was a low scoring affair played in the rain. Still, the Bills had a chance to win it with a last second field goal. From our vantage point, Tom Dempsey’s attempt looked good. I started cheering only to see a second later that the referee was signaling no good. Oh, the pain!

I experienced the lone rowdy game of my lifetime later that season. (Don’t we all have at least one of those?) I was living in Olean. A group of us rented a Bluebird van, bought a keg that we put in the back of the van and made our way to Orchard Park to see the Bills play the Patriots. Need I say more? Ten guys in their 20s! A keg of beer! I think it’s for the best that my memories of that game remain locked away. 

The season opener in 1980 was one of the greatest games ever played at the stadium. The Bills broke the 0-for-the-‘70s streak against the Dolphins. Fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts. My sister and I were sitting in the upper deck. No one left. Eventually, a piece of the goalposts made its way through our section. We all got to touch it! I was also at the last game of the 1980 season when the Bills hosted the Los Angeles Rams, the former team of then Bills Coach Chuck Knox. Nick Mike-Meyer kicked the game winning field goal. Again, fans refused to leave. Fred Smerlas and Jim Haslett came back onto the field in their sweats and danced with the Buffalo Jills to the Talking Proud theme. Yeah, before the Shout song, we sang “Buffalo’s got the spirit, talking proud, talking proud!” It was the season the Bills won their first-ever AFC East championship.

In 1981, I moved back home to Buffalo to become news director of WBFO. I was credentialed to cover the Bills that season. I’ll be writing about that next week. The most memorable moment from that season at the stadium was watching QB Joe Ferguson throw a Hail Mary touchdown pass to RB Roland Hooks to beat the Patriots on the last play of the game. I went to see my girlfriend Mary Lou at her house after the game. My soon-to-be father-in-law answered the door and was surprised to see me smiling. You see, he had turned off the game and didn’t know what happened. I showed him the last entry on the written play-by-play sheet reporters were given at the end of each game that, indeed, the Bills miraculously won! 

I was at Rich Stadium in 1986 to watch Jim Kelly play his first game with the Bills. In 1987 and ‘88, I had left my full-time position at WBFO and was working with legendary Buffalo broadcaster Dan McBride at his small advertising agency. We were gifted Bills tickets by local radio stations as a thank you for the business we brought to them. So, I got to see several games courtesy of WGR, WHTT and WJYE. I took my father-in-law to a game against Miami in 1988. We were a couple of rows from the Dolphins bench. My father-in-law couldn’t believe what a crybaby Dan Marino was. We could clearly see and hear as Marino shouted at his offensive line and receivers. The Bills won 9-6. A month after my own father passed away, I took my brother-in-law to a November game against the New York Jets. I was still feeling quite sad as we made our way to the game on one of those restaurant charter buses that were so popular then. I was remembering my Dad and games at the Old Rockpile. It was a rainy afternoon as the Bills won their second AFC East title, thanks to a Scott Norwood field goal in overtime. The second 9-6 final of the season. Again, fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts!

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, my father-in-law started a tradition of taking his son and two sons-in-law to one game a year. When his grandsons came of age, including my kid, they joined us. My son, who is now a doctor living in Ann Arbor, remains a diehard Bills fan to this day, thanks, in part, to his Papa. Of course, those were the Super Bowl years. I was at the 1991 playoff game in snowy Rich Stadium against Miami and then in 1994 for the divisional round game against the Los Angeles Raiders and a week later the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

That January 1994 game against the Raiders was the coldest-ever game played at the Ralph. The temperature was one-below with wind chills in the minus 20s. Fortunately, I was nice and cozy in the Press Box. The hottest game I ever attended was the season opener in 2002 — QB Drew Bledsoe’s first game as a Bill — when temperatures were approaching 90. Sadly, the Jets stunned Buffalo with an overtime kickoff return for a TD.

In 2005, I was never more proud than when I joined Mary Lou on the field. She was the music teacher at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. Her students were invited to “sing and sign” the national anthem. When the anthem was over, Mary Lou and her students were walking off the field. Bills Coach Mike Mularkey gave them a thumbs up! Priceless!

My son and I attended a handful of games throughout the 2000s, the last of which when he was a senior at the University at Rochester in 2007. He treated his Dad to a game against the Dolphins on a snowy December day. It’s hard to believe that was my last game as a fan dealing with the elements!

I attended one more game at the Ralph in 2019. My sister had a major window project done at the family homestead in West Seneca. As a thank you, Anderson Windows gave her two tickets for a game in a suite. What an experience! Preferred parking — easy in and out. An incredible buffet of all kinds of food! And an open bar! Having driven, I limited myself to one beer each half. But did I feast! The Bills beat the Dolphins! And I left the Ralph with yet another great memory! It would be my last! Fittingly, Miami served as bookends between my first game in 1973 and my last one.

Looking back, I saw more games against the Dolphins than any other team. I saw plenty of Jets and Patriots games, too. Makes sense as all were division rivals. I’m wearing my Ralph commemorative tee-shirt today. I’m sure fans at today’s game will be counting down the final seconds. I’ll be joining them at home. Then, I expect the tears will be flowing!

I’ll play a Bruce Springsteen song after the game is over. He wrote it in 2009, the last season of the Giants and Jets old stadium at the Meadowlands. Change “the swamps of Jersey” to the “fields of Orchard Park” and “Giants” to “Bills,” and the lyrics are so appropriate for today.

Bruce starts the live version with “You all come out to help tear this old girl down!”  In my mind, I’ll be imagining 70,000 fans at the Ralph yelling yes! Bring on your Wrecking Ball…

Correction: I removed a reference to the number of times goal posts were torn down at the Ralph. Apparently, that happened a third time in December 1990 when the Bills beat Miami to win the AFC East. Since 1990, security has been tightened to prevent fans from entering the field at game’s end.

This is primarily due to the nightmare we’re living through. The convicted felon who occupies the White House has created nothing but turmoil in the first year of his second term. He’s not just a failed leader, but a failed human. He doesn’t have one single positive human attribute. Yet, here we are!

I don’t want to give him more oxygen. I have seen several social media posts from people pleading with the media to skip the 2025 recaps. We all lived it! No need to remind us of what we had to go through. So, I’m going to focus the rest of this column on the good things that happened in 2025, most of them personal.

For me, and for many of you, sports is the perfect antidote to the depressing news of the day. The Buffalo Bills began 2025 with yet another playoff appearance. The Bills beat Denver and squeaked by Baltimore to reach the AFC Championship game. But, alas, the opponent was our post-season nemesis, the Kansas City Chiefs. Well, you know what happened…

The 2025 Bills season has been a roller coaster of emotions. As of this writing, the Bills are a respectable 11 and 5. Yet, we have no idea what kind of team we have entering week 18 and the season finale. Is it the team that came back from 21 to beat the New England Patriots a few weeks ago? Or is it the team that laid an egg against the then woeful Dolphins? The Bills will have to win on the road to get to the Super Bowl. Unlike all the other teams ahead of them in the AFC, Buffalo is playoff tested. They could make a run! But none of us would be surprised if they flamed out on Wild Card weekend.

Baseball was an important part of my life in 2025. For the first time, I joined my son and grandson at a sporting event — a Detroit Tigers baseball game on Father’s Day. It was a glorious sunny day. I just reveled sitting there with my two special guys. In the eighth inning, Grandpa took his protege to the gift shop to buy a giant foam Tiger paw and a souvenir baseball. That day was the best gift my son and grandson could have given me.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland was the Bisons parent club during the Herd’s championship run in the 1990s and 2000s. My son spent eight years living in Cleveland, enabling us to see a handful of their games. So, when Detroit and Cleveland faced off in Major League Baseball’s Wild Card round, I didn’t know which team to root for. The Tigers won the series. I was also rooting for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Bisons’ current parent. Seeing a Major League game with my son at Sahlen Field when the Blue Jays played there four years ago remains one of my best sports memories. So, I was all in for the Blue Jays, especially in that unforgettable Game Seven against the Dodgers.

I bought a new bicycle this year. It was time to replace the aging 1990 Huffy I had been riding. I ride the neighborhood streets of Snyder and North Cheektowaga. On occasion, I’ll load the bike into the back of the RAV 4 and ride on one of our local trails. Peddling along the beautiful Niagara River at Niawanda and Isle View Parks on a warm summer day never gets old. I ended 2025 biking 141 times, amassing nearly 1,500 miles. The last ride came a couple of weeks ago. It was sunny with temps in the 40s. The roads were dry, though I had to watch out for the occasional icy patch along the side of the road.

There’s no better place than summer in Buffalo. Once the temperatures hit 70, the patio furniture comes out. You’ll find me most afternoons sitting on the patio, listening to Jazz on the Bluetooth speaker and reading a book. During a summer visit, my son met up with some old friends for a picnic at the Harlem Road Community Center park. They used to play soccer together at the old Northeast YMCA 35 years ago. Now, they were playing a pickup soccer game with their kids. Talk about a special moment!

My wife and I traveled to Ann Arbor in late August for our grandson’s sixth birthday. His parents rented a bounce house. The little one was so excited, as were the 20 or so friends invited to his party. The following Monday was his first day of school. Both sets of grandparents joined Mom and Dad walking him to school. It was quite the procession! Our ten day stay in Ann Arbor culminated with Michigan’s home opener at the Big House. My son lives a mile from the stadium, so it’s a quick 15 minute walk to one of the most storied landmarks in college football. 

In October, my sister invited my wife and me for a quick stay at our favorite resort in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. I was hoping to take a bike ride along a trail that follows the Lake Erie shoreline. It was too windy and rainy, though I did take advantage of a brief dry spell for a walk. The winds off the lake were so strong my Apple Watch recorded a loudness alert! 

I turned 70 this year. I still can’t get my head around that! We have our aches and pains and health issues. But that’s expected at our age. As a friend of mine describes these years: “We’re late in the fourth quarter of life, hoping for overtime.”

So, maybe 2025 wasn’t all that bad! It is probably best to focus on our personal joys and blessings as we take down our old calendar and put up the new one for 2026. It’s hard! But we can’t let the divisiveness that is so much a part of what’s happening in our society dictate our lives. Turn off cable news. Set aside your phones for an hour or two. Just enjoy life! If you see me passing by your house on my bike, give me a wave. And as Van Miller used to proclaim, “Fasten your seatbelts!” The Bills are in the playoffs. Could this be a January and February we’ll never forget? (Note, I haven’t even mentioned the Buffalo Sabres nine game winning streak as 2025 comes to a close!)

My first job was at WMNS in Olean. Thanks to sympathetic management and colleagues, I was not assigned to a Christmas Day shift during my four years there. My colleagues who lived in Olean agreed to cover my shifts so I could travel home to West Seneca to be with my family. I’m forever grateful. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for me to be alone in my apartment away from my family on Christmas. Yet, that was the reality for many broadcasters working in radio then.

On my last Christmas in Olean, I remember buying a special gift for my family, even though I wasn’t making much money. My parents, for whatever reason, still didn’t have a color TV, even though it was 1980. So, I remedied that. I went to AM&As at the Olean Center Mall and plopped down $200 for a color TV. I loaded it into the backseat of my extremely unreliable 1973 Chevy Nova and headed to West Seneca. It was a wintry Christmas Eve as I made my way up a slippery Route 16. I made it home without incident. Needless to say, my sisters were especially thrilled with the gift!

Upon arriving at WBFO in 1981, I didn’t have to work on Christmas. I was management, I guess. Covering airshifts was left to part-timers who eagerly accepted a Christmas Day shift for the chance to be on the radio. I remember cringing in the early ‘90s as I listened to a fill-in with little to no experience botch our presentation of NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

By 1995, WBFO was starting to be a player as a news radio station in Buffalo. I no longer wanted to put our flagship program in the hands of inexperienced board operators. So, I decided to work my first Christmas. And to bring my family with me. Yes, I put Mary Lou and then nine-year-old son Anthony on the air with me during the local breaks of “Morning Edition.” Anthony even played a Christmas carol on his piano keyboard. I’m sure some listeners found it sweet. But many others likely groaned. I never did that again.

By the late ‘90s, WBFO installed its first computerized system called Audio Vault. That allowed us to automate on Christmas, which meant our holiday programming would run without a glitch. Well, that was the theory anyway. Being a computer, it would malfunction. The most likely cause was incorrect data being entered. I always kept a radio on during automated holiday shifts. Living in Snyder so close to our Allen Hall studios on UB’s South Campus, I would make the quick trip in to fix things. A few times, I ran into our program director David Benders, who heard the same glitch and rushed to the station.

In 2001, a lake effect storm dumped two feet of snow on Christmas Eve. That night as I was struggling to install one of those radios that attach to the bottom of a kitchen cupboard (I’ve never been very handy), the phone rang just before 11pm. It was NPR’s news desk. They wanted a spot about the storm. So, I typed out a 40 second script and phoned it in from my house. I’ll tell you this. It never got old saying, “For NPR News, I’m Mark Scott in Buffalo.”

On Christmas morning, I couldn’t in good conscience just let the automation run the station. There was a major storm. Our listeners needed information. So, I went in. Good thing I did. The satellite dish that brought us NPR was filled with snow. The signal began deteriorating. So, I trudged through the snow, dragging a ladder and our scraping device from Allen Hall to the satellite farm just outside Kimball Tower to remove the snow. Merry Christmas, I thought! I filed two more stories with NPR and headed home so we could attend Christmas Mass. 

We were just about to leave for my family’s Christmas celebration when NPR called again. They wanted two more stories. They agreed I’d file one then and the other when we got home from the party. The next morning, I was awakened by a ringing phone. The NPR news desk again. I pleaded that there was nothing new. Just a dusting fell on Christmas. But the editor said it’s the day after Christmas. There was little domestic news. So, I reluctantly went to my computer and wrote my sixth storm story in two days.

I was taking a few days off after Christmas, leaving the newsroom in the capable hands of my colleagues Eileen Buckley and Joyce Kryszak. The lake effect came back with a vengeance. Before it ended, some 83 inches of snow, nearly seven feet, had fallen that Christmas week. The three of us had prepared and delivered 23 spots for NPR News by New Year’s Eve. My good friend, Jim Ranney of WNED-AM, produced a three minute feature that aired on NPR’s “Weekend Edition.”

By the mid 2000s, I started going in on Christmas morning for less than an hour to record news updates and weather spots that the automation would drop in at the appropriate times. By 2009, I was able to do that from home. I was a quick learner of our new Media Touch audio system. So, even though it wasn’t in my job description, I took on the painstaking work of prepping the automation for the holidays. Still, the occasional mistake would happen. I remember furiously trying to fix things at my home computer one Christmas Eve, while family was arriving for our party.

After I retired from full-time work in 2010, I continued to prep the holiday automation until WNED acquired WBFO in early 2012. I was finally freed from being tethered to the radio and having to fix glitches. In fact, one Christmas morning a couple of years later I was listening to WBFO when there was dead air. I turned off the radio, smiled and said, “Not my problem.”

Today, only the biggest radio stations in the country are staffed on Christmas Day. NPR, of course, is fully operational. Many public stations continue to have a live host for Christmas broadcasts of “Morning Edition.” In Buffalo, I’m quite sure all the stations here are automated. But back in the day, Christmas was just another day when live talent was playing the hits off 45rpm records and delivering the latest news and information. 

To those who celebrate, Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays to everyone else. Thank you so much for reading my Substack!

Today, each year brings a new Bonnies team. I spend the first couple of games each season with my roster at hand. Who are these guys wearing the brown and white? Fortunately, the names quickly become familiar. This year’s stars are Frank Mitchell, Darryl Simmons II and Cayden Charles, among others. I’m quite sure next year’s lineup will be different. It’s the new reality. We no longer cheer for players, but the program itself. As long as we have Mark Schmidt as coach and Adrian Wojnarowski as general manager, the Bonnies will be competitive.

All that said, I can’t help but lament how the college sports landscape has changed. On the one hand, it’s about time players got reimbursed by allowing them to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). It was an abomination, especially at big athletic schools where programs and their coaches earned tens of millions of dollars, to see players toil without compensation. On the other hand, NIL fundamentally changed everything. There’s no going back!

But NIL isn’t the only problem. We saw clear evidence of that this weekend. The big college athletic directors and conference administrators who run college football can’t get it right. Creating a 12-team playoff was supposed to end the controversy of top teams being denied the chance to compete for a national championship. But in its second year, that’s just what happened. One of the teams I follow, Notre Dame, was left on the outside looking in. This is a team that lost its first two games by a mere four points against two top-ranked teams and then won ten in a row, many of the victories by huge margins. The Irish were legitimate national championship contenders!

I could spend several paragraphs talking about how the selection committee got it wrong. But casual readers of my column probably don’t care. For those who do, there are plenty of expert opinions on that. I just enjoy college football. I stayed up until after midnight Saturday watching the Big 10 and ACC championship games. I didn’t have a rooting interest in either game. It was just competitive, good football. I went to bed in a good mood only to see it all come crashing down the next afternoon with the Notre Dame snub. (Adding to my misery was the Bills falling behind in their game against the Bengals. Fortunately for my emotional health, the Bills came back to win!)

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, I couldn’t have imagined I was watching my last Notre Dame game of the season in their 70-7 drubbing of Syracuse. ND’s game against Stanford in the season finale the next weekend inexplicably started at 10:30pm. There’s no reason why that game didn’t start earlier in California, giving East Coast Irish fans a chance to watch it. I checked my phone at 1:30 in the morning. There were still eleven minutes left in the fourth quarter. It’s the freaking middle of the night, and they’re still playing football. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. But I have to believe Stanford, its conference (ACC) and ESPN were conspiring against Irish fans.

After Sunday’s snub, Notre Dame opted to bow out of a bowl game. I can’t blame them. Why reward ESPN with a huge viewership when the sports network spent the previous week making the case against the Irish as being one of the 12 playoff teams. After thoroughly enjoying last season’s playoffs when Notre Dame made it to the national championship game, I don’t think I’ll be watching as much this year. Tulane and James Madison will get blown out in the opening round. I couldn’t care less about Alabama-Oklahoma (I’m not much interested in SEC teams). Maybe I’ll watch a bit of Miami-Texas A&M. We’ll see where things stand come the New Year’s Day bowl games. Admittedly, Indiana is just a great, compelling story that’s of interest to most college football fans! Will Ohio State be able to win a second consecutive national championship?

Still, the bottomline is that the people who run college sports get poor grades for the way things are now. It’s hard to get enthusiastic as a fan when the makeup of teams changes year after year. Add to that the bonehead decisions by the people in charge who tie themselves into knots trying to justify them. But I’m a diehard sports fan! Besides the College Football Playoffs games January 1st, I’ll likely check out some other bowl games during the holiday season. One of my teams, Michigan, has a big New Year’s Eve bowl game against Texas. And, of course, I’ll be cheering on the Bills in their topsy-turvy season of highs and lows where it’s Super Bowl or bust.

Others who knew Mark better have already posted wonderful tributes. Steve Cichon’s remembrance includes audio of Mark from his time at WBEN.

http://blog.buffalostories.com/remembering-mark-leitner

In listening to these clips, I was reminded of just how vibrant Buffalo radio news was in the 1980s and ‘90s. At least a half-dozen radio stations, both commercial and public, had fully functioning newsrooms. Mark Leitner was the trusted voice at WBEN. Just listen to the 1983 aircheck of Mark anchoring the 8am newscast. He was paired with fellow broadcast legend Ed Little. Talk about a “dream team!” Morning after morning, Mark and Ed brought the latest news into our homes and cars, while Jeff Kaye provided the entertainment and music. How blessed we were!

At that time, I was the only full-time staffer in the WBFO news department. We were truly an alternative. Both WBFO and NPR had yet to reach maturity. No one paid much attention to us. So, I would tune in Mark Leitner. I don’t know how many times Mark alerted me to breaking stories during those early days of my tenure at WBFO. 

Since Mark was mostly an anchor at WBEN and confined to his studio, our paths didn’t cross until he started covering stories for WNED-AM in the mid-2000s. We’d see each other at news conferences. I quickly learned just how funny Mark Leitner was. I can be gullible at times. I fell for more than one of his “stories.” But when it was time to get serious, Mark was all business, reporting the facts in well written spots. 

When WBFO joined the WNED family in 2012, I was finally able to call Mark Leitner a colleague. Our time together was short. Mark retired to Florida less than a year later. But during that time, hearing him tag his stories “Mark Leitner, WBFO News” was very cool to hear. Mark was no longer the competition. He was part of the WBFO team! 

I don’t want to shortchange today’s broadcast professionals. There are still some good ones. Susan Rose and Tom Puckett at WBEN. Jay Moran and Michael Mroziak at WBFO. But hearing these old airchecks of Mark with so many broadcast legends has me feeling very nostalgic for the good old days. Mark Leitner was a true newsman — credible and authoritative. I was honored to know him and to work with him for a short time. My sincere condolences to his family. His memory will forever be a blessing for all of us who knew him.