WBFO

WBFO (88.7 FM) is the NPR member station for Buffalo, New York, carrying an almost entirely public news/talk format. It broadcasts from studios in the Lower Terrace section of downtown Buffalo which it shares with WNED-TV and WNED-FM.[1] Previously, it broadcast from the South campus (a.k.a. Main Street Campus) of the University at Buffalo. It currently leases an as-yet unutilized satellite studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2] WBFO runs two permanent satellite stations: WUBJ (88.1 FM) in Jamestown, New York, and WOLN (91.3 FM) in Olean, New York.

WBFO
CityBuffalo, New York
Broadcast areaBuffalo, New York
BrandingWBFO
Slogan"Your NPR Station"
Frequency88.7 MHz (HD Radio)
Repeater(s)88.1 WUBJ (Jamestown)
91.3 WOLN (Olean)
94.5 WNED-FM HD2 (Buffalo)
First air dateJanuary 6, 1959 (1959-01-06)
FormatPublic radio
ERP50,000 watts
HAAT117 meters (384 ft)
ClassB
Transmitter coordinates
Call sign meaningWBFO: BuFfalO
WOLN: OLeaN
WUBJ: University at Buffalo (Jamestown or Jazz)
AffiliationsNPR
OwnerWestern New York Public Broadcasting Association
Sister stationsWNED-TV, WNED-FM
WebcastWBFO-FM
PLS
M3U
WebsiteWBFO.org

History
First WBFO logo under WNYPBA ownership, used from 2012 to February 3, 2020

Western New York Public Broadcasting Association, which at the time owned an AM station which had the call letters WNED and had been carrying some of the same programming as WBFO, purchased WBFO in July 2011, and incorporated some of the channel's news features and staff into a combined lineup on March 1, 2012, through November 30, 2012 (when the sale of WNED to Crawford Broadcasting was finalized and the call letters changed to WDCZ) which it broadcast on both stations. Most of the programming lost in the merger formerly aired on WNED (although much of that was restored after Talk of the Nation, previously a WBFO exclusive, ended its run, and additional slots were opened when Car Talk was dropped in 2017[3]). Among the programs eliminated from the old WBFO were the last jazz programs originating from a Buffalo area radio station at that time;[4][5] in June 2013, Niagara Falls station WJJL began carrying a weekly jazz program, "Off We Go", hosted local trumpeter Lew Custode, returning a jazz programming to the market.

WBFO, along with WNED-FM-TV, began collectively referring to themselves as "Buffalo Toronto Public Media" on February 4, 2020.[6][7] The rebranding was in part to better identify WBFO and the WNED stations as part of a single organization; it also reflects WNED-TV's significant Canadian viewership and financial support, though WNED officials told The Buffalo News that the organization's radio stations have minimal listenership in Canada.[6]

Programming
The WNED and WBFO building

Prior to March 2012, WBFO presented a full-service mix of news and music programming that incorporated blues and jazz. WBFO's local news department had been highly recognized by the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association. WBFO was all-news during the day and featured jazz overnight. On weekends there had been a mix of syndicated talk programs (such as Car Talk, Only a Game and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!) mornings, and music programs (The Thistle & Shamrock, Bebop and Beyond, and Piano Jazz) in the evenings. Locally originated blues programming was broadcast on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

A four-hour block of jazz programming during the midday shift was eliminated in 2010, with Fresh Air moving to an earlier time slot and additional talk programming (all network or syndicated) added. The program changes also eliminated an additional two hours of jazz and local music in the evening time slot, pushing the start of jazz programming from 8 p.m. back to 10 p.m., being replaced by replays of programming that had already aired on WBFO earlier in the day.

All remaining local and syndicated music programming on WBFO, with the exception of the weekend afternoon blues blocks which were moved to evenings were eliminated on March 1, 2012, after WNED took over WBFO's operations; the only music programming on either WNED or WBFO were the blues blocks and A Prairie Home Companion, which had previously aired on WNED. (The latter show ended in 2016 with Garrison Keillor's retirement; neither WBFO nor WNED carries the successor program Live from Here.)

HD programming

A musical satellite feed called Exponential which had been carried on the HD2 channel was replaced by a satellite jazz feed called JazzWorks. A third channel, HD3, consisting of NPR news and information which allowed the listening of programs at times they were not on the main channel was eliminated.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Contact WBFO". Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  2. "Gusto- Ultimate guide to everything Buffalo". Buffalonews.com. 2015-11-03. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  3. "Connection helped Filipowski land job at Channel 4". 2017-08-23.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-03-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "WNED-AM sale to Crawford Broadcasting finalized - Life & Arts". The Buffalo News. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  6. Pergament, Alan (February 4, 2020). "A brand change for Buffalo's public broadcasting stations embraces Canada". The Buffalo News. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  7. "What is Buffalo Toronto Public Media?". WBFO. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  8. "Find Stations". HD Radio. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
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