WDCZ
| File:Am 970 npr.png | |
| Broadcast area | Western New York |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 970 kHz Simulcast on 94.5 HD2 |
| Branding | WNED-AM 970 News |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public/News |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Western New York Public Broadcasting Association |
| History | |
First air date | October 14, 1924 |
Former call signs | WEBR-AM (1924-1993) |
Call sign meaning | same as WNED-TV |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
| Links | |
| Website | http://www.wned.org |
WNED is an American radio station broadcasting in Buffalo, New York at a frequency of 970 kHz. It offers a news and information format.
WNED is one of two National Public Radio affiliates in Buffalo. The other is WBFO, formerly operated by the University of Buffalo. WBFO was purchased by Western New York Public Broadcasting, the parent organization of AM 970, WNED-TV and Classical 94.5 in July 2011. Since March 2, 2012, WBFO and WNED have been simulcasting the same programming.[1]
History
WNED was launched on October 14, 1924 as WEBR, making it the second-longest running radio station in Buffalo behind WGR. In 1975, the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association bought WEBR and WREZ-FM, adopting an (almost) all-news format a year later (although an evening and overnight jazz program, Jazz In The Nighttime with Al Wallack, remained on the air). In 1993 the station was renamed WNED and all non-news programming was dropped. [2]
Unlike its counterpart WBFO, which until its 2012 cessation of operations still had music programming overnights and weekends, WNED focused entirely on news and talk programming. Several of the programs on WNED and WBFO overlaped, with different production teams (for instance, Morning Edition airs on both WNED and WBFO, each with its own host for local inserts). With WNED's takeover of WBFO, the duplication of programming was originally expected to end.[3] However, instead, on March 2, 2012, WBFO and WNED began completely simulcasting a combined programming stream, with neither station having any unique programming of its own. This led to the much of the news and information programming that had aired on the weekend being replaced by NPR entertainment programs, such as Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and Car Talk. Additionally, WNED-AM, which had not aired music since 1993, now airs Blues programming with WBFO on Saturday and Sunday evenings.[4]
WNED, with the weaker broadcast signal and smaller listenership, lost more of its programs in the merger than WBFO did, with sixteen programs no longer aired in the Buffalo radio market. Its former page at wned.org now links to wbfo.org.[5] Furthermore, there has been speculation that AM 970 will be sold as part of the merger despite strong support in the local market for differentiated Jazz, Blues, and NPR News and Talk programming.[6]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/article743568.ece
- ^ Buffalo Broadcasters website History of WEBR/WNED
- ^ http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/article674904.ece
- ^ http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/guide.guidemain?action=viewGuide
- ^ http://www.wned.org/AM/default.asp
- ^ http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/2011/10/05/wbfo-wned-get-earful-from-public/
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID WNED ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Official site
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42°44′41″N 78°53′13″W / 42.74472°N 78.88694°W
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