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Buffalo, New York has had a lot of amazing radio and television stars share our local airwaves since the early 1920’s when radio began here. Certainly people like Buffalo Bob Smith, Foster Brooks and Tim Russert are among some of the many notables.

Like in all television markets, there were also many notable local celebrities in Buffalo whose fame never progressed to a national level but who were immediately recognizable to a regional television audience.

If you lived in Buffalo during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s – there were 3 main TV stations but for news most everybody watched only one, Channel 7. WKBW-TV, then and now an ABC affiliate, was the leader without question at that time (times have changed). They were led by a weekday anchor team that stayed together 25+ years. I knew the anchor team a little bit but I didn’t work with them; there was somebody else I got to work with at Channel 7 when I was briefly there.

In the summer of 1983, after my freshman year of college at the University of Dayton, I returned to Buffalo to begin a weekend internship at WKBW with the station’s weekend sports anchor and utility player – Clip Smith, the Clipper.

My mom got me the internship.

See, that spring my Mom and Dad were in Buffalo at a charity dinner and somehow my Mom sat next to Clip Smith. She naturally told Clip the TV guy about her son (me) studying broadcasting at the University of Dayton while he worked in radio there. And Clip immediately offered a chance at an internship at Circle 7 (named thusly because of their famous logo). So all summer long I recorded and watched games (remember the USFL…unfortunately I do), went out on news stories and watched newscasts and actually live broadcasts get put together in a way I never could have otherwise.

It was a tremendous experience, working with a variety of people but none better than Clip. Aside from the overwhelming feeling of trying to stay out of the way and not do the wrong thing, the thing I remember most about Clip (besides his humor – some of which included the corniest jokes in the world that he’d share on air) was his ability to improvise a sportscast. He would write and intro sentence and and outro sentence to help the director cue tapes and packages but all the rest was improvised. And it sounded smooth as silk.

His voice was amazing. I remember years before college hearing a voice (I didn’t know it was Clip) doing the top of the hour ID at Channel 7 and he sounded powerful yet friendly — it was amazing and I can STILL hear it in my head “You’re watching Channel 7, WKBW-TV…Buffalo”. Simple. Deep. Perfect.

You can hear Clip’s great announcing voice here in this recorded station sign off of WKBW-TV from 1981

After I left Channel 7 and went back to WVUD I lost touch with Clip. I caught up with him one time at someplace I can’t now remember just to reintroduce myself, say hi and say thank you. He said he remembered me. Later still, we worked together on Buffalo Blizzard Soccer broadcasts when I was the Assistant General Manager there.

He died tragically in 2004, I was sad to learn. In 2006, Clip was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame and I attended the ceremony. Afterwards, I made a point to speak with his wife who, understandably, was very emotional. But I wanted her to know how much her husband’s kindness impacted my life and what a good guy he really was.

She knew. We all did.

Tags: ABC Television Network, commentary, tv, university of dayton, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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When I left the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio in April, 1986 with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio and Television, I was just about as clueless as I am now. The only difference being that now I realize how much I don’t know.

Back then, like almost everybody else who graduates at any time in history, you just don’t know. All I knew was that I wanted to make a career for myself in radio. That was not what life had in store for me. So much for plans.

I hadn’t been back to Dayton and UD specifically in at least 20 years, so when I had the opportunity to go back this fall on business, I of course took a few minutes to go back to U.D. Rather than talk about all the amazing things I saw, I will say only this: the school would never accept me as a student today. No way.

Of course, my professional broadcasting career started at the University of Dayton – it’s where I first got a paycheck for talking into a microphone. I started at a little carrier-current radio station (technically it was one step above tying two strings together with tin cans at either end) called WDCR.

It was, as the above picture might indicate, a roomy closet of a radio station but for me it was home. And I thought I was in hog heaven. I was working with people like Tracy Hurd, Scott Rolle, Jim Secunde, Dan Suffoletto, Joe Lombardi, Ginny Judge, Lisa Curie, Liz Benz and Mark Kraus (as well as others I am ignorantly and regretfully omitting). I was extremely fortunate to have joined on with that station when I did…wonderful people.

But then in late fall of ’82, I got called up to “the big show”. WVUD-FM Kettering/Dayton was a 50,000 watt hot AC formatted radio station covering 3 states and they needed an afternoon news announcer. With my extensive news background (uh, none) I was brought on to bring the days news to the Miami Valley. To say I sucked at it was an understatement but I was happy —at least when I forgot to be scared to death about the fraud I was committing daily (pretending to know what I was doing on-air).

Sometime after that I was given a regular disc jockey shift (weeknights from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.), then moved into the production manager job (after something blew-up in the production department while I was away on vacation). My passion for voice-over kicked around this time too. Then I was made host of the all-request oldies show on Saturday nights (which was the #1 show in the market and the only decent ratings the station got – just the facts, folks). So by the time I left in ’86, I’d had quite a run. I knew I was happy doing all that but I didn’t realize just how happy….like probably one of the best times of my entire life happy, looking back.

Not too long after I graduated, the University decided to get out of the broadcasting business and sold WVUD to Clear Channel. The station was an AC leader in the market for a lot of years as WLQT (Lite 99.9). But evidently fortunes changed and it switched to country this summer (and a new frequency) as B-94.5 (with one of the crappiest logos in all of radio and that’s saying something).

So going back to U.D. on this trip, I knew I was not going to find a radio station there (the WVUD calls are now owned by the University of Delaware). But I did find the echos of a special time for those of us who worked there. It’s both cool and sad to see it now.

For example, when WVUD left, the school crafted a bigger, better school station named WUDR that they took to the off campus housing area known as “The Ghetto”. U.D. has tried to rename it as something like “The Village” but it’s still The Ghetto – only with nicer houses. I’ll talk about WUDR in a moment.

So for folks who worked at WVUD, these next photos will bring back some memories….

This, for example, is where WDCR once stood (as well as an ATM). But not any more. And just to the left of this is a Kinkos kind of copy store, right in the union.

This will be a familiar sight for many…this is the window in Kennedy Union that looked into the on-air studio. I remember taking a tour as a high school student and looking through this window and thinking “OK, I think I need to go to school here.” I believe my tour guide was Libbi Richmond (now Keating).

The interesting thing about this area (and maybe logically so) is that it’s all about TV production with the old radio production classroom next to the TV studio…

(this room) the only audio thing left in the area.

So now back to WVUD-FM and the studio entrance or more accurately, TV Production storage area #1 which looks like this…

In this area, the some of the transmitter equipment, processors and satellite receivers and recorders were located…along with the last of its kind teletype from either UPI or AP….I can’t remember. The engineer’s office was out there, the guys who kept us on the air like Bob White. From here it was on to the studio….

What is now home to more storage (including a large purple exercise ball…as TV people – unlike radio people – evidently like to stay in shape) used to be what you saw as you came into the main air studio. That window you see in the back corner is the same one featured in that black and white picture above of me on the air at WVUD. I don’t recall that white post being in the studio but to the right of it would have been the main announcer console and to the left of it was the news announcing locations (with two mics, for that brief time WVUD had Rod Sommer doing morning news and John Condit doing morning sports with Mike McMurray as the morning host).

And when you were sitting at the main announcer console, this was the view you had looking out into the entry way. It was at this console where talented on-air people worked including John Luttrell (who I know gave me my first shift at WDCR and who I think helped get me my job at WVUD), Sandy Huff, Ron Alexander, Jeff Wagner, Clare Bracken, Luanne Seethaler, Pat Haverland, Mary Haines, Gordon Smith, Troy Christopher and many others (who I am irresponsibly forgetting) broadcast the sounds of FM-100, Hitradio 100, Today’s Music 99.9 FM and probably a few other monikers I am forgetting.

We can’t go back in time and we shouldn’t but for a little while on this trip, I did anyway.

Would that I had the opportunity, I would tell my 1982-self to just focus on everything that I was experiencing and enjoy it a little more, listen a little more because it certainly was a gift, getting to learn from all those people. As a recipient, I was not nearly humble enough.

But the story doesn’t end here. Remember I mentioned the University does have a radio station, WUDR.

The studio is off campus in a cool area called Artstreet, right in the middle of the UD Ghetto. Compared to WDCR’s studio, their studios are like penthouse suites! The general manager of the station is a student named Carson Smith, a very nice guy who had the misfortune to be in the station when I dropped by asking all kinds of questions. He was very patient. I kept saying weird stuff like “you have no idea how nice the station’s equipment is!” And, “you have computers here?!” It was very nice in there, considering what student radio used to be like at UD. Oy!

Like I said, he was very patient, having no idea who I was and whether or not he should call campus security (he didn’t cause he couldn’t find his cell phone).

It was nice to see that, in spite of its challenges, there are still people at UD who care about radio, even though students today don’t know very much at all about the University’s impressive radio history (and that’s the Communication Department’s fault – whom I’m guessing really don’t care if said blame lands at their feet).

One final note though, in spite of appearances, money is extremely tight for WUDR and they could use all the financial support they can get. There are alot of places at UD asking for money BUT, if you could funnel your regular UD donations directly to WUDR, a little would go a LONG way for them. And this is me making the ask on their behalf, I was not put up to this by Carson or anyone at UD.

Anyway, that was my trip to Dayton and down memory lane. Sometimes you’ve got to remember where you’ve been to know where you still want to go…even at this age! 🙂

Tags: commentary, radio, university of dayton, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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If you look waaaay in the dark background you may be able to see some famous radio people who work in Dayton, Ohio…I myself couldn’t tell you if they were there or not because I couldn’t see them from where I was sitting.

In the foreground are two people who used to work in radio in Dayton but they really aren’t terribly famous. The station was WVUD-FM (it’s no longer there but we’re still around). That’s Sandy White on the left (she was Sandy Huff on the air) and me.

It was great tonight to have dinner with Sandy, her husband Bob, her daughter Rosanna and her grandson Owen. Wonderful family and wonderful friends.

Tags: commentary, university of dayton, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I got a note from my Alma Mater (aka the college that likes my meager donations just not my alumni chapter ideas) saying they have a new February fundraising campaign called “I *heart* UD”.

If you have some spare change, throw it their way in support of this worthwhile capital campaign idea.

The University of Dayton at one time owned the station where I began my radio career, WVUD-FM (a 50,000 watt adult contemporary station covering three states). They have long since sold the station (now WLQT where I don’t think they could have put LESS thought into their crap-tastic logo) and have a small student run station called WUDR Flyer Radio 99.5/98.1 FM (who with their creative and sharply designed logo put the big boys to shame). The students can still get their radio on there…in studios much nicer than we ever enjoyed in the early 80’s.

My fondest memories are of the Marianists at the school, a wonderful group of Brothers who really added a special dimension to UD. They were good, kind and devoted people – terrific role models who I can only hope will maintain a vital presence at the school. Without them, the University of Dayton would just be any other college.

#ILOVEUD

Tags: commentary, radio, university of dayton, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I had not spoken to Jack Rang since I graduated from the University of Dayton in 1986 and possibly before that. So when I read today in the school’s quarterly magazine that Jack had died on February 7th at the age of 87, I felt a bit idiotic.

My world was all about radio when I was at UD, specifically WVUD. I got on the air there in my freshman year with a regular, professional weekday gig at this FM station serving three states and I never looked back. I didn’t know how professional voice over would take over my radio passion at the time, although the seeds of joyous commercial production were being sewn then.

While I was at school, Jack Rang, who at one time was the GM at WVUD, was one of my broadcast teachers. He was a nice man and a wonderful voice talent. Jack had a rich, low voice that spoke of another era in broadcasting (maybe a better one). He taught a broadcast performance class to communication majors that in most instances had to be (for Jack) like listening to nails on a chalk board every school day.

Thinking back though, it wasn’t just about broadcast performance, it was about script interpretation, proper breathing, acting,  all the things I do today and speak with my fellow voice over talents about when they sign up for my Voice Over Workshop.

Thus Jack was really my first voice over teacher. And I never kept in touch. I didn’t reach out to him, say hi, ask how things were going, etc. I didn’t so much as reflect or give a moment’s thought to him and how he impacted my career.

Until I read his obituary.

True, I doubt he gave me a second thought among the thousands of people he taught, which is fine. But the shame is on me for not once in those 25+ years offering even a voice mail or an email with a quick thank you. It was the least I could have done and I didn’t do it.

My point here today is not merely to let you enjoy my self-flaggration and internal conflict. I hope it will more importantly give you pause in your day to consider a few of those folks to whom you owe a long delayed thank you. And then just do it.

Hi Jack,

You may be busy at the moment but along with this public apology I would like to offer my sincere thanks for your efforts as my teacher. You made a positive difference in my career. Thank you.

Best always,
– Peter

Tags: commentary, requiescat in pace, university of dayton, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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To be fair, it was my airshift DECADES ago and the call letters were WVUD-FM then, now they are WLQT, but still!

All Access announced that Kent and his Saturday night “The Ultimate Party” will replace “Saturday Night Solid Gold” —which really hasn’t been on the air in decades on WVUD ‘er WLQT and certainly hasn’t been worth listening to since Peter K. O’Connell hosted it all those years ago.

Just sayin’…. 😉

Just kiddin’….:)

Tags: commentary, radio, silliness, university of dayton, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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