New programming is coming to WBFO 88.7 FM, the University at Buffalo’s National Public Radio member station, starting February 1st.
Morning jazz is moving to a 10PM slot on weeknights and midnight on weekends, while additional daily NPR news and public affairs shows* will air weekdays from 10AM to 2PM, and 8PM to 10PM. There will also be an additional hour of NPR entertainment programming on Saturdays and Sundays, with blues playing from noon to 5PM. (See full schedule on WBFO’s newly revamped website.)
In talks for years, these changes, that mirror national NPR programming were put in place by new WBFO Interim General Manager Mark Vogelzang, former president of Vermont Public Radio and a longtime member of the NPR board of directors.
“This is a response to listeners’ requests that WBFO broadcast the programming they’re passionate about, which is the best of NPR news, public affairs, analysis and entertainment,” Vogelzang explains. “We want to concentrate our efforts on what we do best, which is news journalism and public affairs programming, in order to make this excellent station an even stronger asset for the Western New York community.”
Vogelzang said WBFO will look for future opportunities to develop new locally produced news and public affairs programming. He noted that during WBFO’s proud 50-year history, the station was home to well-known public radio alumni like Gross, Ira Flatow and Bill Siemering, each of whom developed some of NPR’s most popular shows.
WBFO 88.7 FM is a major public service of the University at Buffalo and is Western New York’s most listened to NPR station, reaching a weekly audience of more than 100,000 people through its main signal in Buffalo, and through repeater stations WUBJ 88.1 FM in Jamestown, and WOLN 91.3 FM in Olean, with additional online audiences at WBFO.org.
*The new weekday schedule features “On Point,” at 10 AM, a live news-analysis program hosted by award-winning journalist Tom Ashbrook; “Tell Me More,” at 11AM, a news-talk show addressing a wide range of multicultural issues and hosted by former ABC “Nightline” correspondent Michel Martin; “Fresh Air,” at noon and repeated at 7PM, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues hosted by Terry Gross; and “Capitol Pressroom,” at 1PM, a one-hour news magazine hosted by award-winning broadcast journalist Susan Arbetter and produced from the State Capitol’s Legislative Correspondents Association Pressroom in Albany.