 | |
| Broadcast area | Western New York |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 97 Rock |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Affiliations | United Stations Radio Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WBBF,WEDG,WHTT-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | September 14, 1959; 66 years ago (1959-09-14) (as WGR-FM) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "WGR-FM" |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 56102 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 24,000watts |
| HAAT | 217 meters (712 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°57′14″N78°52′34″W / 42.954°N 78.876°W /42.954; -78.876 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 97rock.com |
WGRF (96.9FM) is acommercialradio station inBuffalo, New York, branded as "97 Rock". The station is owned byCumulus Media and broadcasts aclassic rockradio format, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. WGRF competes for classic rock listeners with cross-border rival 91.7CIXL-FM. Thestudios are on Buffalo'sEast Side.
WGRF has aneffective radiated power of 24,000watts. Thetransmitter is off Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.[3] It uses adirectional antenna to protectCHYM-FM inKitchener, Ontario, which is on 96.7 MHz.
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WGRF started as the FMsister station toWGR550 AM. On September 14, 1959; 66 years ago (1959-09-14), itsigned on the air as WGR-FM. At first, WGR-AM-FM mostlysimulcast afull service,middle of the road (MOR) format of popular adult music, talk and news. By the late 1960s, WGR-FM switched tobeautiful music, playing quarter hour sweeps of soft, instrumentalcover versions of popular songs.
Over the years, WGRF was owned by theTaft Television and Radio Company,Rich Communications, Mercury Radio Communications andCitadel Broadcasting, a forerunner to current owner Cumulus Media. Mercury Radio separated WGRF from WGR AM in 1995 when it bought WGRF from Rich Communications, which in turn retained WGR until selling it toMercury Communications two years later.[4]
In 1973, the station became WGRQ with aTop 40 format known as "Super Q". Its main competition was legendary Top 40 powerhouseWKBW1520 AM. Not all radios at the time had FM reception, but WGRQ offered the hits inFM stereo. Led by Program Director JJ Jordan, Station Manager William Austin, and a 24-hour live staff, the station shot to the top 4 in the crowded Buffalo market for about two years.
In 1975, flipped toalbum rock, rebranding as "Q-FM 97", and then as "97 Rock WGRQ-FM". The original "97 Rock" era featured Program Director and DJ John McGhan. By the early 1980s, the station had largely entrenched itself into a styling and format that came to be associated with the nascentclassic rock format.
On January 4, 1985, at 10 a.m., WGRQ dumped its rock format and shifted to anadult contemporary (AC) format as WRLT, firing all but two of the WGRQ airstaff.[5][6][7] With the other rock station in Buffalo,103.3 WPHD and its simulcast partner on1400, maintaining a more modern focus (as it still does), adomino effect soon followed to fill the void for classic rock.WHTT flipped to a "classic hits" format, and rimshot signal107.7 began playing classic rock as WBYR.
On September 20, 1988, WRLT changed itscall sign back to WGR-FM, switched to classic rock and rehired most of its formerDJs under the legendary "97 Rock" name.[8][9] By the end of the year, WHTT and AM 1400 both changed tooldies, while WBYR flipped tobeautiful music. Three years later, WGR-FM changed its call letters to the current WGRF. The station format has largely been unchanged ever since, with most of the staff remaining onboard for the next 27 years.
From 1999 to 2013, WGRF was theflagship station of theBuffalo Bills Radio Network. Every game day, WGRF devoted hours to airing the game as well as pre-game and post-game shows.
WGRF streamed its programming on the Internet until 2002, when it became economically unfeasible for some stations to continue their streams given changes in licensing and royalty agreements. In March 2006, Citadel launched an initiative that provided for the streaming of many of Citadel's stations. WGRF was among the first commercial stations in Buffalo to resume streaming after the earlier changes.
In December 2015, morning host Larry Norton retired from broadcasting. He decided to devote his time to charity and ministry.[10]
In April 2021, WGRF fired the station's program director and the entire morning show, after co-host Rob Lederman had made off-color remarks on the show a month prior.[11] Owner Cumulus Media then brought over longtimeWEDG morning showShredd and Ragan in August 2021 to host WGRF's morningdrive time slot.[12]
Midday jock John Piccillo left WGRF in 2023 after 28 years with the station, stating that after three years of hosting his show from home, Cumulus was revoking his permission to do so; he subsequently joinedWECK.[13]
Evening jock "Slick Tom" Tiberi, a member of the WGRF airstaff since 1982, was fired from the station in July 2024, after a Facebook post that Tiberi, who is outspoken about his left-wing political views, posted featuring former PresidentDonald Trump in a coffin garnered renewed attention following theassassination attempt on Trump that month. Tiberi attributed his firing to a combination of avast right-wing conspiracy and corporate belt-tightening at Cumulus, noting that evening jocks like him were increasingly becoming obsolete and that the controversy, especially following Lederman's, provided a convenient pretext to cut his position in favor of automation or syndicated content.[14][15]
Carl Russo, the station's afternoon jock and the last remaining weekday jock from before 2015, announced his resignation effective April 25, 2025. At the time of his retirement Russo's show was being syndicated nationwide through Westwood One'sClassic Rock network.[16]
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