 | |
| Broadcast area | Western New York |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | "Power 93.7 WBLK" |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban contemporary |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBUF,WTSS,WYRK | |
| History | |
First air date | December 10, 1964; 60 years ago (1964-12-10) |
Call sign meaning | WBenjaminL.Kulick (early financial backer) We'reBLacK (alternate meaning) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 71215 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 47,000watts |
| HAAT | 154 meters (505 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wblk.com |
WBLK (93.7FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toDepew that servesWestern New York, theBuffalo metropolitan area and theNiagara Region ofOntario. WBLK is owned byTownsquare Media and has anurban contemporaryradio format, featuringhip hop,R&B andsoul. The station carries thesyndicatedSteve Harvey Morning Show.
WBLK can be classified as a "heritage" station, holding the same format and call letters since its debut. It is the oldest urban FM radio station in the U.S. The station also regularly ranks in the top 5 radio stations in Buffalo'sNielsen ratings. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 47,000watts. Thetransmitter is atop theRand Building in Downtown Buffalo and thestudios are on a lower floor of the building.[1]
The stationsigned on the air on December 10, 1964; 60 years ago (1964-12-10). It has always been primarily aimed at Western New York'sAfrican American population. WBLK was founded by legendary Buffalodisc jockey George "Hound Dog" Lorenz, who had earlier championedRhythm and Blues music on local AM stations. Lorenz's voice was heard on WBLK from its inception until his death in 1972. Some on air personalities include Ernie "Mr. Blues" Jones, Roosevelt Tucker, Bradley J. Cool, Chuckie T., James Burns, Mansfield Manns, Jerry Young, Gary Lanier, Ron Baskin, Don Allen Sr. and his son Don Allen Jr., David Stafford, Lee Pettigrew, Don Robinson, Freddie Patrick, Rodney "Rockin" Lee, with Doug Blakely, Jason Denis, and Debbie Sims.
WBLK went from a mono signal toFM stereo in 1974. With aplaylist called the "Funky Forty", at 3 p.m. on a July Monday, DJ Don Robinson flipped the switch and the stereo light flickered on. The first song heard in stereo was "Let's Get It On" byMarvin Gaye. WBLK went through several rebrandings over the years, includingRockin' BLK,FM Stereo 94,Soul Brother Radio,Soul Sister Radio,Soul Brother And Sister Radio,Rockin' Soul BLK,Rockin' Soul 'N' Stereo,Soul 'N' Stereo,Rockin' Soul 94 FM,WBLK Rockin' Soul,K94 FM,The BLK Style,Power 94, and simply93.7 WBLK. In July 2017, it incorporated its digital dial position, calling itselfPower 93.7 WBLK.
Contrary to popular belief, WBLK'scall sign was not chosen to represent the wordsWe'reBLacK. It is a tribute toBenjaminL.Kulick, who was a major financial backer of the station when it first went on the air.[2]
In August 1995, D&R Radio, WBLK's original owners and founders, sold the station to Boston-basedAmerican Radio Systems.[3] In September 1997, Infinity Broadcasting purchased WBLK and all of ARS' stations for $2.6 billion.[4] Infinity was merged intoCBS Radio in December 2005. WBLK began streaming its programming on theInternet on November 13, 2006, and was sold by CBS Radio to Regent Communications (nowTownsquare Media) in December 2006.[5][6]
For all of its existence, WBLK's playlist has been very diverse, as the station follows a full-service musical approach and incorporates many genres of urban music. This was partially due to the lack of direct competitors in the market. In 2017, long-timedaytime-only stationWUFO (1080 AM) launched a 24-hourFM translator, tweaked its format toUrban AC/classic hip hop, and rebranded as "Power 96.5". This gave WBLK an FM competitor for the first time. Another station appealing to a similar audience isWWWS (1400 AM), which airs anUrban Oldies format and added an FM translator as well (the station is now branded as "Classic R&B 1400 & 107.3”). Since the early 2000s, WBLK has "day-parted" its playlist. As of 2021, currentUrban AC content can be heard from 2 a.m. (including theSteve Harvey Morning Show) through late afternoon. Current hip hop programming is heard in the late afternoon and evening hours, followed by "TheQuiet Storm" (Monday-Thursdays) with a softer urban playlist after 11 p.m..
From its founding until the early 2000s, WBLK had a significant listenership among fans of urban music inToronto, which did not have an urban-formatted radio station. Some commercials heard on WBLK during this time were geared towards listeners inSouthern Ontario. The Southern Ontario audience's reliance on an American station with noCanadian content requirements significantly impacted the commercial development ofCanadian hip hop and R&B.
In 1997, the station even began broadcastinglive remote Fridays from the Industry nightclub in Toronto. Promoted as 'Wreckshop Radio', the club night featuringR&B andhip-hop was heard on WBLK for several years.[7]
With the February 2001 launch of Toronto-basedrhythmic contemporary stationCFXJ-FM on the adjacent 93.5 MHz frequency, WBLK became a bit harder to find on some radio receivers with weaker tuners, and thus lost much of its prominence in the Toronto market.
A clip of WBLK's "Quiet Storm" block was highlighted in the song "After Dark" onDrake's albumScorpion, released in 2018.[8] Drake was born and grew up in Toronto and was likely a WBLK listener in his early years.
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42°53′10″N78°52′23″W / 42.886°N 78.873°W /42.886; -78.873
