Buffalo’s WGR 550 turned 100 on May 22nd of this year. Throughout this occasion, the station has been marking the time with flashbacks and vignettes to commemorate such tremendous longevity.
Friday, Howard and Jeremy welcomed on a voice that echoed amongst that station’s corridors nearly four decades ago: Pete Weber. A brief refresher, Weber is currently the play-by-play voice of the Nashville Predators and has been since their opening season in 1998.
However, Weber’s history features stints as the voice of the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bisons (baseball), University of Buffalo and color commentator for the Buffalo Bills. He was also the former sports director at WGR.
Host Howard Simon asked Weber about what he remembered most when reflecting on his time with WGR. Instantly, Weber recalled a very memorable personality.
“Well, the dominant personality when I joined the station was a guy named Shane, Brother Shane (Gibson). And we can never forget him. He was something very, very special.”
Weber also remembered being a part of the station when the city’s major sports franchises were all coming to WGR at the same time.
“It was an exciting time in that it was bringing all the sports properties to 550 on the dial. It was presentations to bring the Bills over. That happened beginning with the 1990 season and we know what happened that season and the next three. To get the Sabres over after having started their National Hockey League lives on GR 55 and then coming over in 1990. It was a very, very exciting time.”
A trip down memory lane for Weber was filled with some of Buffalo’s most noteworthy radio names. “It was an exciting time. Had the chance to work with George Hamberger in the morning, had an awful lot of fun with him. And then when you think about the Jeff Morisons, the Barry Beutels, Greg Brown, I’m still in contact with all of them. That was a tremendous team.”
Howard brought up Artie Baby Boo-Boo (Art Wander) and Chuck “The Coach” Dickerson.
“Very interesting personalities indeed,” quipped Weber.
“And I challenge anybody to be able to play the piano as well as Art Wander could play the piano. You sit down in the hotel lobby and there is a grand piano. Who goes over there but Art Wander and starts to, you know, tickle the keys and all of a sudden producing some very nice music.”
Weber had one more former WGR force he wanted to acknowledge before hanging up.
“I guess there was no greater curiosity as a personality than John Otto. That’s why a couple of my dearest memories are of John joining me in the Bison broadcast booth. And when I listened back to those recordings, I still convulse with laughter. He he was just amazing. He would come on the air, he goes, ‘oh, my, my, yes. Oh, they put the names up on the scoreboard. Our dear sports director had not impressed me with that beforehand.’
