There was no way of knowing that a random November day in 2004 would signify the start of one of the best radio duos in Buffalo history. And to be fair, who could have possibly seen that a young 25-year-old kid and a 42-year-old man would mesh so well and stay together on the air for almost two decades? I mean, the two had obvious differences, but they also didn’t really even know each other before they were paired up. That’s one of the many reasons why the story of Jeremy White and Howard Simon is such a success story.
Not only is it as iconic as it gets for Buffalo sports radio, but the age gap between the two was embraced, rather than fought. Simon even recently said the two are like a married couple. They developed a chemistry that was unmatched on the air at WGR 550.
Earlier this month, Simon stepped away from sports radio after 30-plus years in the business. He did it on his own terms, which made his longtime partner smile.
“It was a great run,” said White. “I kind of grew up with him. One of the full circle things is we kind of just passed the ages, when I started I was 25 and he was 42. Right now I’m 43. It’s odd to think that I’m now the same age he was when we started together. That’s a circle of life kind of thing. I grew up on the air in Buffalo and with him around. It was an absolutely great partnership, of course. Happy for him. When someone walks away because they’re ready, you’re happy for them.”
The Howard and Jeremy Show is no more in Buffalo. Instead, The Jeremy White Show is what the locals listen to on their morning commute. That means a bit of a change for White and his daily routine, but still enough of the same things, such as sitting in the same chair he’s been in for close to two decades.
There’s certainly changes for White, but it’s not like Simon randomly decided to retire out of nowhere. It’s probably fair to say White saw it coming, seeing as Simon cut back on his daily workload toward the tail end of his career.
“Howard was only working three days a week,” said White. “The last year was a pretty good dry run. I get a lot of questions on how different it is, it’s definitely different. You work with someone everyday for 18, 19 years, you have routines and everything is a lot easier. But other than that, I still sit in the same chair.”
White may be in the same chair, but show prep is a bit different for him now. That’s arguably the biggest change of all, seeing as an 18-year plus run creates a certain flow and structure that two hosts adapt to. It’s been different but what’s been the biggest change with show prep and structure?
“It’s been a little bit different, yeah,” said White. “Howard used to handle a lot of the guests and I would handle a lot of the content. Our program director often referred to me as the shooting guard. Like, Howard would dish it out to me and I’d have things to shoot in from the corner. Sometimes he would run a guest and I’d be waiting that whole segment to look for a really good tease for the next segment. Now I have to do those things ahead of time. I might schedule a tease the night before, as opposed to in the moment.”
White is a very accomplished broadcaster in his own right and has grown from a 25-year-old kid spouting off opinions on the air, to someone Buffalo sports fans trust to deliver the content they crave each morning. But with change can come growth, no matter how long you’re in the business.
Now that Simon has retired, all of his duties mostly fall on White. Has that made him a better broadcaster? White can see how it has.
“It probably has,”White said. “I’m the guy that started young and lobbed opinions out there whenever I could. Anybody over the course of time learns, you gotta read liners, pump a contest, hit this and that, those important things that sell things.”
As far as what the future holds for the show, White can’t say exactly what it is because he’s not entirely sure. For now, mornings on WGR 550 will feature both he and Joe DiBiase, who produces the show and has been on the station for a couple of years.
There was no way of knowing what was to come when the mics turned on at WGR 550 back on the November morning of 2004. Maybe the same thing will happen again for White, but with a different face sitting next to him.
Regardless, you can bet his old pal Simon will be listening on a regular basis. If the day comes when the Bills finally break through and win a Super Bowl, Simon will be like every other fan listening the next Monday morning.
“I think he’d be thrilled with it,” said White. “He even kind of said, he’s now able to be fully a fan. He was the guy that used to sit in his basement by himself watching games and take copious notes.Now, he won’t do that. He’ll experience it in a more organic way. It’s probab;y a better scenario if they win it without him on the air.”
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
