The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » WECK Buffalo Owner Buddy Shula Acquires WHLD Niagara Falls, N.Y.

RadioActive · May 9, 2025 3:16 pm

He turned a one-lung AM station at 1230 AM into a successful oldies outlet in the market. What are his plans now that he has his hands on AM 1270, currently a conservative talk format? So far, this Buddy isn't sparing a dime about what he'll do with his newest acquisition, which is easier to get in the GTA than WECK or any of its FM rebroadcasters.

But not always by much.

"WHLD uses a five-tower array for 5kw during daylight hours and 1kw at night, using a directional two-pattern signal. This puts a signal over Niagara Falls and Buffalo in addition to St. Catharines, Ont., and much of the Greater Toronto Area."

Shula has turned dross into gold before. It will be fun to see what he does with HLD. By the way, the price of buying a station ain't what it used to be. Shula's cost for 1270? Just $150,000.

Buddy Shula Gets A Second AM In Buffalo

67GreenRambler · May 9, 2025 3:23 pm

$150K usd. A steal.

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/300222/station-sales-week-of-5-9-cumulus-sells-buffalo-am/

Skywave · May 9, 2025 4:53 pm

It will be interesting to see if he flips formats or not. WHLD's site is southwest of Buffalo, so the coverage to the east, including downtown Buffalo, is quite constrained because of the protection to WHTK 1280 Rochester. WECK, despite its 1 kw power, is non-directional and is actually a lot stronger in the core of Buffalo. WHLD is aimed boresight at Niagara Falls, so a lot stronger there.
The construction permit for 5 kW day, 143 watts night dates back to 1999. They got a subsequent increase to 1 kW night.

RadioAaron · May 9, 2025 4:58 pm

Skywave wrote:
It will be interesting to see if he flips formats or not. WHLD's site is southwest of Buffalo, so the coverage to the east, including downtown Buffalo, is quite constrained because of the protection to WHTK 1280 Rochester. WECK, despite its 1 kw power, is non-directional and is actually a lot stronger in the core of Buffalo. WHLD is aimed boresight at Niagara Falls, so a lot stronger there.
The construction permit for 5 kW day, 143 watts night dates back to 1999. They got a subsequent increase to 1 kW night.

Given all that, he’s probably just going to simulcast WECK on it.

Regardless, it definitely will be flipped from syndicated conservative talk.

RadioActive · May 9, 2025 7:51 pm

I'm not sure exactly what the rules are on this, but doesn't WHLD also have to be careful not to interfere with CJTM, the Metropolitan Toronto University (i.e. the former-Ryerson) radio station at 1280 AM? It's all of 99 watts, so you can barely get it out of the downtown core, but I suppose another stronger signal on 1270, even if it's a weak one from a distance might possibly be a problem.

Skywave · May 9, 2025 8:07 pm

The last station in accepts interference from pre-existing stations. CJTM at 99 watts is below the 100 watt minimum for AM protected status in any event.

67GreenRambler · May 9, 2025 9:14 pm

I unfortunately picked up MET Radio one afternoon a few months back here in Burlington. None other than Desmond Cole elucidating his deep thoughts on Jewish people.

DOPEfm · May 10, 2025 5:41 pm

67GreenRambler wrote:
I unfortunately picked up MET Radio one afternoon a few months back here in Burlington. None other than Desmond Cole elucidating his deep thoughts on Jewish people.

I regularly get CJTM here in central Hamilton on the mountain. Considering its 99 watt signal, it does beam well across the lake. The signal is only ok stationary.

To speak of it, I also receive CHRY (Vibe105) in my area also. They transmit from York University at 158 watts.

I program from CFMU at 166 watts (of boomin' hip-hop power, at least for my own show...) and can very barely receive us there.

To stay on topic, getting WHLD 1270 is another barely DX'd signal for me.

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 · May 10, 2025 6:46 pm

Maybe buddy's going to bring back the old swing 1270 or put classic country on that friquency.

Radiowiz · May 11, 2025 1:27 am

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:
Maybe buddy's going to bring back the old swing 1270 or put classic country on that friquency.

Swing 1270 is doable, but the audience for it is slowly passing away.
For Classic Country, there's already https://wxrl.com/index.html

RadioActive · May 11, 2025 4:12 pm

Well here's an embarrassing screw-up by Barrett Media, which reports on radio news. WHLD has been taken over by Buddy Shula, whose company is called "Radio One Buffalo."

But Barrett Media's artwork for the article on the takeover shows the WHLD logo - and the famous red CBC circles. It would appear they've mistaken (or A.I. did) CBC Radio One for the somewhat similarly named Shula company in Buffalo.

But it's fun to speculate. What WOULD the CBC do with WHLD?

67GreenRambler · May 11, 2025 5:39 pm

Oh that's funny. I listen to former CNN Pentagon/Military reporter Chris Plante on 1270. He is relentless against everything Democrat and wouldn't last 1 minute on CBC Radio or any Canadian radio station for that matter. A wonderful counteract to John Moore.

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 · May 11, 2025 11:15 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:
Maybe buddy's going to bring back the old swing 1270 or put classic country on that friquency.
Swing 1270 is doable, but the audience for it is slowly passing away.
For Classic Country, there's already https://wxrl.com/index.html

Well then, maybe a 24/7 polka music station or he should make it an all localy oriented talk radio station.
It would be silly to simalcast WECK on 1270, how many transmiters and rebroadcasters does it have in the same city?

Radiowiz · May 12, 2025 1:10 am

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:
Radiowiz wrote:
Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:
Maybe buddy's going to bring back the old swing 1270 or put classic country on that friquency.
Swing 1270 is doable, but the audience for it is slowly passing away.
For Classic Country, there's already https://wxrl.com/index.html
Well then, maybe a 24/7 polka music station or he should make it an all localy oriented talk radio station.
It would be silly to simalcast WECK on 1270, how many transmiters and rebroadcasters does it have in the same city?

Yacht rock format is more likely than polka.

Evuguy · May 12, 2025 7:39 pm

"But it's fun to speculate. What WOULD the CBC do with WHLD?"

Actually, 1270 AM could be useful as a fill-in transmitter for R1, now that Buffalo has a first adhacent station operating on 98.9 FM. As long as the AM station is owned by an American, it's a possibility. But rest assured, with the Mother Corp., it won't happen.

ckg927 · May 12, 2025 8:54 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
Skywave wrote:
It will be interesting to see if he flips formats or not. WHLD's site is southwest of Buffalo, so the coverage to the east, including downtown Buffalo, is quite constrained because of the protection to WHTK 1280 Rochester. WECK, despite its 1 kw power, is non-directional and is actually a lot stronger in the core of Buffalo. WHLD is aimed boresight at Niagara Falls, so a lot stronger there.
The construction permit for 5 kW day, 143 watts night dates back to 1999. They got a subsequent increase to 1 kW night.
Given all that, he’s probably just going to simulcast WECK on it.

Regardless, it definitely will be flipped from syndicated conservative talk.

Or WILL it? Over on the Buffalo/NF/Rochester board, Bill Yuhnke(who owns WEBR-AM and WLVL-AM)said that Premiere called to tell him that they're exercising their 90 day right to cancel all of the conservative talk shows airing on WLVL, adding that they've got a new station in the market lined up.

mace · May 12, 2025 10:15 pm

DOPEfm wrote:
67GreenRambler wrote:
I unfortunately picked up MET Radio one afternoon a few months back here in Burlington. None other than Desmond Cole elucidating his deep thoughts on Jewish people.
I regularly get CJTM here in central Hamilton on the mountain. Considering its 99 watt signal, it does beam well across the lake. The signal is only ok stationary.

To speak of it, I also receive CHRY (Vibe105) in my area also. They transmit from York University at 158 watts.

I program from CFMU at 166 watts (of boomin' hip-hop power, at least for my own show...) and can very barely receive us there.

To stay on topic, getting WHLD 1270 is another barely DX'd signal for me.

CFMU reaches West Oakville.

67GreenRambler · May 12, 2025 10:37 pm

Reception was excellent today. No fade QEW eastbound at Third Line south in Oakville.

RadioActive · May 13, 2025 5:51 pm

Shula won't tell the Buffalo News his plans for WHLD, but he does say he's seriously thinking of adding an FM component. Not sure what frequency might be open down there, but it obviously would not be a very strong signal.

WHLD radio changes hands

WHLD used to have an FM outlet, as the radio listings from 1958 below shows. (There's a typo on the page that calls it "MHLD-FM," but I guess if you turn that "M" over, you get the "W." It's now WKSE-FM aka Kiss 98.5 and is owned by Audacy.)

RadioAaron · June 1, 2025 5:07 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
Skywave wrote:
It will be interesting to see if he flips formats or not. WHLD's site is southwest of Buffalo, so the coverage to the east, including downtown Buffalo, is quite constrained because of the protection to WHTK 1280 Rochester. WECK, despite its 1 kw power, is non-directional and is actually a lot stronger in the core of Buffalo. WHLD is aimed boresight at Niagara Falls, so a lot stronger there.
The construction permit for 5 kW day, 143 watts night dates back to 1999. They got a subsequent increase to 1 kW night.
Given all that, he’s probably just going to simulcast WECK on it.

He put WECK on it.

(So far)

ckg927 · June 1, 2025 8:06 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:
Skywave wrote:
It will be interesting to see if he flips formats or not. WHLD's site is southwest of Buffalo, so the coverage to the east, including downtown Buffalo, is quite constrained because of the protection to WHTK 1280 Rochester. WECK, despite its 1 kw power, is non-directional and is actually a lot stronger in the core of Buffalo. WHLD is aimed boresight at Niagara Falls, so a lot stronger there.
The construction permit for 5 kW day, 143 watts night dates back to 1999. They got a subsequent increase to 1 kW night.
Given all that, he’s probably just going to simulcast WECK on it.
He put WECK on it.

(So far)

Penny to a pound we get the REAL new format(or tweaked)come Monday morning. It makes no sense to debut it on a Sunday.

RadioActive · June 1, 2025 8:26 pm

Just to stir the pot, here's a post Buddy Shula put up on the Buffalo-Niagara-Rochester section of Radio Discussions. It does not make things a lot clearer.

"So far, nobody on here has predicted what the format will change to June 1 12:01 on WUSW

Think about it. What geographic coverage am I missing now?

You are thinking way too much into this.

There is already a news/talk, there is already a country."

RadioAaron · June 1, 2025 8:34 pm

He already has 3 (!) FM repeaters to cover weak spots, why not another AM to cover north to Niagara falls?

Last edited by RadioAaron (June 1, 2025 8:54 pm)

67GreenRambler · June 2, 2025 5:39 pm

As most here correctly noted, the change is more Big Weck. Improvements to sound and transmission are clearly apparent. Reception is excellent in Burlington. Perhaps Shula is seeking the former CKOC listener from around these parts.

RadioActive · June 5, 2025 10:52 am

67GreenRambler wrote:
As most here correctly noted, the change is more Big Weck. Improvements to sound and transmission are clearly apparent. Reception is excellent in Burlington. Perhaps Shula is seeking the former CKOC listener from around these parts.

Tuned in the former WHLD for the first time in ages here in Northern North York. Coming in fairly well, although it suffers from the usual problems you'd expect from a distant and weaker AM signal. Still, nice to be able to hear it over an actual radio in these parts. It's going on a preset!

Radiowiz · June 5, 2025 4:40 pm

So what actually happened as a result of all this? Did 1230 move to 1270, with something new on 1230?

RadioAaron · June 5, 2025 5:51 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
So what actually happened as a result of all this? Did 1230 move to 1270, with something new on 1230?

Nothing has changed.

Evuguy · June 5, 2025 7:22 pm

Yep. Just checked and 1230 and 1270 have the same content.

RadioAaron · June 5, 2025 7:32 pm

1230 and 1270 are complimentary signals

Jody Thornton · June 5, 2025 7:36 pm

I listened to 1270 just for a few minutes.tonight outside the Burlington Food Basics while my lady friend was inside. WECK sounds pretty good over the 1270 frequency. It just sounds well rounded like CHYM used to on AM, or how CHAM sounded in 1989. Nice, full and reasonably loud.