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He's been in the biz around 60 years and doing his talk show at WBEN-AM for 23 of them. But soon Sandy Beach (still my all time favourite phony radio name) will be heading into retirement. He started in Buffalo at WKBW back in 1968. (Although I have to wonder if he'll ever turn up at WECK or WEBR...)
Sandy Beach to retire from WBEN at the end of July
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I recall that there was a bingo caller on CNN with a doozy of a fake name - 'Willow Bay'. Sounded like a retirement villa or a timeshare scam.
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In college radio, I'm ashamed to admit that I once went by the moniker "Skip Stone."
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RadioActive wrote:
In college radio, I'm ashamed to admit that I once went by the moniker "Skip Stone."
That name "rocks"
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I worked with the late Bob Humenuik (Chet Martin) at CHAM - he used to use Justin Case when he did weekend replacement shifts. One of the funniest guys I worked with.
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In 2018, when Beach celebrated his 50th year on Buffalo radio, he made this confession to WKBW-TV.
"He did consider being a CPA instead of a radio broadcaster. "Because I love numbers" he says. What helped him decide his career path was he says he wanted to entertain people and didn't want to wear a tie."
The mind reels at the idea of Beach as an accountant.
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Sandy Beach is the name of a community on the north side of Grand Island. Not sure if he got the name from there or even if it existed when he came up.
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Goodnight Lunenburg, Mass., wherever you are...
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Good! He can get picked up by WJ..er WEBR!!
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For those who like long goodbyes, Sandy Beach's final show after half a century in radio, is on WBEN-AM as I type this on Thursday - until noon. Unfortunately, the online stream is geoblocked, so if you don't have a VPN and want to hear it, you can try getting it off air at 930AM or wait for the podcast. (If they'll let you download it in Canada.)
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I have an Express VPN. WBEN comes in fine.
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Mine is NordVPN. Works good, too.
I was stunned to hear Beach say he's not only retiring after 60 years in radio, but that he's also getting married soon. The man is around 80 years old! Incredible to think he's found love and is embarking on that kind of adventure at that age. A remarkable man and a great radio voice.
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WKBW-TV did a story on Beach's final day. Sad to see him sitting in a walker.
Local radio legend Sandy Beach retires after a career spanning sixty years
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RadioActive wrote:
WKBW-TV did a story on Beach's final day. Sad to see him sitting in a walker.
Local radio legend Sandy Beach retires after a career spanning sixty years
Gawd! Both Mike Randall and Keith Radford look like they're next. lol
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One last story on this, as the Buffalo News reviewed the final WBEN show.
"Beach reminisced with some old radio stories. He seemed to be most proud of his days as a disc jockey at the former powerhouse WKBW radio, suggesting he would have been happy being there until he was 100 before cracking a joke about his age now. He is believed to be 80."
Sandy Beach's 60-year radio run ends with sweet, nostalgic show
The entire three hours is up on the WBEN podcast page. And despite the fact the station is geoblocked for those without a VPN, if you hit the "download" arrow, you can hear the entire thing.
Sandy Beach's Final 3 Hours
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WGRZ talks to Medal of Honor winner David Bellavia, as he prepares to take over for Sandy Beach.
It turns out Bellavia has quite a backstory, joining the military after a home invasion that left him feeling powerless to defend his family. And as for how he got into radio, well, that's another amazing and very unlikely tale that involves Watergate co-conspirator G. Gordon Liddy..
Medal of Honor winner David Bellavia prepares to take the air in Buffalo
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Radiowiz wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
WKBW-TV did a story on Beach's final day. Sad to see him sitting in a walker.
Local radio legend Sandy Beach retires after a career spanning sixty yearsGawd! Both Mike Randall and Keith Radford look like they're next. lol
If memory serves, Radford is set to retire at the end of the year.