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| Just unearthed! Recordings of entire days of WBEN Radio... Unheard since the days they were broadcast over 35 years ago! Names like Clint Buehlman, Van Miller and the NBA Buffalo Braves! Read on! By Steve Cichon Posted: February, 2008 |
So where did these tapes come from? In 1995, Lin Television performed a massive cleanout of the 2077 Elmwood Avenue building they had just purchased as a part of their buying WIVB-TV.  Among the "treasures" I found dumpster diving, was a box of Reel-to-Rel tapes that appeared to be WBEN Radio Logger tapes from the early 70s. Many of the reels were blank... But even those with the audio intact were nearly useless... The tapes were recorded at 15/32 IPS. That is very slow, and at the time the tapes were rescued, the only way to hear the tapes properly involved about 4 hours of work for an hour of final product. For 13 years, I've been trying to figure out how to play these tapes back... And now... thanks to a new reel deck.. and some new digital audio editing programs, viola!
The audio quality is not the best... Its warbly sometimes... And it jumps quite a bit... And These logger tapes were in the Engineering Shop because there were problems with the recording.... But what is really amazing. Imagine your grandparents listening to WBEN all day... That's what you get here. Things were slow to change at WBEN. Clint Buehlman's Show in 1973 was not really all that different from the show in 1953. Van Miller is in great voice and cadence calling Buffalo Braves basketball. As far as I know, these are the only complete recordings of Braves basketball in tact. Below, you'll find exactly what and who is on these tapes... and some brief cuts from each. |
| Clint Buehlman One of the most often asked questions to this website is, "What was the name of Clint Buehlman's theme song?" The answer is, there were dozens of light airy instrumentals that were used to open each hour of the Buehlman show, after newsman Jack Ogilvie introduced Your AM-MC after each newscast. Listen below for several such opens, along with other snippets from the Buehly. | |
| Click on links to hear Audio clips. Clint Buehlman Opens his Show 6:15am, December 28, 1973. Jack Ogilvie intro. Clint Buehlman opens hour 2 December 28, 1973. Jack Ogilvie intro. Clint does the weather, Loblaws commercial, Jack Ogilvie news for Chevrolet. December 28, 1973. Clint Buehlman Opens hour 3, December 28, 1973. Jack Ogilvie intro. Clint Buehlman Show, Gene Kelly Traffic. February 2, 1973. Buehly segement, says jis show doesn't live and die by the Record Charts. March 15, 1973. Clint Buehlman scats along as he introduces Kleinhans as sponsor, then Jack Ogilvie. March 15, 1973. Clint for Big E, March 15, 1973.
|  Newsman Jack Ogilvie (right) and AM-MC Clint Buehlman spent mornings together for over a quarter of a century starting in 1951 and ending in 1977. |
| If you can identify any of the Clint Buehlman opening songs, please drop me an e-mail! | |
Buffalo Braves Basketball Another of those popular questions is Do you have any Braves Games? Apparently, the answer has been yes for quite a long time... only they've been stuck on tapes I couldn't plaY. But now, I have at least three Braves games in their entirety. As Van Miller's one time producer in both radio and TV, I can tell you I don't know that he ever sounded better than behind the mic Courtside at the Aud during Braves games, as shown to the left with Dr Jack Ramsey, standing. Some game highlights follow here... Further down the page listen for Stan Barron's unofficial "post-post game show." | ||
 Click above for larger Braves 72-73 Roster and team Pics. |  Van Miller interviews Fred Hilton and Randy Smith in the WBEN studios circa 1972. |  Click above for larger Braves WBEN-TV WBEN Radio Ad. |
| Braves vs Lakers December 19, 1973 Kareem Abdul Jabbar visits Memorial Auditorium | Braves vs Bucks February 2, 1973 Wilt Chamberlain visits Memorial Auditorium | Braves vs Hawks January, 26 1973 Pete Maravich visits Memorial Auditorium |
| Click on links to hear Audio clips. Van Miller with the Starting Lineups and tip Braves/Lakers 1st Quarter Action from The Aud
| Click on links to hear Audio clips. Stan Barron intros Van and Pregame Show 1st Quarter Action Braves and Bucks
| Coming Soon
|
 Scroll Down for more Braves Action Below. | ||
Clint Buehlman Opens his Show 6:15am, December 28, 1973. Jack Ogilvie intro. Same as above.
Clint Buehlman opens hour 2 December 28, 1973. Jack Ogilvie intro. Same as Above.
Clint does the weather, Loblaws commercial, Jack Ogilvie news for Chevrolet. December 28, 1973. Same as above.
Morning Sports Jack Ogilvie intros Stan Barron, who talks about the "newest Sabre" Jerry Korab. Ralph Hubbell reads Jack Stevens Buick spot.
Clint Buehlman Opens hour 3, December 28, 1973. Jack Ogilvie intro. Same as Above.
Dick Rifenburg in for Ken on the the Ken Phillips Show, Jack Ogilvie news.
Stephen Rowan, Channel 4 news anchor with recorded report on Jack Ogilvie's newscast. March 15, 1973.
Buehly segement, says his show doesn't live and die by the Record Charts. March 15, 1973. Same as Above.
Clint Buehlman scats along as he introduces Kleinhans as sponsor, then Jack Ogilvie. March 15, 1973. Same as Above.
Clint for Big E, March 15, 1973. Same as above.
Ken Phillips on the Ken Phillips Show.
Lou Douglas, WBEN Radio news.
Ken Phillips gives way to Bill Masters, then Lou Douglas news.
Bill Masters Seneca Mall Commercial and more...
Lou Douglas news, then more of the Bill Masters Show.
Great Cross Talk between Stan Barron and Bill Masters, then Lou and the news.
Stan Barron sports and music... and Riverside Mens Shop spot.
Stan reads VD PSA (!?!), then the NBA, NHL, and WHA scores....
Ward Fenton in for John Luther on the All Night Show, January 15, 1973.
WBEN-FM Sign-on December 13, 1973. National Anthem, Ed Tucholka voice over. Beginning of Farm Report simulcast.
Some Highlights from WBEN Friday December 28, 1973
Click on links to hear Audio clips.
AL FOX opens The Farm Report, complete with the barn door opening, and animals "waking up"... Also, Fran Lucca at the news desk. The Quality of the tape dropped off here...
WBEN's Al Fox interviews a cow.
Dick Rifenburg (l) and Clint Buehlman (r) receive an Award for Ski Coverage.
Jack Ogilvie
Ken Phillips
Lou Douglas
Dick Rifenburg
Ward Fenton
Lou Douglas in Studio A
Mr. Warmth, Bill Masters (left).
Stan Barron showing some kids around the studio.
Some Highlights from WBEN March 15, 1973
Click on links to hear Audio clips.
John Luther, with the John Luther All Night Program on Radio 9-3-0... Al Fox, with reports from several local markets, and a live commercial for Village Tire. 24 hours on one 7 inch reel...
Some Highlights from WBEN 1973
Stuff from Other Dates
Click on links to hear Audio clips.
Virgil Booth in for Jack Ogilvie at the news desk, as simulcast on WBEN-FM December 13, 1973.
Virgil Booth on the Channel 4 set.
Marty Gleason at the Editors Desk.
Ed Tucholka at the WBEN-FM automation center.
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