Buffalo Bills Radio Network
The Buffalo Bills Radio Network is a broadcast radio network based in Buffalo, New York. Its primary programming is broadcasts of Buffalo Bills home and away games to a network of 23 stations in upstate New York, northwestern Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.
Previously, the broadcasts originated from WBEN through much of the team's history except for a period from 1971 to 1977 when WKBW was team flagship. WGR briefly carried games in the early 1990s. From 1998 through 2011, the Bills were flagshipped at WGRF, as well as other stations owned by Citadel Broadcasting. When Cumulus Media purchased Citadel in late 2011, it dropped Bills games from all of its stations at the end of the season. Cumulus never fully paid off the money Citadel owed for Bills games, instead eventually seeking to nullify the debt in January 2018 when the company went into bankruptcy. Entercom Communications and Galaxy Communications picked up the rights, restoring broadcasts to WGR for the 2012 season.
John Murphy, formerly a sports anchor at WKBW-TV and WIVB-TV in Buffalo, is the current play-by-play announcer, with former Bills offensive lineman Eric Wood as color commentator and WGR employee Sal Capaccio as sideline reporter.
The network is an autonomous organization from the team, and is unique in that it, and not the team itself, was the main sponsor of the Bills' cheerleaders, the Buffalo Jills, until that squad was disbanded due to legal disputes.
Van Miller was the voice of the Buffalo Bills from the team's inception until 2003, with the exception of 1972 to 1978, when WKBW controlled radio rights and Miller's TV employer, WBEN-TV, would not permit him to appear on WKBW broadcasts. Miller was succeeded by Murphy, his longtime color commentator, when he retired from the booth after the 2003 season.
Stations
City | Call sign | Frequency |
Buffalo, New York | WGR | 550 AM |
Buffalo, New York | WWKB | 1520 AM |
Rochester, New York | WCMF-FM | 96.5 FM |
Rochester, New York | WROC | 950 AM |
Ithaca, New York | WYXL | 98.7 FM |
Alfred/Hornell/Wellsville, New York | WZKZ | 101.9 FM |
Amsterdam, New York | WKAJ | 1120 AM |
Bath, New York | WABH | 1380 AM |
Glens Falls, New York | WMML | 1230 AM & 97.9 FM |
Bradford, Pennsylvania | WBRR | 100.1 FM |
Dunkirk, New York | WDOE | 1410 AM |
Elmira, New York | WELM | 1410 AM |
Jamestown, New York | WWSE | 93.3 FM |
Jamestown, New York | WJTN | 1240 AM |
Newark, New York | WACK | 1420 AM |
Olean, New York | WPIG | 95.7 FM |
Syracuse, New York | WKRL | 100.9 FM/106.5 FM |
Utica-Rome, New York | WKLL | 94.9 FM |
Dansville, Livingston County, New York | WDNY-FM | 93.9 FM |
Corry, Pennsylvania | WWCB | 1370 AM |
Ogdensburg, New York | WQTK | 92.7 FM |
Watertown, New York | WOTT | 94.1 FM |
Toronto, Ontario | CJCL | 590 AM |
Hamilton, Ontario | CHML | 900 AM |
The WGR and network broadcast incorporates a broadcast delay; the WWKB broadcast is live, and is intended for listeners inside New Era Field. If the Bills ever reach the Super Bowl, the Bills' home-team broadcast would air on WWKB. Since WWKB is a clear channel signal, it would allow the Bills' broadcast to be heard across the East Coast.
Announcers
Play-by-play
- Van Miller
- Al Meltzer and Rick Azar
- John Murphy
Color analysts
- Ralph Hubbell and Dick Rifenburg
- Ed Rutkowski
- Don Gilbert
- Stan Barron and Jefferson Kaye
- John Murphy
- Greg Brown
- Alex Van Pelt
- Mark Kelso
- Eric Wood
Sideline reporters
- Jeff Burris
- Paul Peck
- Rich Gaenzler
- Joe Buscaglia
- Sal Capaccio
Studio hosts
- Rich Gaenzler
- Brent Axe
- Howard Simon
- Sal Capaccio