WNSS
Encyclopedia
WSKO is a sports radio
station in Syracuse, New York
. Broadcasting on 1260 kHz on the AM dial, WSKO covers the Buffalo Bills
, Syracuse Crunch
AHL hockey, and recently announced that it will air the 2011 Syracuse Chiefs AAA baseball season. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
. It formally was branded as ESPN Radio
1260, but, as a part of a programming shuffle it was rebranded as The Score 1260 WSKO on Feb 24th at 3PM. On March 5, 2010, WSKO changed network affiliation to Sporting News Radio.
affiliate. Among its 1950s-era staffers was character actor and Golden Globe nominee Aldo Ray
, who worked there in 1956 during an extended break in his film career; a publicity photo of him taken at the station surivives and is reproduced on a station tribute website. During the station's heyday in the late 1950s and 1960s, personalities who would later achieve success in major markets including Bud Ballou
, Peter C. Cavanaugh, Bob Shannon
and Joey Reynolds
were among the notable disc jockey
s that worked at WNDR.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the station struggled. It adopted the WNSS callsign in 1996, after dropping a country music
format in favor of all-news under the branding of "W-News". After a brief and ill-fated 2000 change to an all-comedy radio
format, the station finally settled on a mostly straight satellite feed from the ESPN Radio
network, including ESPN's MLB and NBA broadcasts. The station during most of this period was the flagship station of the Syracuse Orange along with sister station WAQX, until WTKW
acquired the rights in 2007.
Effective March 2010, ESPN Radio was dropped from WNSS (being moved to WTLA
/WSGO
); Imus in the Morning
became WNSS's new morning show, migrating from WHEN. WNSS also rebranded as "The Score 1260", switched its network affiliation to Sporting News Radio, and increased its emphasis on local sports. The station also changed its call letters to WSKO (previously heard on a radio station in Providence, Rhode Island
) to reflect this.
WSKO currently carries three local weekday programs, On the Block with Brent Axe, 2-6pm. The program was originally heard on WHEN until early 2009. Axe's program was unaffected by the station's March 2010 programming changes, with the exception of an expansion by one hour. Bud and the Manchild, another former WHEN program, hosted by Bud Poliquin and Jim Lerch, joined WSKO in May 2010, weekdays 10am-12noon. Danny Parkins was added for the 12noon-2pm weekday shift on June 1, 2010.
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
station in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. Broadcasting on 1260 kHz on the AM dial, WSKO covers the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Syracuse Crunch
Syracuse Crunch
The Syracuse Crunch are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Syracuse, New York, at the War Memorial at Oncenter...
AHL hockey, and recently announced that it will air the 2011 Syracuse Chiefs AAA baseball season. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
. It formally was branded as ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
1260, but, as a part of a programming shuffle it was rebranded as The Score 1260 WSKO on Feb 24th at 3PM. On March 5, 2010, WSKO changed network affiliation to Sporting News Radio.
History
WSKO signed on in 1946 as WNDR. It was the most popular Top 40-format station in the area during the 1960s. The studio and 5000-watt transmitter were located on Andrews Road in DeWitt, a Syracuse suburb. During the 1950s, the station began its run as a popular music station after beginning as a Mutual Broadcasting SystemMutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
affiliate. Among its 1950s-era staffers was character actor and Golden Globe nominee Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray was an American actor.-Life and career:Ray was born in Pen Argyl, PA, to an Italian family of five brothers and one sister. His brother Mario lettered in football at USC in the years 1952-54...
, who worked there in 1956 during an extended break in his film career; a publicity photo of him taken at the station surivives and is reproduced on a station tribute website. During the station's heyday in the late 1950s and 1960s, personalities who would later achieve success in major markets including Bud Ballou
Bud Ballou
Bud Ballou was an American disc jockey and radio personality active for fifteen years on several commercial radio stations during the 1960s and 1970s....
, Peter C. Cavanaugh, Bob Shannon
Bob Shannon (WCBS-FM)
Don Bombard , more widely known under the air name Bob Shannon, is an American radio disc jockey best known for his work on WCBS-FM in New York City...
and Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds is the pseudonym of Joey Pinto, host of the U.S. radio program The Joey Reynolds Show via the WOR Radio Network. Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV- in Buffalo at WGR TV 2...
were among the notable disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s that worked at WNDR.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format in favor of all-news under the branding of "W-News". After a brief and ill-fated 2000 change to an all-comedy radio
Radio comedy
Radio comedy, or comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve sitcom elements, sketches and various types of comedy found on other media. It may also include more surreal or fantastic elements, as these can be conveyed on a small budget with just a few sound effects or some...
format, the station finally settled on a mostly straight satellite feed from the ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
network, including ESPN's MLB and NBA broadcasts. The station during most of this period was the flagship station of the Syracuse Orange along with sister station WAQX, until WTKW
WTKW
WTKW, "TK99," is a Classic rock radio station in Syracuse, New York. The station broadcasts to the Syracuse, New York and the Utica-Rome area markets on a frequency of 99.5 FM....
acquired the rights in 2007.
Effective March 2010, ESPN Radio was dropped from WNSS (being moved to WTLA
WTLA
-External links:...
/WSGO
WSGO
WSGO is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Oswego, New York, USA, the station serves the Syracuse area. The station is currently owned by Galaxy Communications and features programing from ESPN Radio....
); Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
became WNSS's new morning show, migrating from WHEN. WNSS also rebranded as "The Score 1260", switched its network affiliation to Sporting News Radio, and increased its emphasis on local sports. The station also changed its call letters to WSKO (previously heard on a radio station in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
) to reflect this.
WSKO currently carries three local weekday programs, On the Block with Brent Axe, 2-6pm. The program was originally heard on WHEN until early 2009. Axe's program was unaffected by the station's March 2010 programming changes, with the exception of an expansion by one hour. Bud and the Manchild, another former WHEN program, hosted by Bud Poliquin and Jim Lerch, joined WSKO in May 2010, weekdays 10am-12noon. Danny Parkins was added for the 12noon-2pm weekday shift on June 1, 2010.
External links
- http://radiotimeline.com/am1260wndr.htm AM 1260 WNDR Syracuse Radio Timeline Page
- http://www.petercavanaugh.com/Page/bio.html Peter Cavanaugh WNDR disc jockey
- http://tiffent.com/wendi/60sRadio/WNDR-List-1966-06-03a.jpg WNDR playlist, 1966
