‘Tom Donahue’ McCray will retire from mornings on Friday, September 29 on Radio One Buffalo Oldies “Big WECK” 1230 WECK Cheektowaga/Buffalo NY and translators 100.1 W261EB Lancaster, 100.5 W263DC Tonawanda, and 102.9 W275BB Cheektowaga.
Donahue has been a staple in Buffalo radio since 1972 with stints at 550 WGR, 1520 WKBW, 98.5 WKSE, 104.1 WHTT, and 107.7 WNUC and WLKK along with WECK. He also spent 35 years as an Associate Professor in the Communication Department at Buffalo State University.
WECK has not yet announced how it will replace Donahue in mornings.
After 55 years in Buffalo radio, Tom Donahue will deliver his last morning show this Friday September 29th on the BIG WECK.
Prior to WECK, Buffalo’s Oldies Station, Tom’s radio career includes a stop in Utica, but most of his broadcast career has been in Buffalo, NY with stints at KB Radio 1520, WGR 550, WYSL 1400, WKSE 98.5, WNUC 107.7, WHTT 104.1 and WLKK 107.7. Tom has been hosting the morning show at BIG WECK 1230am /102.9fm /100.1fm /100.5 fm for the past 15 years.
Tom’s roles have varied from an on-air personality to news anchor, program director and production director. Tom was also the sole host of the rating giant “Original Saturday Night All-Request Oldies Show “on WKBW radio from 1981-1986. While Tom as at WGR on August 16th, 1977, he received a call from Memphis DJ George Klein and one of Elvis’ best friends discussing the passing of Elvis Presley who had died hours earlier. The phone was then passed to Elvis’ father Vernon for a few brief comments. Recalling that day, Tom says” Everyone was in shock, the King had passed.”
In addition to his broadcast roles, Tom served as an Associate Professor in the Communication Department at Buffalo State University for over 35 years, where he propelled many of his students in creating their own broadcast careers. Pros like Tom Calderone, Dave McKinley, Claudine Ewing, Dan Rinelli, Susan Rose, Chris “Bulldog” Parker, Howard Simon along with many others.
Big WECK owner Buddy Shula says “Tom is a throwback to when broadcasters would do anything and everything just to be in the business of broadcasting. That is not a learned skill. It’s in your DNA. Either you have it, or you don’t. Tom always has. He is a statesman for the radio industry, hard-working, professional, and always a gentleman.” Shula continued.
WECK Program Director John “JP” Piccillo mentions “Tom is one of the Buffalo legends I listened to in my teenage years. Fifty years later, it’s a privilege to call him a colleague and a friend. He will always be a member of our BIG WECK family. Friday morning will be very bittersweet at WECK”
“The one thing I stressed as a professor in all my years of teaching is “passion”. It is a business that will “eat you alive” if you do not possess that trait” says Donahue. “Students always appreciated that I was practicing what I was preaching. I was always in the industry while I was a communications professor, and my students could sense that you must love what you do.”
“Program Director Jeff Kaye hired me at WKBW in 1972 and Jeff had always said “you have to respect the business of radio, because as a radio personality, you affect more people in one show than most people do in a lifetime” Donahue concluded.
Tom looks forward to not having to wake up at 3am, which will give him more time to sleep in, and spend more time with his wife of 48 years Barbara, his two kids Kimberly and Robbie and his six grandchildren.
A replacement for Tom Donahue’s morning show at Big WECK has not yet been announced.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com