WELCOME TO FORGOTTEN BUFFALO

"This is Ron Hunter. Here's what's happening..."

Blow-dried hair, baby blues, solid chin and the look – earnest, serious, quizzical. A Chicago magazine labeled him a pompadoured pomposity, and a Time magazine story about anchorman likened him to sitcoms vain Ted Baxter. He handed out business cards that read: Ron Hunter, Anchorman.”

From 1972 to 1974, blue-collar, working class Buffalo became a stepping-stone for the would-be matinee idol.  During his stop in Buffalo, Hunter lifted Ch. 2’s audience ratings to the highest levels in the station’s history, promoted sports anchor Mike Nolan, earmarked Stewart Dan as the weatherman and hired Susan King. His Ron Hunter Reports still evoke reactions from Western New York’s although his stop in Buffalo was a brief chapter in a story worthy of a TV movie.
 

The legend began in Bogalusa, Louisiana where Hunter’s first jobs were at his family’s newspaper and radio station. It was during his radio days that he changed his name from William Siegelin to a wholesome, all-American name, Hunter said in a 1996 interview. His made-up name fuses Ron Holman and Ivory Joe Hunter, two 1950s pop singers.

In 1967, Hunter got his first gig in television in Louisiana. He quickly conquered Buffalo and Miami before landing a hefty six-figure job in Chicago. While in Chicago, Hunter won a 1977 Emmy award and had his own late night talk show, Ron Hunter Today. After Chicago, Hunter joined KYW-TV in Philadelphia to replace the retiring Vince Leonard, that city’s dean of local anchors. In 1982, moved to back to Louisiana were he anchored Live at Five at New Orleans WVUE-TV. Hunter retired in Las Vegas. He passed away on June 25, 2008.   

WGRZ's Ed Kilgore on Bowling for Dollars

ED KILGORE ON RON HUNTER

It was with great sadness we learned that former Ch2 anchor Ron Hunter passed away in Las Vegas at the age of 70, and since Ron had a LOT to do with my decision to move from Houston to Buffalo way back in 1973, I had to take a stab at sharing some memories about a man who was certainly unique and complex, talented and an ego maniac, and above all else, great fun to work with.

What I'm about to write may sound blunt and unkind at times, but you should know the things many of us remember about Ron, and you can make your own calls about what is or isn't a positive, although I can kind of guess where you'll be on a couple of these stories.

Ron Hunter had THE biggest ego of any person male or female I've ever worked with, and it's not even close. It was actually quite incredible how much Ron valued his own opinions and appearance, and yet in a strange way, he made it seem natural; like, doesn't EVERYBODY think like I do?  You want an example?  Ok, for starters, when Ron began anchoring at Ch2 after moving to Buffalo from New Orleans, where he virtually owned the market, we didn't call it Ch2 News, or Action News, or even News news.  We called it, "The Ron Hunter Report".  Not only that, Ron had a special animated opening made up, which featured a likeness of Ron, with his big buffont hair-do, running around with a microphone as if he's out getting the scoop.  The show then opens, with Ron leaning into the camera, and with a booming voice "I'm Ron Hunter, and the big story in Buffalo is....."  The standing joke around the news room, of course, was that the next word would be "me".

Ron was the actor of our generation, and seemed proud of it.  He often BECAME the story, which was ok if it helped the ratings, and it often did. Oh, so you want an example?  Here's one, and forgive me for forgetting the names, but Ron once did a tear jerking story about a young  girl of 9 or 10 years old who was dying, who gave a vital organ to a girl her age so that the ailing young girl could have a nice future. Ron did some amazing interviews with the parents of both girls, and then in the story, used closeup shots of both girls with appropriate, gut-wrenching music behind them as we dissolved back and forth between the two adorable young faces. Heck, I'm crying just thinking about it. Anyway, do we fade to black here?  Are you KIDDING?  Heck no.  I hear Ron instruct the cameraman to zoom in very close when he wraps up the story, so we finally come out of the story, and there isn't a dry eye in the studio or newsroom, and Ron hesitates...one beat....two beats.....three beats....a big tear -- a REAL tear I'm telling you -- gushes down from one eye, as Ron actually whispers on camera, "we'll be right back". You can't make this stuff up.

Ron Hunter WAS Ron Burgundy in Anchorman if ever there was somebody to base it on.

Ron also loved his threads; an example?  One day he comes into work wearing a light blue leather suit.  He proclaims it is "unborn calfskin". I'm not even sure if there IS such a thing, and if so, what laws may have been broken to get it.  But Ron had it.

I'm not going to say Ron was unethical, but here's another thing he did that can only be described as "unusual". He actually did a commercial for an apartment complex, where he lived, oh by the way, and in one of the scenes of the great single life at this complex, Ron was sitting in a suana wrapped in only a towel.  Mike Nolan, a great friend who was at Ch2 at the time and is now retired, correctly pointed out the shot might not have been so bad, if only Ron had EVER been in the sun.  Ron had the whitest body I've ever seen, and I'm not sure if that scene conveyed the impression Ron thought it did.

There were always rumors about Ron's sexual preferences, and maybe that scene helped get them started, but so far as any of us knew, Ron was as hetero as they come.  He had a gorgeous airline hostess girlfriend who later moved with him to Chicago, and had other "friends" we all knew of who visited the station from time to time.  One pretty young thing used to show up every week to give Ron a haircut in his office, and for some strange reason, Ron kept the door closed.  Ok, I'll be the first to admit that DID lead to some speculation in the newsroom, and I'd be just as guilty as anybody else, but we don't really KNOW that anything other than the haircut was happening.

Having said all this, you still probably don't have the true picture of Ron Hunter.  He was a JOY to be around -- great fun, because he exuded confidence and a positive attitude, and he expected all of us to carry that into battle against the competition.  Ron loved his co-workers, although he did have a temper and would blow up from time to time if things didn't go as planned, but I recall once after the ratings came out and we'd moved ahead of Ch4 and close to Irv, Rick and Tom at Ch7, Ron broke out the champaign in the newsroom.  Not the fake stuff, either.  Ron was THE most persuasive person I talked to when flying to Buffalo from Houston for a visit, since Houston was then the 14th market and Buffalo was then #22 (now close to 50, I think), and Hunter had me convinced Buffalo was the place to be.  That, and a nice pay raise, I'll admit, made the decision, but I was convinced I was coming to a winner directly because of Ron's enthusiasm.

Ron's life took some tough turns after he left Buffalo, and I'm not qualified to comment on any of that, since I only want to share my personal memories of this most interesting person who is no longer with us.  But I can say this:  whenever I think about the days at Ch2 working with Ron Hunter, a smile will come to my face. 

From Goodyear to Gannett
A History of Channel 2 in Buffalo
By Martin Biniasz

Channel 2 was nothing but a glint-in-the-eye in 1948, when two media outlets filed competing applications for the channel with the FCC. The rivals were the Niagara Falls Gazette Publishing Company, operators of the daily newspaper and operators of daytime radio station WHLD; and WGR Broadcasting Corp., owners of radio station WGR-AM.

On September 30 1948, the FCC placed a “freeze” on television license applications, pending a nationwide study of the allocation of channels. The freeze wasn’t lifted until April 1952. At this point those two original applicants refiled their applications officially re-filed for Channel 2. They soon would be joined by other applicants, as investors were beginning to quickly realize the financial potential of the television industry.

Under the initial direction of Buffalo Attorney J. Eugene McMahon, the Victory Television Corporation was organized in the spring of 1953. Primary investors included furniture store owner Arthur Victor, City Counsel President Peter Crotty, liquor distributor Patrick McGroder and prominent Buffalo businessmen George Fruenheim and Norman Joseph. Victory Television filed its application quickly, hastened by rumors that the Gazette and WGR were about to merge into one super-power.

WGR-TV signed on as Buffalo’s third television station on the morning of August 14, 1954 from studios located at 184 Barton Street on the city’s West Side. This former rug cleaning facility also housed Buffalo’s first UHF station, WBUF (Channel 17). The Mr. Wizard Show had the honor of the first show to be telecast on 2. Later that evening a live dedicatory program was hosted by Goodyear and WGR Radio personality Billy Keaton to acquaint viewers with the personnel, programs and future plans of WGR-TV.

With the sign-on, WGR became Buffalo’s sole outlet for NBC, with a powerhouse entertainment lineup keynoted by Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Steve Allen, Ernie Kovacs and Buffalo Bob Smith with “Howdy Doody.” WGR-TV also relied on familiar names and personalities from its sister radio station to provide local programing. Helen Neville hosted “Two For Breakfast,” and Mary Lawton played musical games, presented riddles and celebrated audience members’ birthdays on “Mother Goose.” The spacious Barton Street facilities played host to large audiences for live wrestling matches with Illo DePalo and in 1956 held the very first Variety Club Telethon. On-air personnel included news anchors Pat Fagan, Jack Mahl, Phil Soisson, Frank Dill and Roy Kerns. The first Channel 2 sports department consisted of radio veterans Roger Baker and Bill Mazer.

Herman Pease was a former operations supervisor during the early years at Channel 2. He remembered a show which was intended to represent the famous Rendezvous Room at the Statler Hotel. “Two bands preformed, “ remembers Pease. “ One was always the Dave Cheskin Orchestra. Barton Street (studios) was decorated with tables and fake alcoholic drinks were served to give it a glitzy nightclub flavor. “

Early viewers to Channel 2 were also entertained by the two graphic mascots named Iris and Earis. Created by station art director Frank Wahl in 1954 the impish little elves derived their names from the words eye and ear. The elves were used in advertising and promotions until the mid 1960’s.

"Sports Reel," hosted by 23 year old Frank Dill, was one of the two regular telecasts of sports news on WGR-TV in 1954. The program aired Saturdays and Sundays at 11:15 pm. Dill joined WGR-TV from KARK-TV in Little Rock, Ark. He also worked at WMAL-TV in Washington D.C. and WCHV in Charlottesville, Va. Bob Wells career was already well established by the time he joined WGR-TV. As host of WEBR Radio's "Hi-Teen" program, Wells was well known by the youth of the community. He would host many programs on Ch. 2 including the popular Pic-A-Polka in the early 1960s.

In 1955, NBC recaptured its programming when they purchased Barton Street neighbor WBUF-TV, Channel 17. Goodyear and Channel 2 unsuccessfully tried to stop the sale and would later take out a full page add in the Courier Express to “set the record straight” and announce a revamped programming schedule that included much of the ABC Network lineup. It was not be until 1958 when NBC pulled the plug on its UHF experiment that WGR-TV would recapture its NBC affiliation.

Channel 2 also brought forth many technical advances which included introducing first videotape machine in Buffalo. Herman Pease recalls what a big deal video was when it was introduced. “The technicians would use white gloves while editing the “trial and error” way. They were learning the business as they when along. That was the fun of the early days.”

“I was called to work on Thanksgiving Day, said Pease who had since moved over to the sales end of the building. It was chaotic. After not directing in many years I was thrown into the frenzy. Shortly before the 11 o’clock news I would ask...Where is the copy? Whose got the pictures? I’d look around and receive blank looks. The news operation was horrendous at times. “The strike was one of the worst experiences of my broadcasting career. To see friends lose their jobs and get hurt was very sad,” Herman Pease.

As the strike was ending, WGR was breaking ground on the first new television building to be build in the city since the late 50s when WBUF-TV. Ch. 17 built its complex at 2077 Elmwood Avenue. Radio would not be joining the TV side as owners prepared for a possible sale.  

In 1972, WGR left the West Side confides of Barton Street and moved into ultra modern facilities at 259 Delaware Ave in the heart of downtown. Also in 1972, improvements in the audience ratings began to take place with an aggressive anchor team headed by the flamboyant Ron Hunter and sports anchor Mike Nolan. Ed Kilgore joined in 1973 and Rick Kellman arrived shortly after. By the end of the decade the on-air staff included Molly McCoy, Kellman, Sheila Murphy, Barry Lillis and Ed Kilgore and Gary Papa.

After almost 20 years, Taft Broadcasting sold the television station to General Cinema Corp of Massachusetts in 1983., and the station’s call letters were official changed to WGRZ . This was necessary because Taft would continue to own radio station WGR-AM & WGRQ-FM. The”Z” was chosen because it graphically resembled the number “2.”

General Cinema, WGRZ expanded their evening newscasts with an exclusive 5PM program. The station also boasted the area’s only permanent Niagara County TV news bureau in Niagara Falls. In December of 1985, WGRZ was the first to introduce stereo TV to Western New York with a telecast of the Buffalo Philharmonic’s 50th premiere concert. A new transmitter, control room and a “newscenter” set, designed by the same firm that built sets for CNN, was introduced during these years.

In March of 1986, WGRZ staffers were surprised to learn about the sale of the station to a group of investors headed up by former WIVB station manger George Lilly. The WGRZ Acquisition Corp, later (SJL Communications,) purchased 2 for $56 million. During the investment boom of the mid-80’s, the price of television stations escalated at an unprecedented rate. In 1988 (SJL Communications) sold WGRZ for $100 million dollars to Shared Tak of Tak Communications.

Tak, who came to the United States from India in 1968, built a small empire of stations during this time borrowing heavily to finance overpriced properties. Less than four years later Tak filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 as his debt-laden media operations were hit by a recession and a weak advertising climate. Briefly gaining control again in 1993, Tak Communications was taken over by a group of creditors and again WGRZ was about to change hands. It was during the Tak years that many costs were cut in order to finance debt. WGRZ reduced their news staff and increase the number of paid programs they ran just to make a few extra bucks.

CH. 2's TV Dance Party with Pat Fagan

If you grew up in Buffalo during the late 50s and early 60s you most likely watch one of the live music shows that originated from the Queen City. If you were lucky enough, you might have been chosen as one one of the dancers on the TV Dance Party that was broadcast live from WGR-TV's Barton Street studios. The Dance Party was hosted by Buffalo native Pat Fagan.  Pat Fagan, a WGR-TV announcer when the station signed on in 1954, broke into radio in 1948 as a staff announcer on WBNY. Later he worked at WEBR and made WBEN-TV appearances in that station's dramatic series, The Clue. His next move was to Erie, PA's WICU-TV.

More information about this frequently asked about program in the near future. These precious pictures were taken by John Pasco.

Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame Night 2004