Making a Difference

WNED | WBFO Buffalo-Toronto is launching a new multimedia initiative that recognizes area citizens who are

contributing to the betterment of Western New York.

"Making a Difference" will spotlight individuals who are going above and beyond to make Western New York a better place to live and encouraging others to follow their lead.

Los Graduados (The Graduates)

John Craig, Ph.D., VP Education and Outreach

The period in which the country celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, (Sept.15 to Oct. 15), has

come to an end for 2013. However, we continue to educate, enlighten, inspire and entertain through programming and are supporting a larger effort through the American Graduate program sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We are able to promote national programming through local outreach events such as an Independent Lens production called Los Graduados.

WNED/WBFO’s Year (So Far) In Photos

By Steve Karosik

In honor of today being National Camera Day, We’ve put together 10 of our favorite photos taken in 2013 around WNED/WBFO. It’s been a fun year of special events & everyday nuggets of joy, and we can’ t wait to see what the second half of the year looks like!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

By Annmarie Dean / Artwork by Steve Karosik

One thing that’s a dead giveaway that summertime has finally arrived is ice cream!  Whether you are a hard ice cream fan or a frozen custard aficionado, it’s safe to say that everyone has their go-to cone that they can’t wait to order once the weather breaks.  We had a little fun with PBS, NPR and WNED|WBFO inspired ice cream flavors.  Thank you to the staff for their awesome submissions!

Not So Buried Treasure!

By Misty Harris

Photos by  Eileen Koteras

 

Did you make it to the WNED|WBFO Antiques Home Show? Were you shocked at the value of the vintage items you brought for appraisal? Tell us about your experience and check out a few of the items that stood out during this past weekend's event. Also, follow us on our Instagram page to take a peek at more fabulous finds and fun photos by WNED_WBFO (our user name) by using #ANTIQUESHOMESHOW, #WBFO, #WBFO or #Classical945WNED. Thank you all for coming and be sure to keep looking in your nooks and crannies for your buried treasure and bring them with you next year!

 

 

Spring in Bloom

By WNED / WBFO Staffers

Now that the weather is finally changing (we've had a great stretch of warm temps), everyone is spending a lot more time outdoors. The flowers are blooming and the trees are full of leaves! Spring has finally sprung. We asked our ever so talented WNED staffers to grab a camera or camera phone and snap some shots of  the season in bloom. Take a look at a few of our photos and connect with us on Instagram to see more. Follow WNED_WBFO and look for our photos with #wnedspringinbloom,  #WNED, #WBFO, or  #Classical945WNED.

One Small (Carbon) Step

By Misty Harris

Every year my high school alma mater does a national day of caring sometime in the spring.  During my tenure as an alum board member, I heavily participated in this annual event. One particular year we organized a cleaning project with one of the local parks here in Buffalo. So off I went with my rake (it was a BYOR event) and met up with several other “volunteer cleaners” early on a cold, rainy Saturday morning. We split up into groups of four or five and began cleaning our section of the park.  While raking, we picked up a lot more than just leaves. From bottles to things a little more on the dangerous side, we collected items that have no place on the ground. And while we and the other volunteers piled up garbage bags by the dozens, there was still lots to be done by the time my shift was over. I didn’t feel like I accomplished much but I did feel good about my efforts.

A Special Kind of Gift

By: Annmarie Dean

Volunteering is awesome.  It was during high school that I got my first taste of how rewarding and uplifting volunteering is; in order to graduate, each student had to clock a certain number of community service hours.  I’m proud to say that I went well above the required number because of how fulfilling I found volunteering to be. Volunteer Recognition Day on April 20 is perfect excuse to make a commitment to volunteer this year. 

A Catalog of Music

By Bob Krum, morning host on Classical 94.5 WNED

In honor of National Library Week (April 14-20) a few words from our former
music librarian turned Classical 94.5 WNED Morning Classics host Bob Krum.

The Peter Goldsmith Music Library (named after Peter Goldsmith, the first program director of Classical 94.5 WNED) as you might suspect, long been the centerpiece of the station.  In the early days, the library was comprised of thousands of LPs.  Eventually, in the ‘80s, CD’s became the predominant media.  For the last 4 ½ years, my role as librarian has been to perform the more mundane tasks of upkeep of over 32,000 CDs, making sure that all the CDs are ready to go for our program hosts and re-shelve them after they’ve been used.  The most fun part of the job is the selection of CDs to be added to our collection, which is one of the largest classical CD collections in the country.  Besides trying to make sure that we have new and exciting releases of the “favorites,” I like to look for recordings of works that might be considered undiscovered “gems.”  It might be a lesser known work by a popular composer, or it could be a symphony or concerto by a composer who is new to the station.  It’s fun to see if our listeners will enjoy these new works as much as I do. 

Why Music Education is so Important.

By Marty Wimmer, Classical 94.5 WNED program host

As a music teacher, one might think I’d be offended by the question, “Why is music education important?” Music has its own intrinsic value. It needs no further justification. However, some don’t see it that way. Some think of music as an extra. They need further convincing. Thus, this is an opportunity.

Dr. Daniel Amen Loves WNED

By Annmarie Dean

Bestselling author and brain expert, Dr. Daniel Amen stopped by the studio to promote his latest special, “Unleash the Power of the Female Brain with Dr. Daniel Amen.”

In this breakthrough guide, based on research from his clinical practice, Dr. Amen addresses the issues women ask about the most including fertility, pregnancy, menopause, weight, stress, anxiety, insomnia and relationships. 

Before leaving, Dr. Amen showed some love for WNED!

All Played Out

By Misty Harris

That's a wrap! Another successful Kid Fest is in the books. We hope your little ones enjoyed themselves. Take a look at a few pictures of the event and join us again next year for lots more fun!

WNED: The Intern Experience

By Adam Lipozwicz, WNED Corporate Communications Intern

First things first; welcome to “WNED: The Intern Experience!” My name is Adam Lipowicz, and I am currently finishing up my third week as a marketing communications intern at WNED in downtown Buffalo. There are a few things I want to talk about today, and what better place to start than with a little background on myself.

Creating Kid Fest

By Mindy Fox Takacs, WNED Development Producer

When I was asked to help put together an event that focused on the PBS Kids block over seven years ago, I approached it just like any other event I had previously planned. I did my research, asked my young nephews what they were into, found out what the most popular shows we aired were, talked to parents of young children to see what they liked at other kid related events, etc. Now that I have a 3-year-old of my own, who is in the target demographic for PBS Kids and this event, planning WNED Kid Fest is kind of like planning a giant party for her and 2,500 of her (and my) closest friends. Over the years, we have been lucky enough to develop some amazing partnerships with organizations like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Matt James and the Pinwheel Parade, the Erie County SPCA, Master Chong’s Tae Kwon Do and Rolly Pollies, just to name a few. I can’t thank our sponsors and community partners enough for all their efforts in making Kid Fest a success. Most of all, I thank all of the parents who bring their children to this event. You may not even realize it, but by attending Kid Fest you are doing your part to help support PBS Kids and the quality programming that we air every day on WNED.  When I look around the room at all the happy faces attending our “giant party” this weekend, I am grateful to be surrounded by friends who also choose to bring their little ones up as PBS Kids.

Deck the WNED/WBFO Halls!

By Suzanne Kashuba
Signs of the holidays are popping up all over the WNED headquarters building in downtown Buffalo, as staff find creative ways to “Deck the (WNED) Halls.” If you were a mouse wandering around, here are a few of the holiday sights you would see. Fa la la la la … la la la la. Enjoy and Happy Holidays from WNED/WBFO!

Making a List 2012

By Misty Harris

Are you a last minute shopper or are you one of those people who shop for Christmas presents the day after Christmas? Do you have picky people on your list? Could there be a classical music lover on that list as well?

Everything Old is New Again: Downton Abbey’s All the Rage!

By Suzanne Kashuba

Unlike First Lady Michelle Obama (who already received her season 3 DVDs), most of us will have to wait until Jan. 6 to find out what awaits the Crawleys and their hired help during the Roaring Twenties.

No worries, though. Seems like reminders of “Downton Abbey” are everywhere. Who would have thought that a Victorian-era drama originating with the BBC and airing on WNED could so quickly find a place in 21st century culture?

It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like the Holidays!

By Misty Harris

With the holidays quickly approaching there's a lot to consider. Food, family, guests and traveling are always on the top of everyone’s lists. But what about the music? What do you listen to during your holiday gatherings? What can be heard in the background when everyone comes together to celebrate? We posed this question to WNED staffers and here is the fun list we came up with!

Skull in the Rock

By John Craig, WNED vice president of education/outreach

When I was school-aged, we didn’t have “take your child to work day,” as they do now. Many schools carry on this tradition through shadowing days in their parents actual work settings – learning what they do while away from home every day. Imagine if one of your parents was a research scientist or better yet, a paleoanthropologist! “A what?”

The Beauty of Fall-A Photo Blog

By Misty Harris

We asked WNED staffers to pull out their cameras and/or camera phones and capture the beauty of fall. Take a look at what they snapped! Don't forget to share your photos of Western New York, Southern Ontario and Northern Pennsylvania with us at photo@wbfo.org.  We'll then consider your photo for the Listener Photo of the Week!