WGWE
Encyclopedia
WGWE is an FM radio station licensed to Little Valley, New York
. The station, with a tower atop Fourth Street in the village of Little Valley, broadcasts a classic hits
format on 105.9 MHz and operates under the ownership of the Seneca Nation of Indians
; the Seneca nation purchased WGWE's construction permit from Randy Michaels
in early 2009. The station had originally announced plans to operate the Classic Hits format from Citadel Media, though those plans were postponed for about five months due to satellite problems. The station began broadcasting the satellite format in late June 2010. Mike "Smitty" Smith, former disc jockey at WPIG
and member of the Salamanca City Council, is the station manager, hosting the morning drive time
show and noon call-in request hours from studios inside the former Uni-Mart
in Salamanca. "Ace Boogie" hosts afternoon drive; Jesse Garon joined WGWE for middays in October 2011, becoming the first non-Seneca member of the station's air staff. Additional staff can also be heard on station announcements and advertisements. Local high school and youth athletics, Southern Tier Diesel football home games, and Buffalo Bandits
lacrosse are carried on the station as well. National Native News is heard twice during the day; ABC News Radio
broadcasts at the top of each hour during weekday mornings. The station does not employ any professional weather services, instead taking public domain
forecasts from the National Weather Service
.
The station's playlist can be described as full-service
and features a mix of oldies
ranging from the 1950s through early 1980s, classic rock
, native music
, soul music
, classic country
, and even an occasional contemporary country song. One song that stands out on the station's playlist is "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow," a song performed by Johnny Cash
and written by Peter La Farge
and Bob Dylan
about the construction of the Kinzua Dam
; it was the first song played upon the station's sign-on and is played every Friday at noon. A half-hour on each Saturday morning is devoted to traditional Seneca music
, which is also heard in the station's bumpers and station identification
s instead of traditional radio jingles. It is paired with "Weekend Chat," the station's public affairs program
. In November 2010, the station added the weekly hourlong series "Soul to Soul," hosted by The Blues Hounds, an all-Seneca blues band from the Cattaraugus Reservation; a show devoted to The Grateful Dead was added on Saturday evenings in November 2011.
The station is operated independently of the Seneca government, however it does advocate Seneca views through public service announcement
s, outlining the Senecas' position on items of interest such as the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act and New York's continuing taxation efforts on cigarettes, both of which the Seneca government opposes. The station is owned by Seneca Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Seneca Holdings, which is wholly owned by the Seneca Nation. Dave Kimelberg, an enrolled citizen of the Seneca Nation, leads Seneca Holdings as its CEO to diversify the Seneca Nation's economy through various companies. He was instrumental in forming and implementing WGWE.
WGWE is the official broadcast partner for the Native American Music Awards
.
Little Valley (village), New York
Little Valley is a village in Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. The population was 1,130 at the 2000 census.The Village of Little Valley is in the northwest corner of the Town of Little Valley....
. The station, with a tower atop Fourth Street in the village of Little Valley, broadcasts a classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format on 105.9 MHz and operates under the ownership of the Seneca Nation of Indians
Seneca Nation of New York
The Seneca Nation of New York, also known as the Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Seneca people in New York...
; the Seneca nation purchased WGWE's construction permit from Randy Michaels
Randy Michaels
Randy Michaels is an American broadcasting executive and a member of the National Association of Broadcasters TV Board.Randy Michaels has been involved in large market radio broadcasting since the early 1970s, first in front of the mike as evening personality at adult contemporary WGR in Buffalo...
in early 2009. The station had originally announced plans to operate the Classic Hits format from Citadel Media, though those plans were postponed for about five months due to satellite problems. The station began broadcasting the satellite format in late June 2010. Mike "Smitty" Smith, former disc jockey at WPIG
WPIG
WPIG is an FM radio station located in Olean, New York. Branded as the "Big Pig," "The Pig" or simply by its frequency and callsigns at times, the station operates at 95.7 MHz on the FM dial and operates a broad-based country music format...
and member of the Salamanca City Council, is the station manager, hosting the morning drive time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
show and noon call-in request hours from studios inside the former Uni-Mart
Uni-Mart
Uni-Mart is a Pennsylvania-based company that owns, operates and franchises hundreds of convenience stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States....
in Salamanca. "Ace Boogie" hosts afternoon drive; Jesse Garon joined WGWE for middays in October 2011, becoming the first non-Seneca member of the station's air staff. Additional staff can also be heard on station announcements and advertisements. Local high school and youth athletics, Southern Tier Diesel football home games, and Buffalo Bandits
Buffalo Bandits
The Buffalo Bandits are a team in the National Lacrosse League . They play at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, until the MILL turned into the NLL in 1998....
lacrosse are carried on the station as well. National Native News is heard twice during the day; ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
broadcasts at the top of each hour during weekday mornings. The station does not employ any professional weather services, instead taking public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
forecasts from the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
.
The station's playlist can be described as full-service
Full service (radio format)
The full service radio format consists of a wide range of programming. Mostly found on the AM band, the format can be found on a handful of FM stations...
and features a mix of oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
ranging from the 1950s through early 1980s, classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, native music
Native American music
American Indian music is the music that is used, created or performed by Native North Americans, specifically traditional tribal music. In addition to the traditional music of the Native American groups, there now exist pan-tribal and inter-tribal genres as well as distinct Indian subgenres of...
, soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
, and even an occasional contemporary country song. One song that stands out on the station's playlist is "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow," a song performed by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and written by Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge was a New York-based folksinger and songwriter of the 1950s and 1960s...
and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
about the construction of the Kinzua Dam
Kinzua Dam
The Kinzua Dam, in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River....
; it was the first song played upon the station's sign-on and is played every Friday at noon. A half-hour on each Saturday morning is devoted to traditional Seneca music
Iroquois music
The Iroquois is a confederacy of six Native American tribes.Traditional social gatherings among the Iroquois feature music and dance as central components. These gatherings are led by an individual who finds lead dancers and singers and introduces them to the audience, also providing dancing...
, which is also heard in the station's bumpers and station identification
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
s instead of traditional radio jingles. It is paired with "Weekend Chat," the station's public affairs program
Public affairs (broadcasting)
Public affairs, a broadcasting industry term, refers to television programs which focuses on matters of politics and public policy. Among commercial broadcasters, such programs are often only to satisfy Federal Communications Commission regulatory expectations and are not scheduled in prime time...
. In November 2010, the station added the weekly hourlong series "Soul to Soul," hosted by The Blues Hounds, an all-Seneca blues band from the Cattaraugus Reservation; a show devoted to The Grateful Dead was added on Saturday evenings in November 2011.
The station is operated independently of the Seneca government, however it does advocate Seneca views through public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s, outlining the Senecas' position on items of interest such as the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act and New York's continuing taxation efforts on cigarettes, both of which the Seneca government opposes. The station is owned by Seneca Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Seneca Holdings, which is wholly owned by the Seneca Nation. Dave Kimelberg, an enrolled citizen of the Seneca Nation, leads Seneca Holdings as its CEO to diversify the Seneca Nation's economy through various companies. He was instrumental in forming and implementing WGWE.
WGWE is the official broadcast partner for the Native American Music Awards
Native American Music Awards
The Native American Music Awards , commonly known as the Nammys, are an awards program presented annually by The Native American Music Association & Awards, which recognizes outstanding musical achievement among Native Americans...
.
External links
- WGWE official Web site
- WGWE Classic Rock Hits on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Salamanca Press article on station's launch