Cumulus Media has flipped CHR “Hot 98.9” 1120 WBBF/98.9 W255DH Buffalo NY to Sports “ESPN Buffalo“.
The move brings ESPN Radio network programming back to Buffalo for the first time since Audacy dropped it from 1520 WWKB exactly five years ago today.
WBBF will carry Buffalo Bills produced programming including the team’s “One Bills Live” from 10am to 12pm weekdays. One Bills Live previously aired on Audacy’s 550 WGR from 1-3pm until the franchise announced its plans to take its programming in-house in partnership with Good Karma Brands after the 2025 season. The show will now air on Cumulus’s 1260 WSKO Syracuse and iHeartMedia’s 1280 WHTK Rochester in addition to WBBF and MSG Network. https://radioinsight.com/headlines/372911/espn-radio-returns-to-buffalo/
I heard ‘something’ again on 1530 last night: 2026-09-13 23:01:56 … 23:03:56 Music1 incl. ID 1 2026-09-13 23:03:23 … 23:03:34 ID 1 2026-09-13 23:04:47 … 23:05:19 Music 2 2026-09-13 23:06:14 … 23:06:51 Music 3 2026-09-13 23:10:28 … 23:12:07 ID2 + Music 2026-09-13 23:13:03 … 23:14:58 Music 4 2026-09-13 23:20:08 … 23:21:15 Music 5 2026-09-13 23:22:07 … 23:22:45 ID 3 (vf) + “The Best Rock Radio, broadcasting…?” (vm)
The quality is extremely low, the signal (or at least the modulation) too weak for the noise level here. I listened to all barely audible portions mentioned above, and only the ‘ID 1’ is somewhat intelligible. But I could not get more out of it than the female voice ID “Radio – – – -, listen to us on Mediumwave – Music and Much More”. I have attached the short audio clip with the original.
Maybe you have an idea what this might mean.
Tobias (2026-09-14)
UPDATE Unid 1530 kHz To me it sounds a bit like “Radio Rollercoaster“, but the second word really sounds more like “concert”, if I had to transcribe it: doesn’t make any sense!
I found nothing on the web in this respect and with a link to mediumwave or even 1530. The attached longer clip is even weaker, the female ann. barely audible at sec. 6, followed by a brief instrumental interlude after sec. 12 and a male “rock radio” announcement, the rest is not really intelligible, but probably “broadcasting on mediumwave” and then other sounds before fading into noise. Either the QSB is deep or they have modulation / transmitter issues, with only such few portions with some audio found in an almost 90 minutes recording. But I have to say it’s possible that their carrier is not the only one we see as the lower brighter signal in my formerly sent spectrogram. So potentially, since there was audible carrier beating at times, their signal and another one (Funchal?) are both quite well tuned and hard to visually distinguish. And in fact, looking at the high-resolution spectrogram (just made, attached!), it looks as if their carrier is only ON from 2300z (minute 44 of the recording) and stops again about 23 minutes later! And the traces of modulation, just measured it, actually belong to the lower temporary carrier. Thus it could just be some brief technical tests (maybe with transmitter issues) or a pirate who wants to make believe it’s a regular station but only dares being active for a few minutes each time…
I logged Radio Briscola1449 kHz (0.5 kW) with political talk in Italian from after 1930z thru about 2025z (broadcast still continued beyond) with a fair signal and some QSB. Briscola is an Italian card game, but may also mean something else here. An audio snippet with a rather peculiar (partly giggling) sequence of IDs is attached, heard after 2007z between two talk programs. So far, MWlist noted QRT by 1700z.
Yesterday evening 2026-09-12) around 1900z, also Radio Centrale Milano was heard mixing with Spanish talk, tent. SER Córdoba (listed at only 1 kW) on 1575 kHz.
A new one to me was Radio Garda Valpolocella (0.6 kW) on 1431 kHz with dance music and full IDs, QRT by 2205 UTC. 2 typical clips attached.
I could hear some station in italian vía 1449 kHz with some politic debate. Maybe it can be Radio Briscola, though MW List says it finished about 17.00 UTC. Good Signal with strong fading at 12/09/26. I could hear It when I spend some days in Montpellier ( France ).
Kiss AM comment two, edited this morning: Sadly, Radio North 846 kHz, which has broadcast for close on 40 years, was taken off the air on September 10th by Comreg.
After reading comments on another forum, like “I don’t know what, if anything, got taken”, I will add this. Comreg took everything! Even the connectors from the Heliax. They also took the Nautel Ampfet that used to run at Radio North, which has not been operational in many years. Beautiful transmitter, gone! Tuning unit at the tower base, gone. Hopefully that’s that cleared up.
Radio Star Country 981 kHz has switched off as a result of the raid on Radio North.
Irish update: 846 Radio North Still off air 981Star Country still off air 1593 Coast FM relay radiating blank carrier. Same as yesterday.
This doesn’t seem to be coincidental technical problems. Any ideas what’s happening? Nothing apparent on station Facebook pages. I tried calling various phone numbers but all unanswered.
Steve Whitt, MWCircle iog (2026-09-12)
Radio North raided Star and Coast taking precautions
Ian Biggar to MWCircle iog (2026-09-12)
That’s taken a very long time to happen – I believe they’ve been on 846kHz since mid 1987. There is speculation online (only speculation) that this may have been triggered by a complaint from Dutch authorities relating to co-channel interference. In the absence of R North the Dutch station MCB radio is easily heard on 846kHz in Ireland at night despite an apparent power of 100W.
Just received a confirmation from Tony, Pop Shop Radio Canada, that there will be a special 6th anniversary broadcast tonight at 2200 UTC on MW 1467, and Sat. morning on 25 m SW, see below!
2200z Roumoules 1467 kHz will be running 1000 kW, and 0300z Woofferton 11925 kHz with 250 kW.
Tony’s shows always offer a wide variety of carefully hand-selected songs, along with some background info and jingles, his fictional character ‘Poppie’, plus a full playlist with an image in DigiMode MFSK64 during the last 5 minutes of the show. Tony’s broadcasts last one hour.
This anniversary special may differ, though. Website: http://www.popshopradio.ca It is a friendly non-commercial hobby radio project! Please tune in and report your reception to him, if you are interested. An eQSL is usually sent to listeners writing in.
On September 8th, 0500 UTC I heard WMLB 1690 AM Avondale Estates simulcasting WCPT 820 AM. On the hour the WMLB ID was hear like this: “You are listening to a simulcast of Chicago’s progressive talk from Heartland Signal on WMBL Avondale Estates”
Rodney Gibbs, Executive Director of Heartland Signal wrote: “To answer your question: yes, Heartland Signal now operates WMBL 1690 AM in Atlanta. We recently launched the station and are currently simulcasting our Chicago programming. We plan to add original local programming soon. The Heartland Signal group is now broadcasting WCPT820 AM, KRNF 950 AM Minneapolis and WMLB 1690 AM Atlanta (Avondale Estates).”
According to FCC data Heartland Signal is not yet the owner of WMLB 1690. The licensee is still Disruptor Radio, LLC (John Fredericks). Heartland Signal LLC is listed as the operator (via a Time Brokerage Agreement / LMA). However, an assignment of authorization is pending with the FCC (submitted August 13, 2026, status pending).
Kind regards, Peter Reuderink, Odoornerveen, The Netherlands (2026-09-11)
