WBES-TV
WBES-TV was an early UHF television station in Buffalo, New York.
History
The station operated on UHF channel 59 from studios in the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo. WBES-TV, the second UHF station (and third TV station overall) in Western New York, was very short-lived, signing on September 29, 1953 and shutting down for the last time on December 19 of the same year. An independent station for its entire existence, WBES-TV was plagued by technical and financial problems, the primary factor in the station's failure. Channel 59 was never reissued in Buffalo.
Tom Jolls, at the time a radio personality at Lockport's WUSJ, was one of the station's personalities. He would eventually return to television a decade later, first with WBEN-TV (channel 4, now WIVB-TV, then more permanently with WKBW-TV (channel 7), where he spent 24 years as a weatherman.[1]
After WBES-TV was shut down, Buffalo was left with two stations, market leader WBEN-TV and fellow UHF upstart WBUF-TV (channel 17); WGR-TV (channel 2) signed on for the very first time on August 14, 1954, using WBES-TV's broadcast tower.
References
- ^ Pergament, Alan (June 7, 2023). "Tom Jolls, part of Channel 7's legendary 'Irv, Rick and Tom' broadcast team, dies at 89". Buffalo News. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
External links
- History of UHF Television in Buffalo
- History of Television in Buffalo
- v
- t
- e
- This region includes the following cities: Buffalo
- Niagara Falls
- Jamestown
- Batavia
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television
- WGRZ (2.1 NBC, 2.2 ANT, 2.3 Crime, 2.4 Quest, 2.5 Nosey)
- WIVB-TV (4.1 CBS, 4.2 QVC)
- WKBW-TV (7.1 ABC, 7.2 Bounce, 7.3 Grit, 7.4 Mystery, 7.5 HSN)
- WNED-TV (17.1 PBS, 17.2 Create, 17.3 PBS Kids, 43.10 WNED-FM/WBFO)
- WNLO (23.1 CW, 23.2 REW)
- WNYB (26.1 TCT, 26.2 SBN, 26.4 Get, 26.5 LC, 26.6 Buzzr, 26.7 Ads)
- WUTV (29.1 Fox, 29.2 TBD, 29.3 Charge!)
- WNYO-TV (49.1 MNTV, 49.2 Nest, 49.3 Comet, 49.4 Get)
- WPXJ-TV (51.1 Ion, 51.2 Court, 51.3 Grit, 51.4 Laff, 51.5 Ion+, 51.6 Scripps, 51.7 JTV, 51.8 QVC, 51.9 LC)
- WBBZ-TV (67.1 MeTV/Ind., 67.2 H&I, 67.3 Story, 67.4 Daystar, 67.5 Dabl, 67.6 Start, 67.7 Catchy, 67.8 Movies!)
- WBNF-CD (15.1 Spanish Catholic, 15.2 JTV, 15.3 RCTV, 15.4 Retro, 15.5 Unknown)
- WWHC-LD (20.4 The365, 20.5 Outlaw)
- WBUO-LD (30.1 Retro)
- WVTT-CD (34.1 Ads, 34.2 NTD, 34.3 ShopLC, 34.4 Magnificent Movies, 34.5 American Crimes, 34.6 Oxygen)
- WBXZ-LD (56.1 NewsNet, 56.2 Sports News Highlights, 56.3 HQ, 56.4 Ace)
- WBUF-TV 17
- WNYP-TV 26
- WDTB-LD (39.1 Daystar)
- WFHW-LP 58
- WBES-TV 59
- See also
- Toronto TV
- Erie TV
- Elmira TV
- Rochester TV