Say goodbye to “AM Buffalo” as you used to know it.
WKBW-TV (Channel 7) is moving the program, which premiered in 1978 as an evolution of the show "Dialing for Dollars," off of its broadcast channel after June 23 and returning it in September as the digital program, “7Life.”
In a release, Channel 7 vice president and general manager Marc Jaromin said in a news release that it was time for the show to evolve again.
“ ‘7Life’ will expand ‘AM Buffalo’s’ lifestyle legacy while targeting a younger, digital audience,” he said.
“7Life” will be available on 7WKBW platforms, including streaming, social media platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram), and the 7WKBW website. “7Life” specials and vignettes will also appear over the air.
Shows like "AM Buffalo" once were a staple of local television programming, essentially talk shows with a local news component. As network productions such as "Good Morning, America" and "Today" added time to their shows, the local versions suffered.
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"AM Buffalo" started as "Dialing for Dollars" in 1964. It included music from a two-piece band and phone calls to viewers chosen from phone book listings who could win a jackpot that grew with each call. The show featured hosts Nolan Johannes and Dave Thomas, the latter famous to a generation of people from Western New York and Southern Ontario as the host of children's program "Rocketship 7."
Over the years, "AM Buffalo" became less of a news show and more of an advertising vehicle, with local companies paying to be on the show, a move that was decried by longtime host Linda Pellegrino when she retired in 2020. In 2017, the show's running time was cut in half, from 60 to 30 minutes.
Pellegrino was with the show for 30 years, first as a co-host with the late Brian Kahle, who led the program from its inception.
Kahle was in the middle of what was arguably the most memorable moment in the show's history, when former Mayor James D. Griffin continually accused Kahle of not doing his homework during a 1988 appearance and stormed off the set after Kahle ended the interview prematurely. Kahle died in 2013.
There will be a final weeklong celebration on “AM Buffalo,” with veteran WKBW producer Paula D’Amico asking former hosts, producers and favorite guests to appear.
The “AM Buffalo” move is leading to some summer weekday changes at Channel 7 starting June 26.
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” will move from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. A court program, “We the People with Lauren Lake,” will replace Clarkson at 4 p.m., followed by “The List” at 4:30 p.m. “Extra” replaces “The List” at 7:30 p.m.
