Radio One Buffalo owner Buddy Shula is giving a flag-waving rebrand to his latest AM acquisition as he prepares to launch a new format on the signal. The FCC has approved a call letter change for WHLD-AM in Niagara Falls, New York. Effective with a Local Marketing Agreement starting June 1, the station will officially identify as WUSW.
Shula said the new call sign reflects his personal values and the station’s forthcoming identity. “It meant a lot to me to have US (United States) in the call letters. I am a patriot, and the call letters will be representative of the new format that will be launched,” he stated in a release.
The transaction to acquire WHLD from Cumulus Media for $150,000 is still awaiting final FCC approval. Cumulus, which acquired WHLD in 2011, most recently used the signal to air syndicated conservative talk programming from Westwood One. The format flip to talk occurred in 2021 following a previous stint as a sports station.
WHLD is the second AM station Shula has added to his Western New York footprint. In 2016, he purchased WECK-AM and an associated FM translator for $655,000 and launched a Classic Hits format under the brand The BIG WECK.
Legal counsel for Radio One Buffalo is Stephen Lovelady of Shainis & Peltzman, while Mark Lipp of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth represents Cumulus Media. The deal was brokered by Beth Griffin of Griffin Media Brokers.
