DAVID La RUSSA

A RADIOGRAPHY

What did happen was a chance trip to Tucson, Arizona in the early summer of 1979. While there I had the opportunity to listen to KWFM, and knew what I had to do. Calling up the on air DJ (Bob Bish) I was invited down to hang out, which I did. After that night and shortly back in Buffalo, I decided to make the move. Without the benefit of a job, I left for Tucson just knowing I could make it happen. As soon as I got there I called up Jim Ray and he agreed to an interview which resulted in a part time position. Quickly elevated to full time I was able to rekindle the “Anything That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” show, developing it into all it could have been in Buffalo!

KWFM, 1981
Image Copyright © 1980 Howard Salmon www.howardsalmon.com/

There is really no way to encapsulate my KWFM days (1979 - 1981) other than to say they were pure magic! Looking back, it’s hard to imagine we accomplished so much with so few resources!

KWFM, 1981
KWFM Air Staff 1981

In 1980 the KWFM staff was voted one of the top ten FM stations in the country by Rolling Stone magazine!

When the station was sold to Sandusky Industries in ’81 I was informed that they would be dropping the “Anything...” show, which was really hitting it’s stride at the time. They were also going to move my daily airshift from 10pm-2am to the 2am-6am shift and take away my duties as assistant music director. For many reasons, chief among them the fact that I was a new parent, I found these changes unacceptable. I handed in my resignation before they took over and moved the family to Western New York where we lived in Lockport for a year.