Buffalo Radio: Longtime Newsman John Zach Returning

John Zach

After six months off the air, 76-year-old John Zach will return to Buffalo radio as news director and morning news anchor at WECK 1230 AM and W275BB 102.9 FM on July 10, new owner Buddy Shula announced Thursday.

When Zach left WBEN-AM at the end of 2016, the announcement didn’t include the word "retirement."

Entercom Buffalo operations manager Tim Wenger’s message ended with the line “please join me in congratulating John on an amazing career on the air and wishing him well as he moves on to the next chapter.”

WECK is the next chapter. Zach will anchor the news during WECK's weekday morning show, The WECK Coffee Club.

"I'm really excited," Zach said this morning. "I missed it. I've been looking forward to this since January. I never intended on retiring."

The Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Famer spent 18 years at WBEN and has worked about a half century in radio at multiple stations in the market. Zach was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Association's Hall of Fame in 2002.

W275BB 102.9 FM (220 watts)

WECK also announced that it is adding CBS Radio News as part of its shift "from mostly syndicated and satellite programming to a live and local full-service format."