Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - One of the most legendary voices in Buffalo radio history has been silenced.
Sandy Beach, who entertained listeners for 60 years - mostly in Buffalo - passed away this week at the age of 86, following a brief illness.
Beach arrived in Buffalo during WKBW’s heyday in 1968, joining the likes of Danny Neaverth and Joey Reynolds. KB was a powerhouse of Top-40 pop radio, blanketing the Eastern seaboard with its 50,000 watt transmitter.
His career took him to major markets including Hartford, Dallas, San Francisco, and Milwaukee, but Buffalo became his radio home.
Beach joined WBEN in 1997, shifting into the talk radio format. He spent 23 years hosting the highly rated “Beach and Company” on the station.
Sandy became “must listen to radio”, as the provocative, popular host was known for his knowledge, sharp wit and signature laugh.
Former Audacy SVP/Market Manager Tim Wenger brought Sandy Beach back to Buffalo from Milwaukee, where he was doing a country morning show at the time.
"Sandy had done a brief stint in talk at WGR following his longtime morning shows at both WHTT and Star 102, and I knew he had what it would take to succeed full time in talk radio," Wenger recalls. "Sandy's intelligence, curiosity and quick wit were the exact mix for the making of a successful talk show host. And succeed he did.
"Sandy immediately attracted a loyal audience with his daily entertaining 'take' on issues and grew his show to be a staple in the Buffalo media landscape. Very few broadcasters have the lasting impact that Sandy left us and he will be missed both personally and professionally."
Longtime radio broadcaster Danny Neaverth will always remember Beach for his wittiness and his quick humor.
"He did say to me, 'I'll never tell you what I think is funny.' That's what he said, and he was funny," said Neaverth while appearing with David Bellavia on WBEN on Friday. "He was funnier than me, he was funnier than Joey Reynolds. He was funnier than anybody I ever worked with, because he was so quick and he was so prepared for his show at all times."
The honorable Penny Wolfgang, host of "On Target with Penny Wolfgang", says it was Beach that she got to know right away when she first started doing weekly radio hits years ago.
"We got to be friends right away, and we remained friends for all these years. It's been a really long time," said Wolfgang with Bellavia on Friday. "He was the smartest person, he knew everything. He knew law, he knew international affairs. Everything. He used to call me now and then about a case, something in the news or the law, and not only would he call me and ask me on the air my expert opinions, but he would say, 'Oh no, that's not right.' He would tell me I'm wrong. And I was like, 'Who is a lawyer here?'"
As for former STAR 102.5 morning host Rob Lucas, he reflects fondly on Beach's intelligence, logic, and his wit on and off the air.
"One of his great lines: 'Don't use a hammer to kill an ant. You use your hammer only when you have to.' If a comedian's doing 90 minutes, the biggest laughs, there's going to be six or seven of them. But in between, you need a lot of B+'s and A-'s. That's the thing you learn from Sandy," Lucas reflected with Bellavia.
October 19, 2017, Sandy Beach inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of FameTim Wenger
On July 30, 2020, Beach signed off for the last time, capping an extraordinary 60-year career. He spent his final broadcast expressing gratitude to decades of listeners before passing the microphone over to David Bellavia.
“I’m very proud that I’m being succeeded by a Medal of Honor recipient,” said Beach, expressing deep admiration for the incoming host.
When signing off for the last time on WBEN, Sandy delivered a heartfelt message to his loyal listeners:
"Thank you for sharing your life with me, because if you hadn't done that, I couldn't have done it myself. Thank you and goodbye."
Celebrating Sandy Beach's 60 year radio career, July 30, 2020Tim Wenger
Beach is in three Halls of Fame:
- Inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2003
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in the disc jockey category in 2013 (the exhibit is still there today)
- Inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2017 for his long standing legacy and statewide contributions to the industry
Beach is survived by the love of his life, his wife Bernadette, and by countless heartbroken co-workers and listeners.
Archives of Sandy’s classic airchecks, celebrity interviews (including talking to George Harrison in 1964), and classic show bits are preserved on his tribute site, Sandy Beach Radio.
