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2011 Inductee
Don enjoyed a 44-year career in broadcasting with both on and off-air positions in news, programming, production, sales, management and ownership positions at eight radio stations and four TV stations in four northeastern markets. He began his career in news at WMNS in Olean as “Don Michaels” in 1963. He became news director in 1964 at WHDL-AM/FM in Olean and went on to WRIE in Erie, PA in 1970, where he became “Del Manning,” doubling in news and deejay work while also being the voice of WQLN-TV. He moved on to WIDG in Michigan in 1972 as vice president/ general manager and later became president and part-owner.
Don shifted his career to positions in sales and marketing by returning to his hometown of Buffalo in 1977 and joining WWOL-AM/FM as general sales manager. One year later, Don worked as general sales manager at WYSL/WPHD and then WBUF, where he worked as GSM helping to implement the station’s format and call letter change to WFXZ. In 1980, he moved on to TV as local sales manager at WUTV, Channel 29 and joined Sherwin Greenberg Film/Video Productions in 1984 as director of sales and marketing. Don joined TVX Corporation in 1987 as general sales manager to build a new TV station in Buffalo, WNYB, Channel 49.
The Buffalo Sabres bought the station and moved Don to the Sabres’ corporate offices to head all their media sales including broadcast and cable advertising, Aud signage and Goal magazine. Don’s responsibilities grew to head of media sales for Niagara Frontier Sports Network across New York State, which later became Empire Sports Network. In 1992, he joined the nation’s largest cable company, TCI, as director of ad sales for the Buffalo region and later helped negotiate the merger with Adelphia, where he became director of sales, to create the ad sales cable interconnect for the eight counties of WNY. In 1995, he joined WNED-TV to start up the station’s first PBS underwriting sales department. He joined the Gannett Corporation in 1997 as local sales manager at WGRZ-TV.
Don finished his career in management at WGRZ-TV, retiring in 2007. He formed Angelo
Media Services and now works independently on projects from film, music and political advertising along with serving on the boards of the Buffalo Broadcasters Association and Buffalo Cultural Coalition.
Audio Archives
Video Archives