Buffalo Radio: Bans Bon Jovi Songs

The region’s top three radio groups – Entercom, Cumulus and Townsquare Media – that own 10 FM music stations have stopped playing Bon Jovi songs here in a protest of the belief that the Toronto group Jo Bon Jovi has aligned with may buy the Buffalo Bills and eventually move them north, according to The Buffalo News.

Bon Jovi

The reason for Buffalo radio’s way of making a statement less crass, but certainly equally as effective as Andre Reed’s R-rated comment directed at Bon Jovi last week, is simple, explained Entercom General Manager Greg Ried.

He said Entercom’s WTSS 102.5 FM Star stopped playing Bon Jovi’s tunes weeks ago after getting complaints.

“There is a saying in radio: ‘You only get hurt from what you air and not from what you don’t air,’ ” explained Ried. “The listeners don’t want to hear it, and we listen to them.”

Local radio certainly wasn’t about to change its tune after reading the letter carried in Sunday’s Buffalo News that Bon Jovi wrote to Bills fans in a public relations move that appears to have backfired.

John Hager, the program director of two Cumulus stations, WGRF 96.9 FM 97 Rock and Sports Radio WHDL 1270 AM The Fan, said the group’s local FM stations have stopped playing Bon Jovi as well. Besides 97 Rock, Cumulus owns WEDG 103.3 FM The Edge and Classic Hits WHTT 104.1 FM.

Rich Chiaino, general manager of the local Townsquare Media stations, which includes WBUF 92.9 FM JackFM said a former brand manager suggested WBUF, 92.9, which is called Jack FM, start a Ban Bon Jovi Summer. The station declared itself a Bon Jovi-Free Zone in early June.

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