Career Spanning Over Half a Century Comes to an End with Brian Cunningham's Retirement
Brian Cunningham Retires from Crawford Broadcasting After Distinguished Career
Brian Cunningham, a veteran radio engineer with nearly 56 years of experience, has announced his retirement from Crawford Broadcasting. Cunningham, who spent nearly half of his career with Crawford, served as chief engineer for the company's Buffalo and Rochester, New York radio stations.
Cunningham's career began in his youth in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where he worked part-time at local radio station WKOA(AM) due to his father's company sponsoring a two-hour radio show. His preference for engineering tasks over on-air roles guided his career path into broadcast engineering. In 1991, after moving to Orchard Park, New York, he worked in maintenance engineering before joining S&B Communications and eventually Crawford Broadcasting in a contract and then full-time capacity.
Cunningham's contributions to Crawford Broadcasting were significant. As chief engineer, he oversaw three full-power signals and two translators, ensuring technical operations essential to the stations' broadcast quality and reliability. His work was instrumental in the creation of Crawford's new Buffalo studios and transmitter plants.
Upon his retirement in 2025, Crawford's director of engineering, Cris Alexander, expressed his appreciation for Cunningham in the July Local Oscillator newsletter. Alexander lauded Cunningham's ability to "think on his feet" during off-air emergencies and noted his exceptional care and professionalism. He also mentioned that Cunningham has cast a net "far and wide" to replace him in his role.
Medical issues were cited as the reason for Cunningham's retirement. Alexander hinted that there might be a possibility of Cunningham working for Crawford Broadcasting again in the future.
Crawford Broadcasting currently operates three full-power signals and two translators in Buffalo and Rochester, New York. Readers can email our [email protected] to comment on this article. There is a related article titled "A Workbench Featuring Cunningham's Advice on Checking Backups".
[1] Crawford Broadcasting, "Brian Cunningham Retires After Distinguished Career", July 2025, Local Oscillator newsletter. [3] Crawford Broadcasting, "Technical Operations Essential to Stations' Broadcast Quality and Reliability", July 2025, Local Oscillator newsletter.
- Brian Cunningham, a veteran radio engineer, spent nearly half of his career with Crawford Broadcasting, overseeing three full-power signals and two translators, thus ensuring the technical operations essential to the stations' broadcast quality and reliability.
- Cunningham's work was instrumental in the creation of Crawford's new Buffalo studios and transmitter plants, demonstrating his expertise in the media industry's technology and finance.
- Upon retirement in 2025 due to medical issues, Cris Alexander, Crawford's director of engineering, lauded Cunningham's exceptional abilities, including his on-the-spot problem-solving skills during off-air emergencies.
- In the radio industry, Cunningham's preference for engineering tasks over on-air roles guided his career path, leading him to work with S&B Communications and eventually joining Crawford Broadcasting in a contract and then full-time capacity.
- The media industry may see a return of Cunningham to Crawford Broadcasting in the future, according to hints dropped by Cris Alexander in the Local Oscillator newsletter.
