By Michael Mroziak
Buffalo, NY – The Am-Pol Eagle, Buffalo's community newspaper, will honor 2010 Citizens of the Year Sunday.
The Am-Pol Eagle honors members and organizations of the Polish-American community in the region each year.
WBFO'S Mark Wozniak, a 30-year-plus employee of UB's NPR station was named in the media category. Wozniak currently serves as host of WBFO'S All Things Consider, week days, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on 88.7 FM.
Wozniak along with other award winners will be honored during a luncheon Sunday afternoon at the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga.
WBFO congratulates Mark and all the awards for their achievements in the Buffalo community.
The following is Am-Pol Eagle's listing of 2010 Citizens of the Year recipients:
Business -
The Rutowski Family pharmacies
Community Organization - Pulaski Police Assn.
Culture - Sophie Hodorowicz-Knab
Fraternal - Dunkirk Dom Polski Good Neighbor -
Canadian Polish Congress - Niagara District
Government - Steven J. Stepniak
Heritage - Dr. Margaret Stefanski
Humanitarian - David Zablotny
Individual in Organizations - Frances Cirbus
Law - Hon. Henry J. Nowak, Jr.
Media - Mark Wozniak
Music - Emily Tworek -Helenbrook
Politics - Kevin Smardz
Religion - Sr. Judith M. Kubicki, CSSF
Science - Leonard Amborski
Sports - Rob Gronkowski
Youth - Gabrielle Pawlowski
WBFO News reporter Michael Mroziak wrote a feature on Wozniak's career for the Am-Pol Eagle. The following his Mroziak's complete article:
'10 Media - Mark Wozniak
For more than three decades, he's provided one of the enduring voices on Buffalo radio. In addition to providing news and information to local public radio audiences, he helped spread the sweet and happy sounds of polka over those same airwaves. For his many years of service in Buffalo broadcasting, the Am-Pol Eagle is pleased to honor Mark Wozniak as its Citizen of the Year in the category of Media. "I grew up in the late 1960s, the golden years' of AM personality radio, listening mainly to Buffalo's WKBW," said Wozniak. "I love the music of the era, and enjoyed listening to the disc jockeys."
Wozniak began his own radio career at WCPR, based on the campus of the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. After graduation, Wozniak returned to Western New York and worked in data processing at a local bank for a few years, then became a disc jockey for a local bar.
"There I met Bob Chapman, who hosted a 1950s music show on WBFO called When Rock Was Young'," explained Wozniak. "I became the show's engineer as a volunteer in summer 1978, before being hired in November 1979."
Less than a year after beginning work at WBFO as a paid employee, he found an opportunity to host a polka show that aired on the station, "Polka Sunday With Friends." Wozniak explained that its regular host, the late Stan Sluberski, was on disability leave from his railroad job and reluctant to go on the air. Wozniak overheard WBFO program director David Benders talk about the need for a new host, and the young and eager recent hire offered to step in.
"I met Stan that Sunday, and followed his instructions and playlist," said Wozniak. "I enjoyed it, and offered to continue until Stan's on-air return. When he was ready to come back a few weeks later, he asked if I wanted to stay on with him. It was the most fun I've had during my radio career, and it lasted for six years."
Wozniak notes that while he was paid for his on-air work during the week, he co-hosted the polka show as a volunteer. It gave him the opportunity to meet some of polka's greats including Frank Wojnarowski, Ray Henry, Eddie Blazonczyk, Walt Solek, Marion Lush, Jimmy Sturr, and numerous Buffalo-based musicians and bands.
While he enjoyed volunteering as WBFO's polka host, he couldn't refuse the opportunity to play polkas and get paid for it. While keeping his weekday hours at WBFO, Wozniak made the jump to WHTT-AM to work weekends with Stan Jasinski.
"Working for Stan was a wonderful learning experience in radio, and I learned much about Buffalo's Polish-American community," said Wozniak. "One of the first commercials he had me do was for the old Lucki-Urban store. It was quite an experience to end the spot with the Gene Wisniewski jingle that I remembered hearing when I was a little kid!"
Wozniak held his position with Stan Jasinski for 13 years, leaving reluctantly when his son Alex became ill with cancer. Alex passed away from his illness in 2004 at the age of 16. From this loss, though, comes a valuable life lesson Mark Wozniak embraces today.
"After our journey with Alex, I believe I learned more about compassion, which is an important trait not only when speaking to someone on the radio, but when I am talking with someone in person." Wozniak remains with WBFO today, heard daily by fans of the National Public Radio affiliate. For many years Wozniak hosted local segments during NPR's "Morning Edition" but more recently was moved to afternoons to host local segments during NPR's program "All Things Considered."
"The quality of NPR radio journalism has been my major inspiration, and the reason I loved working at WBFO for 30 years," said Wozniak. "I enjoy the challenge of making WBFO program segments match the quality of the NPR broadcasts, both in content and in presentation." When his days at WBFO finally end, Wozniak plans to pursue his genealogy and Western New York history research, and would be interested in "some sort of library, archivist, or history position for a new job."
In the meantime, the Am-Pol Eagle honors Mark Wozniak as one of Buffalo radio's longtime voices by naming him our Citizen of the Year in Media.