For 34 years, Irv Weinstein captivated audiences in Buffalo touching generations of listeners and viewers. But, after the Buffalo broadcasting behemoth passed away Tuesday afternoon after a battle with ALS, his impact on journalism in the Queen City is becoming even more apparent.
Steve Cichon calls Irv a "personal hero" and the former WBEN news director literally wrote the book on his idol: IRV! Buffalo's Anchorman The Irv, Rick & Tom Story.
"He was just a guy who was part of the family," Cichon said Wednesday. "Everybody knew who he was."
A Buffalo native, Cichon grew up watching Irv's nightly newscasts at the side of his father. It was these nights that pushed Cichon into a career in journalism and it was Irv who served as the "gold-standard".
"Whether I was doing it consciously or not, you have Irv to live up to as a news person in Buffalo," he explained. "And we're still dealing with that to this day."
Irv had that effect on a lot of people who worked, or still work, as journalists in Buffalo, Cichon explained.
"People who are behind microphones and TV cameras who grew up in Buffalo or grew up as journalists in Buffalo owe a large measure of who they are to Irv," he said.
