Sheila Brown, the CEO of Vision Multi-Media and the owner of WUFO 1080 AM and Power 96.5 FM, is a trailblazer in the media industry. The station is Buffalo’s first and only Black-owned radio station.
Brown is also the first Black woman to own a radio station in Western New York, a feat she achieved in 2013 after working her way up from an entry-level saleswoman to a sales manager at WUFO.
Her career in media started by accident when general manager Jesse Key, who had seen her personality at an event where she was working for the American Red Cross, offered her a position in sales at WUFO. Brown took the job despite having a stable career at the Red Cross and said it was her faith in God that allowed her to take that leap into a career that has spanned over three decades.
Brown had a vision for WUFO, founded in 1962 as Buffalo’s first Black-oriented radio station. She wanted to move it from a residential street on LaSalle Avenue to the African American Heritage Corridor on Broadway in downtown Buffalo, where millions of cars pass by daily.
She also wanted to add an FM channel to the WUFO brand, which she did with Power 96.5, giving the station a bigger footprint in the industry and allowing it to have syndicated shows and morning shows.
Brown’s mission is to preserve and promote the history and culture of Black radio in Buffalo. She is opening a museum dedicated to the history of Black radio in Buffalo later this year, where she will display 56 years of memorabilia from WUFO.
She said WUFO is more than just a radio station; it is a platform for the Black community to have their voices heard and their issues addressed.
In 1998, after 14 years of working at WUFO, Shelia Brown decided it was time to go when new management came in and started making changes. Eight years later, she came back and bought the place.
“I looked at the building, waved and said don’t worry baby, I’ll be back.”
The road to ownership wasn’t easy, but Brown wouldn’t stop until she achieved her dream.
“I went through everything; we had banks say no three times before they said yes, credit unions said no your business plan needs to be updated, but True Bethel and Bishop Darius Pridgen had faith in me.”
Growing up in the Hamlin Park area as the youngest of three siblings, Brown knew she was destined for great things. She credits her success to her strong support system, husband, and family.
“My uncles coming to see us would go he,y here comes our superstar. Not saying it to boost me but just positive affirmation, so I never was afraid of anything I would do.”
That positivity gave her the courage to add an F.M. channel to the WUFO brand with Power 96.5.
“I was able to take an A.M. band and move it from off LaSalle Avenue, which was a residential street; no one knew we were there, to downtown Buffalo, where we have millions of cars passing by every day.”
With the station’s long-standing success, Brown paved the way for many well-known DJs and had many notable guests, including Mayor Byron Brown’s weekly Talk of the Town. Brown also has the WUFO History Collective, which preserves 56 years of memorabilia.
“Since we’ve been F.M., we were able to get morning and syndicated shows, which gave us a real footprint in the industry.”
But with success comes struggle. At the beginning of February, a former employee was awarded a nearly $500,000 judgement in a discrimination lawsuit against the station. While not addressing the case specifically, Brown says she doesn’t have time for employees who “want to bring confusion to the team.”
“You do the best you can; wipe it off. You can’t let nothing get you down because you know what God has promised you and what you promised yourself.”
Instead, Brown chooses to look toward the future. She continues to grow her brand as a published author and self-made entrepreneur, and more importantly, she is paving the way for those who come after her.
“It feels good, but it’s sad in 2021. We’re still talking about the first, if anything, but I’m proud that the Lord used me as the first woman of colour to own a radio station. The Vice President said she might be the first, but not the last, so my goal is to prepare other people.”
