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WBEN Buffalo All Local

WBEN Buffalo All Local offers a center-leaning perspective with a focus on local and national policy issues, often providing supportive coverage of certain political figures.

213
Episodes transcribed
Sep 2025Aug 2026 covered
132
Episodes analyzed
259 tone reads — one per figure per episode
Booster
Boosts Hochul
thin read

What This Tone Is Based On

The tone scores on this page come from analyzing how this show covers each political figure it mentions. Below is the breakdown of how many of those reads were positive, neutral, or negative.

Positive10942%
Neutral10440%
Negative4618%

Net media tone Slightly Positive across 259 figure-in-episode tone reads (not audience/impressions).

How WBEN Buffalo All Local Differs from Other Shows

Compared to 171 outlets · Sep 2025–Aug 2026

Overall this show runs more favorable than the rest of the media — mean tone +0.07 vs the media's -0.13.

How its coverage of these figures differs from other shows
  • Kathy Hochul+0.44more favorable vs. other shows
    Show +0.22Other shows↓↓ -0.22
    33 eps
  • Marco Rubio+0.15more favorable vs. other shows
    Show +0.28Other shows +0.13
    12 eps
  • Chuck Schumer+0.13more favorable vs. other shows
    Show -0.17Other shows↓↓ -0.31
    12 eps

Delta = this show's tone toward the figure minus the average across all 171 other tracked outlets that covered them ≥3 times, Sep 2025–Aug 2026.
Positive = friendlier here; negative = harsher.

Editorial Identity

The editorial fingerprint of this center local news show — who it elevates, who it goes after, and where it breaks from the pack.

WBEN Buffalo All Local is a center-leaning news program that emphasizes policy-driven coverage, particularly on issues like federal spending, healthcare, and national security. The show tends to cover political figures with a supportive tone, especially those like Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani, while maintaining a critical stance on others such as Chuck Schumer. It operates with a focus on policy over scandal or character, reflecting a preference for substantive discussion over sensationalism.

Who it champions

The show frequently champions figures like Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani, offering them more favorable coverage compared to the broader media landscape. It also supports issues such as federal spending and healthcare, giving them significant airtime and generally positive coverage.

How it differs from the consensus

WBEN Buffalo All Local stands out by providing notably more favorable coverage of figures like Zohran Mamdani and Kathy Hochul than the media average. This supportive stance is a distinctive feature, as is its focus on policy issues like federal spending and healthcare, which it covers more extensively than typical outlets.

129 episodes · 68 figures · Sep 4, 2025 – Aug 14, 2026 · updated Aug 20, 2026

Who WBEN Buffalo All Local boosts and attacks

Tracked figures split by this show's average tone toward them, each with the clips behind the call — tap a quote to jump to the audio.

WBEN Buffalo All Local is a reliable ally to Kathy Hochul, Marco Rubio; its prime targets are Chuck Schumer.

Boosted · 2

Coverage Volume

Transcribed episodes per week — last 26 weeks

Sentiment Trajectory

Average weekly tone toward figures — green favorable, red critical

Whose coverage is ramping up — and dropping

New attack lines forming: Anthony Fauci (0→3 eps, tone -0.40). Cooling on Graham Platner.

“Across N days” = distinct days behind the recent count; a single burst means it’s concentrated in ≤2 days — treat as one story, not a trend.

Show organizations & places →
Organizations
WBEN208
Fox News146
WBEN. com News143
WBEN Newsroom100
Buffalo80
Sabres77
Buffalo Bills58
Senate55
CBS53
National Weather Service53
Places
Buffalo196
Western New York154
New York113
United States78
White House60
New York City48

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