Rochester, N.Y. — An iconic voice signed off the local airwaves Thursday.
Alan Levin, better known as Brother Wease, hosted the final edition of his morning talk show on Radio 95.1, he announced during the show.
The announcement came as Radio 95.1 was rebranded as Rock 95.1, changing from a talk to music format and shuffling personnel across properties owned by iHeartMedia in Rochester, according to Radio Insight.
As he made the announcement on-air, he said, “What’s happening is, this is my last show. They gave me a couple good opportunities but I can’t go out that way. I can’t be in the National Broadcast Hall of Fameand have people that know me all over America and see the headline in the trades tomorrow ‘Brother Wease To Host Weekend Morning Music Show’. I can’t go out that way. I was up all night. I was gonna do it, I was prepared.” He later noted that he was also offered a two hour Sunday night Liberal Talk show on 1180 WHAM. Instead, he and his son Jake will launch a podcast in January 2026.
A member of the Radio Hall of Fame, the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, Wease has been a fixture of Rochester radio for 40 years.
Wease hosted a highly rated morning talk show on 96.5 WCMF from 1985 to 2008 that earned national recognition, before he moved down the dial to 95.1 for the last 17 years.
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Listeners noted 95.1’s talk programming had been filled with previously recorded content for the last week.
“We’re excited to bring a fresh, authentic rock experience to Rochester,” Bob Morgan, president of iHeartMedia for Upstate New York, said in a statement published by Radio Insight. “Rock 95.1 is built for fans who live and breathe rock, and we’re proud to deliver the music and personalities they crave.”