Eileen Buckley
Eileen Buckley is an award-winning radio news reporter who actually began her radio career as an intern at WBFO in 1984. In 2005, she celebrated her 20th year in radio broadcasting. At WBFO, Eileen produces and reports on in-depth features and spot news stories for broadcast during local segments of Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She has also provided National Public Radio with reports of stories of interest from the Buffalo Niagara region.
Eileen's wide range of radio experience includes news anchoring, reporting, public affairs programming and radio production. She has spent most of her career as a news reporter at several top radio stations in Buffalo and Albany, including WBEN, WGR, WNED-AM, WROW & WGNA and now WBFO.
In the spring of 2005, Eileen received the Buffalo AFL-CIO Media award in recognition of her coverage of labor and union issues. The award cited Eileen's commitment to covering local labor issues while maintaining journalist integrity. Eileen also received special mentions from the Associated Press in 2005 for team coverage of the on-going Erie County budget crisis and the 27th Congressional race.
In 2004, Eileen received first place honors for Best Continuing news coverage of Western New York's response to the Iraqi war from the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Radio contest. Eileen also received four special mentions from the Associated Press in 2004 for continuing coverage of the James Kopp murder trial, enterprise reporting on a heartburn drug, a feature on the Moscow Nutcracker and for coverage of the Buffalo Sabres bankruptcy.
In 2003, Eileen received first place honor for the Art Athens Award for General Excellence of Individual Reporting from the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association. The awarded recognized her coverage of the Lackawanna Six story. Her reports were broadcast nationwide on National Public Radio. She was the first to report on NPR from the scene of the FBI raids in Lackawanna the evening of the arrests. Eileen was also featured on Fox Television providing analysis of the court proceedings.
During her time as a reporter at WGR-AM Radio she earned New York State Associated Press Broadcaster Awards for trial coverage, in 1992, of former Buffalo Parks Commissioner Robert Delano. She also earned two team coverage awards from the Associated Press for reports on the "I-190 Steel Coil Crash" and the "Niagara Falls Tour Helicopter Crash". In 1993, Eileen was awarded NYS Associated Press Broadcaster Awards for the "Tool Box Bombings" and "Law Enforcement Tragedy". In 1997 she was awarded the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from Medaille College, from where she graduated in 1985.
Eileen has remained actively involved in the community. In the mid to late 90's she served, served as a board of director for the Greater Buffalo Youth Ballet in Buffalo, New York, assisting with media coverage and press information as well as emcee of fundraising events. From 1993-95 she a board of director for the Empire State Ballet in Buffalo from 1993-95.
Eileen enjoys ballet dancing in her spare time. She is married to Mark Buckley, who spent 20 years in the television news business. They reside in Kenmore.
You can e-mail Eileen at ebuckley@wbfo.org. Her direct line is (716) 829-5778.
