1962-70: With Bill Siemering as general manager, WBFO is predominantly a student operation, although efforts are increasingly made to hire professional staff and provide community service. Local public and cultural affairs programs become the blueprint for All Things Considered, later created under Siemering's leadership as NPR program director.

1970-79: During this period of growth and professionalization, WBFO becomes a charter member of National Public Radio (NPR) and is certified by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for federal funding. All Things Considered, NPR's flagship radio news magazine, debuts in 1971, and Morning Edition, ATC's morning counterpart, debuts in 1979.

1972-74: Terry Gross and Ira Flatow, who later were to become NPR celebrities, begin their radio careers at WBFO. Terry hosts a daily three-hour live interview program, This is Radio, which evolves several years later into Fresh Air, broadcast on many NPR stations. Flatow, who will become host of NPR's Science Friday, serves as WBFO's news director during this period.

1979: Jazz programming expands to 74 hours a week under the leadership of the late John Hunt, WBFO's music director. WBFO becomes a national leader in recording and distributing live jazz sessions through NPR.

1982: The Sound of Swing, a weekly production hosted by Bob Rossberg, beings national syndication.

1985: WBFO expands its coverage area by increasing power from 770 watts to 20,000 watts.

1991: The 20th anniversary of All Things Considered is celebrated in Buffalo at a WBFO members' event featuring Susan Stamberg, Noah Adams and Bill Siemering.

1993: Federally funded WOLN 91.3 FM, Olean, signs on the air on March 17 as WBFO's first repeater station.

1994: WBFO's second repeater station in the Southern Tier, WUBJ 88.1 FM in Jamestown, signs on the air on July 11. The Sheldon, Gebbie, Hultquist and Carnahan-Jackson Foundations support construction of the facility.

     The station wins a special Buffalo Common Council Award for Local Music Programming, stating "WBFO has set a great example of how local music can be integrated in a jazz format."

1995: WBFO ties for first place as Best Radio Station in Buffalo. "The spirit and content of public radio is a breath of fresh air in this market," writes The Buffalo News media critic, Anthony Violanti.

1996: Don and Esther Davis establish an endowment for WBFO through the Don Davis Autoworld Fund.

1996: The Council for Advancement and Support of Education presents a Gold Award to WBFO for its series, The Bar Exam.

1998: WBFO extends the range of its signal by increasing power to 50,000 watts. A new audience, now including many Canadian listeners, discovers NPR News & Jazz.

     The Buffalo and Erie County Arts Council presents the station with the award for Best Media Supporter of the Arts.

1999: WBFO celebrates its 40th anniversary!

     The WBFO news team wins numerous state and national awards, including a first place national public radio award for a special program on manic depression.

     The Buffalo News commits $50,000 over a five year period to WBFO's Local Program Fund, enabling the station to add a third producer to its news team.

2000: The WBFO news team wins five NY Associated Press awards for local news reports and is named "Best Radio Station in Buffalo" for the second year in a row in a reader poll taken by Artvoice. "In a world always looking for 'the next big thing', public radio is a constant, classic source of reliable information and eclectic entertainment."

     WBFO undertakes a signal expansion project in Chautauqua County, supported by grants totaling $151,600 from five foundations.

     The UB Distinguished Alumni award is presented to Ira Flatow, former WBFO news director.

     WBFO begins web streaming on wbfo.org.

2001: William Siemering—former WBFO general manager, NPR cofounder and creator of All Things Considered—is awarded a doctorate in humane letters from SUNY.

     WBFO has experienced significant audience growth, from an estimated 21,000 listeners in 1985 to 94,000 in 2000, placing the station 11th in a ranking of 31 radio stations in WNY (Arbitron).

     Membership support has more than doubled since 1994, from $200,000 to $494,000.

     WBFO increases the power of its Jamestown repeater station at 88.1 FM, now providing a strong signal throughout Chautauqua County, including Fredonia.

2007: WBFO starts broadcasting its HD-2 station, XPoNential Radio, on March 21st.