WROC began broadcasting in 1947 under the callsign WARC. It was an early affiliate of the
ABC radio network, but later changed to a locally programmed, personality-driven
popular music station. It was purchased by the
B. Forman regional department store chain in 1953 and changed its callsign to WBBF, the last three letters of which stood for "Buy B. Forman". In 1966 it was sold to
LIN Broadcasting for what was then a market record of over $2 million, but retained its popular music format and personality lineup until the early 1980s. As WBBF, 950 AM was a popular
top 40 music station in Rochester, often leading the market in ratings surveys from the 1950s through the early 1970s, and ranking among the city's top stations through the late 1970s even after strong format competition arrived in 1972 from
WAXC and later on the FM band from
WPXY. Consistent success was achieved although as a relative latecomer to the AM band in the postwar era, WBBF's coverage area had to be restricted to the east and west to prevent interference with other stations on the same frequency (
WWJ in Detroit and
WIBX in Utica). In 1982, as hit music radio listeners were migrating to FM, the station evolved into a
talk format. WBBF remained a talk station through the mid-1980s, then switched to an
oldies format. Then in 1987, it became a
classic country station. As WBBF and later WEZO, from 1990 to 2000, the station carried an
adult standards format. The WROC call sign was adopted in 2002 when the station adopted a second-tier
conservative talk format featuring
The Laura Ingraham Show and
The Radio Factor; the station switched to
progressive talk radio upon the launch of
Air America Radio in 2004, a format it held until 2008, when it adopted its current sports format. The
WBBF calls are now in use in
Buffalo, New York. On September 2, 2008, WROC
affiliated with
ESPN Radio and was branded "ESPN Rochester". On December 8, 2021, the station was rebranded as "95.7 The Fan", replacing ESPN content with content from Audacy-owned networks
BetQL and
CBS Sports Radio. Local programming on the station remained unchanged. WROC was rebranded "WGR Rochester" at 11 p.m. on February 22, 2026, and replaced most
Westwood One Sports programming with a simulcast of Buffalo sister station
WGR; the station breaks away from the simulcast in early afternoons for its locally-produced show,
The Sports Bar hosted by Gene Battaglia, which had aired in afternoon drive before the change. ==Programming==