A battle between different breeds: WBEN, WGR are locked in a struggle for AM supremacy. (Buffalo, New York radio stations) (Special Report: Advertising/PR/Media)

Their days begin pretty much the same way.

An alarm sounds in a quiet Williamsville home. Three o'clock. Tom Bauerle drags himself out of bed to prepare for work.

Bill Lacy, a short distance away in Amherst, allows himself a few precious extra minutes of sleep. But he also is up and about by 3:30.

Both dress quickly. They are the point men for prominent local companies, but their jobs do not require business suits. Bauerle pulls on a blue, open-necked shirt. Lacy chooses a white pullover with blue horizontal stripes.

On to work. The two men head to different sections of Buffalo, but their commutes are equally unremarkable, just a quick drive along a nearly deserted expressway. It's now a few minutes before 5.

This is where the similarities end.

Lacy and Bauerle both host morning radio programs, that's true. But what's important is the differences between them, mirroring the larger differences between their employers, WBEN and WGR, two stations locked in a battle for local AM supremacy.

Longevity

* Mornings: Lacy is a fixture on Buffalo radio. He has been with WBEN for 12 years, the last eight as host of the "Good Morning Show."

Bauerle also is a …