WDRC-FM (102.9
FM) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
with a
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...
format licensed to
Hartford, Connecticut. The station began broadcasting in 1959 and was the first commercial
FM station
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capa ...
in the Hartford radio market. The station is owned by John Fuller's Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation, with studios located on Blue Hills Avenue (
Connecticut Route 187
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
) in
Bloomfield, Connecticut with other radio stations and a transmitter site in
Meriden, Connecticut.
History
![WDRC-FM advertisement (1943)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/WDRC-FM_advertisement_%281943%29.jpg)
WDRC-FM traces its roots to the Doolittle Radio Company, which established what would become
WDRC (AM)
WDRC (1360 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. It is owned by Red Wolf Broadcasting and airs a talk radio format. The studios and transmitter site are located on Blue Hill Avenue (Connecticut Route 187) in Bloomfiel ...
in 1922. In 1941, Doolittle upgraded an experimental
FM station
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capa ...
to a commercial license and used the call letters WDRC-FM. Doolittle sold the
FM station
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capa ...
in 1956 to General Broadcasting Corporation and the
AM station
AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transm ...
in 1959 to
Buckley Broadcasting
Buckley Broadcasting (or Buckley Radio) was an American broadcasting company that previously held radio stations in the states of New York, Rhode Island, California and Connecticut.
History
Buckley Broadcasting Radio was founded in 1954 as Buckl ...
. Buckley inherited a second FM license, which it used to establish the current WDRC-FM. The original WDRC-FM is now
WHCN
WHCN (105.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. It broadcasts a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is called "The River 105.9," a reference to the Connecticut River. The studios ...
.
The current WDRC-FM was issued a program test authority by the FCC on October 26, 1959. It officially signed on at 8:15 p.m. that same day. On August 31, 1966, WDRC-FM increased power from 7,000 to 17,500 watts, then to 50,000 watts the following May. It began broadcasting in stereo in September 1969. In 1973, the station began calling itself "Big D 103," and employed a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
format. In 1977, the station flipped to
album rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock.
Album-orient ...
, with a much deeper playlist than its rivals
WCCC (AM),
WCCC-FM, and
WHCN
WHCN (105.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. It broadcasts a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is called "The River 105.9," a reference to the Connecticut River. The studios ...
. However, by 1979, the station leaned Rock/AC, and then abruptly flipped back to
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
in early 1980. By 1984, WDRC-FM was an oldies-based
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
station, but only played oldies on the weekends. Due to positive listener feedback, on September 26, 1986, WDRC-FM became an oldies station full-time. At that point, the station focused on hits of 1964 to 1969, with about four songs per hour from the 1955-63 era. The station also played about one song from the early 1970s per hour. The AM station also offered
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...
until 1990. Core artists included
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
The Four Seasons,
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
,
Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
,
Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...
,
The Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
,
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...
, and
Dion, among others. The station also had quite high ratings, even being number one at least a few times.
The format continued throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s virtually unchanged. In August 2000, WDRC-FM stopped using the "Big D 103" name and became known as "Oldies 102.9 DRC-FM." The station stopped referring to themselves as "Oldies" a short time later. In 2001, WDRC-FM began playing several songs from the 1970s, adding artists like
Billy Joel,
Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
,
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
, and others into the mix. The station also began adding about a dozen or so songs from the 1980s by oldies artists, playing about one every couple of hours. It also began decreasing music from the pre-1964 era; eventually, all the pre-1964 oldies were eliminated, and a lot of 1980s music was added to the mix, becoming more of a
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980 ...
station. The station also became heavily based in the 1970s, playing only a few 1960s songs per hour along with about the same amount of 1980s’ hits. To appease traditional oldies fans, WDRC-FM launched an
internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
station playing music from 1955 to 1964.
In the winter of 2007, WDRC-FM slowly phased out most of the 1980s music, cutting that back to about one every couple hours. The station also increased the 1964 to 1969 era, making those songs core hits once again on a gradual basis. The amount of 1970s music was cut back slightly to about 5 per hour. The station even brought back select songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, playing them about once every 90 minutes. By 2008, the station began increasing 1980s songs to about one per hour. Its HD2 station now plays a blend of 1950s’ and 1960s’ oldies focusing on the pre-1964 era.
In the early 2010s, the main station identified itself as "Good Time Rock 'n' Roll", while occasionally using in the "Big D" moniker. Its music playlist once again focused on the 1960s from 1964 on, while also emphasizing 1970s hits and including a few 1980s songs. Jingles were also reintroduced in 2008. In late 2008, the station started adding
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
to the audio chain as well as improving the
audio processing, thus improving the overall audio quality of the station.
In 2011, Richard D. Buckley, Jr., president of Buckley Radio since 1972, died. On March 5, 2014, Buckley Broadcasting announced that it would sell its Connecticut radio stations, including WDRC-FM, to
Connoisseur Media.
The sale was consummated on July 7, 2014, at a price of $7,922,035.
On July 7, 2014, WDRC-FM changed its name to "102.9 DRC", and modified its slogan to "Classic Hits of the 70s, 80s and More." In addition, a majority of the station's airstaff was let go.
On January 20, 2015, at 10:29 a.m., after briefly
stunting with a loop of the old
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
theme "
Brass Bonanza
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1 ...
", WDRC-FM changed its format to classic rock, branded as "102.9 The Whale".
On January 15, 2018, it was announced that the station was sold to Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation. The deal included sister station “Talk of Connecticut”
WDRC 1360 Hartford and two of its three simulcasts,
WMMW 1470 Meriden and
WSNG
WSNG (610 AM) is a radio station licensed in Torrington, Connecticut, broadcasting a talk radio format. WSNG is simulcasting 1360 WDRC (AM), Hartford. The stations use the slogan "The Talk of Connecticut" featuring Mornings with Gary Byron and ...
610
Torrington, and translator W272DO 102.3
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
.
Ledyard broadcaster buys five Connecticut radio stations
/ref>
HD Radio
In 2008, WDRC-FM implemented HD Radio technology.
WDRC-HD2
HD2 is known as The Big D, uses old DRC-FM jingles, and plays mostly 1950s to mid-1960s oldies that the main channel does not (though the main channel played a handful of such songs up until its format adjustment in July 2014). It also mixes in a moderate amount of mid-to-late 1960s oldies as well.
WDRC-HD3
HD3 carries AM 1360 WDRC's talk format.
References
External links
*
{{Classic Rock Radio Stations in Connecticut
Bloomfield, Connecticut
DRC-FM
Classic rock radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1959
1959 establishments in Connecticut