WDRC

(L-R) Joey Reynolds, Don Wade, Dick Robinson, Lee Vogel, Ken Griffin and Sandy Beach.

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, running CBS programming.

PD Charlie Parker and Music Director Bertha Porter in the middle.

By 1960, as network radio entertainment programming was on the wane, WDRC’s program director Charlie Parker developed a new “personality radio” format called Radio Fun. Charlie Parker promised that listeners would have fun when they tuned in, and his new “radio fun” format ruled Hartford’s airwaves throughout the 60s and 70s. Parker, together with music director Bertha Porter - who had an incredible talent for picking hits - led WDRC to the top of the ratings for young listeners.

During these years WDRC had many popular air personalities including Dick Robinson, Joey Reynolds, Sandy Beach, Brad Davis, Ken Griffin, Dick McDonough, Jim Raynor, Jerry Bishop, Ron Landry, Long John Wade, Kent Clark and Joel Cash.

Dick Robinson on October 21, 1965. [ LISTEN ] (9:20)

Robinson spent 13 years at WDRC, first as the station's evening jock, later as vice-president, and station manager. He also ran his own radio station, Legends 100.3 (WLML) Lake Park, Florida, and a chain of 12 broadcasting schools with locations from Massachusetts to Florida.

When WDRC dropped CBS and launched a pop music format, Charlie Parker billed his airstaff as The Friendly Five (the originals were Ron Landry, Art Johnson, Jerry Bishop, Jim Raynor and Gene Anthony). When the staff expanded to six in September 1963, they were renamed The Swinging Six. This particular group was the primary weekday staff in 1966; "Long John's other brother," Don, was the sixth, filling in for the regulars and hosting Saturday and Sunday shifts.

In August, 1966 Vice president and general manager William Crawford announced the signing of a lease for the entire 15th floor at WDRC's previous address, 750 Main Street. It was a 20-year agreement and while renovations began immediately it was believed the station wouldn't begin moving until November.

In 1967 WDRC's oldies album, Color Me OBG was released.

Here is Don Berns jocking on August 25, 1967.
[ LISTEN ] (31:37)

WDRC FM received FCC permission to increase output from 7 to 17.5kw effective radiated power.

A new 50,000 watt FM transmitter was installed in May of 1967 and WDRC studios moved downtown to 750 Main Street.

For the first time, separate programming was broadcast on WDRC FM during certain hours with a new staff of deejays including Bradley Field, Kent Clark and Don Berns. When WDRC moved back to 750 Main Street in June, 1967, it occupied the 15th floor of the same building it was housed in between 1936-54 (on the 16th floor). The studio complex was a showcase visible from the area outside the elevator and inside the lobby.

BIG D GRUDGE RACES
Since much of WDRC's target audience was young men - whose interest in hot cars was only surpassed by their interest in young ladies. The Big D frequently promoted car-related events. LEFT: 1967 when WDRC personalities Joey Reynolds and Sandy Beach staged a grudge match at Connecticut Dragway.

Shaped like a "Big D," it was raised a foot above floor level and built on a special floating structure to minimize noise. All the wiring ran underneath the floor. Acoustical plaster covered the studio walls for additional soundproofing.

On February 29, 1968 after John Jaeger's 20% interest is purchased by his partner, the company name is changed to Buckley Broadcasting Corporation of Connecticut.

The floor plan of WDRC's new studios at 750 Main Street in Hartford in 1967.

Master Control at the new studios.

In March, 1968 Assistant general manager and program director Charlie Parker was named vice president of programming.

Ken Griffin began hosting a late-night underground music show, Scene of the Unheard, from 11PM-1AM in August of 1968. Originally aired six nights a week (and later just on Saturday), it was marketed as the first program of its type on a major station in America. The Hartford Courant (Sunday, October 6, 1968, p.16, Home Entertainment Section) reported major record labels were "bending over backwards to provide" WDRC with product.

Also in 1968 salesman Michael Boudreau replaced William Crawford as vice president and general manager. The following year, Richard S. Korsen replaced Michael Boudreau as vice president and general manager. Korsen previously worked at KGIL San Fernando and WWTC Minneapolis.

THE SWINGING SIXTY SURVEY

Big D began airing contemporary music in the months leading to the format change on August 18, 1960. The survey pictured to the left is from May 23, 1960 and listed the top pop records of the week. The date the first Swinging 60 Survey was issued is unknown.

Swinging 60 provided diversity for listeners and made the station a haven for record promoters. Big D was known for breaking new hits.

Intense competition from WPOP made Hartford an important market for record companies to try new acts.

If a single made a Hartford playlist, it was on the way nationally. Not only were weekly playlists distributed in record stores, but for many years they were also published each week in The Hartford Courant, Hartford Times or New Britain Herald.

The last WDRC Swinging Sixty Survey was issued May 15, 1967. The first WDRC Hit Parade Survey was issued May 22, 1967. On October 28, 1968 the first WDRC Big D Big Sound Survey was issued.

That title was dropped altogether in the playlist issued October 20, 1978. Year-end lists were printed in the newspaper, appearing as Hartford's Best Selling Sixty through 1969 - after that they were listed as Hartford's (100) Best Selling Songs.

Morning man Bob DeCarlo, circa 1970.

Mobile Studio D debuts October 13, 1972.

In September of 1969 WDRC-FM began operating in multiplex stereo. On January 1, 1970 WDRC AM/FM began broadcasting 24 hours a day with overnight host Dik Haddad.

In February 1971 Bob DeCarlo voiced a promo for WDRC's new weekend program, "American Top 40" February 14, 1971 - WDRC AM/FM debuted a new nationally syndicated program, American Top 40, hosted by Los Angeles deejay Casey Kasem.

It aired every Sunday night from 7-10PM. In September it moved to 8-11PM. Later the show expanded to four hours, reflecting the increasing length of hit records and the time required to play the top 40. Starting in June 1981, AT40 was aired Sunday mornings as well.

On September 28, 1972, in an effort to differentiate 102.9 from 1360 in the minds of listeners, WDRC-FM began airing five hours a day of Solid Gold on the new Jim Scott show. In 1973, the station began calling itself "Big D 103," and employed a Top 40 format. In 1977, the station flipped to album rock, with a much deeper playlist than its rivals WCCC and WHCN.

Eventually (1977) WDRC moved out of 750 Main Street, Hartford, and relocated studios and offices to the remodelled transmitter building at 869 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield.

April 7, 1978 - The weekly issue of The Big D Sound Survey proclaimed a new slogan for WDRC FM. The station switched to an exclusive album format, giving it the first 24-hour identity totally distinct from WDRC AM. By October, all on-air references were to D103.

In April, 1979 a Hartford Courant TV Week column detailed how WDRC FM had tried album-oriented rock, modified AOR, and was now primarily an oldies format with singles- oriented album rock. WDRC AM was described as playing standard Top 40 music.

Due to positive listener feedback, in 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.

Here's Allan Camp at WDRC-FM in 1980. Back when 'DRC-FM was marketing themselves as "Big D 103" Camp was a regualr on both AM & FM. His style is easygoing, smooth, and intelligent - perfect for Connecticut. [ LISTEN ] (3:43)

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, Eagles, James Taylor, and others into the mix.

July 1985

The station also began adding about a dozen or so songs from the 1980s by oldies artists, playing about one every couple of hours. They also began decreasing pre-1964 era music; eventually eliminating them all, and a lot of 1980s music was added becoming more of a classic hits station. The station also became heavily based in the 1970s, playing only a few 1960s songs per hour.

To appease traditional oldies fans, WDRC-FM launched an internet radio 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 product, 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 once every 90 minutes. By 2008, the station began increasing 1980s songs to about one per hour. Its HD-2 station now plays a blend of 1950s and 1960s oldies focusing on the pre-1964 era.

WHO WORKED AT WDRC? Here is the list: Don Berns, Bob DeCarlo, Bill Hart, Joe 'Highgear' Hager, Jim Harrington, Steve Jay, Tom Kelly, Mike McCann, Alan Michaels, Ed Mitchell, Jim Nettleton, Jim Peters, Rabbett, Joey Reynolds, Bill Rock, Mike Taylor, and Lee Vogel.

Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Rock Radio Scrapbook, WDRCBG, WWUH.