Hartford Radio: Connoisseur To Close On WDRC AM/FM

Connecticut's oldest radio station, the place for "Radio Fun," home of the "Oldies But Goodies," and where listeners expected to have "More Fun With No. 1," has seen nearly a century's worth of progress and change.

N/T WDRC 1360 AM was once the "Home of the Hits," with a stable of celebrity disc jockeys including "The Friendly Five" and "The Swinging Six".  The station expects to start a new chapter today, with its longtime owners, Buckley Broadcasting, selling all its stations to Westport-based Connoisseur Media.

The Hartford Courant reports the company's flagship, WDRC and Classic Hits WDRC 102.9 FM, is one one of the nation's oldest, a longtime family-owned business that had loyal fans around Connecticut and Massachusetts.

WDRC 102.9 FM (19.5Kw) 54dBu Coverage

Connoisseur, which also owns WPLR, WYBC, the Fox and Star in Milford, has not announced what, if any, program and staff changes will be made when the sale is finalized for WDRC and stations WMMW AM in Meriden, WWCO AM in Waterbury and WSNG AM in Torrington. The purchase price has not been disclosed.

For many who grew up with "The Big D," the sale is a cause for nostalgia.

The Bloomfield-based station has moved as often as it switched owners. Founded as WFMQ in New Haven in 1922 by Franklin M. Doolittle — Doolittle Radio Corporation changed to WDRC in 1955 — the state's oldest radio station was sold to Richard Buckley and John Jaeger in 1957, with the Buckley Family taking full control in 1959. Initially part of the CBS Radio network, the station was considered a trailblazer, becoming one of the first to add an FM station. Both the AM and FM sides built a solid reputation over the years for newscasts, including two a day from The Courant newsroom in the 1940s, as well as cultural programs and music dominated by Top 40, album rock, classic hits and oldies.

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