Today marked forty years since I first did a radio show. I nervously covered the 4-8:30pm shift on 1220 WKBK/Keene, NH... a 1000-watt local AM in a college town. Today I marked the anniversary by filling in 6-10am on 1400 WILI/Willimantic, CT... another 1000-watt local AM in a college town. The celebration - or absolute amazement I'm still on the air - was somewhat muted. News arrived that the entire air staff was let go at the legendary WDRC-FM/Hartford. This shocker came on the day 57-year owner Buckley turned control of WDRC AM & FM to Connoisseur Media based downstate. I know these longtime WDRC people. While I've been the target of termination plenty of times since 1974, this corporate housecleaning shook the broadcasting community in Connecticut. I grew up on WDRC. I worked at WDRC longer than anywhere else in my extensive radio past. Baby Boomers have had a special connection to "Hartford's Big D" since 1960. While the music may not change much, the air product will be a cloned corporate presentation similar to the new owner's B103/Long Island. Will they get away with it? Probably, but folks in the know around here realize that this was the day the Big D died.
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