Connecticut's First AM & FM Stations Sold

Glenn O at WDRC-FM in 2000

The Buckley family has owned all or part of WDRC radio in Hartford for the past 57 years.   It is also remarkable in this notoriously changeable business that WDRC has only had two owners since radio pioneer Franklin Doolittle first set up shop in New Haven in 1922.   This heritage itself is a good enough reason why the sale of WDRC AM & FM along with three other Connecticut AM outlets is a big deal.  A relatively new company, Connoisseur Media, will be purchasing Buckley's Connecticut stations in the next few months.   

While some radio folks may bemoan the loss of another independently owned cluster of stations to a larger and growing company, I see it as a good fit.   Buckley had already made significant cutbacks as it competed with a standalone FM against two of the biggest corporate players in the industry.  CBS and Clear Channel have dominated the Hartford market as owners of multiple FM stations.   Connoisseur seems to have a good reputation already in Connecticut operating WPLR, WEZN and more in the New Haven/Bridgeport market(s).    That should bode well for the staff at WDRC.   Yes, we've heard the "no big changes" falsehoods in the instances of other radio station sales, but I think WDRC has been largely on track for some time now.   They've had to make some tough decisions. That should make them positioned for a better transition now.   As a former employee, I hope I'm correct.   Some of the people I worked with from 1993-2002 are still there.   WDRC, a station so many of us grew up with, was a highlight of my years in radio.