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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

A Bittersweet Anniversary

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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