ROD ALLEN
October 2, 1970 - July 2, 1972

Rod did his first show using the name "Rod Kennedy." He was originally hired to do 10AM-4PM on WDRC FM. He took over the all-night shift on AM/FM September 26, 1971. On January 30, 1972, Rod hosted a special he wrote and co-produced, with singer John Carter, explaining the meaning of Don McLean's hit song "American Pie."

PRIOR: WVAM Altoona, PA; WAAB Worcester, MA; WFEA Manchester, NH

AFTER: KBYR and KENI, both in Anchorage, AK

TODAY: Has lived in Alaska for many years; see his note (1-24-00). (e-mail)

MARK ANDREWS
Prior to April 14, 2001 - present

Born at Winsted Memorial Hospital, Mark graduated from The Gilbert School in 1983 then headed to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has led an interesting life outside of radio. He served in the U.S. Air Force (1985-89) and managed a hospital food and nutrition department. Mark's introduction to Hartford involved doing some high school football games on WDRC AM starting in 1998. He still works in a hospital setting by day and slips behind a DRC FM mic Sunday nights from 5 till 10PM to host The Sunday Night Sock Hop. He also fills in on other shifts from time to time.

PRIOR: WTOR Torrington, CT

AFTER:

TODAY: click to e-mail Mark

GENE ANTHONY
August 14, 1960 - June, 1961

Gene was the original utility man among The Friendly Five when Big D inaugurated a contemporary format in August, 1960. In addition to regular weekend music shifts, he filled in for the regulars and worked in the news department.

PRIOR: WSPR Springfield, MA

AFTER: WACE Chicopee, MA; WPOP Hartford, CT; WHAY/WRCH Farmington, CT; WCCC Hartford, CT; WHNB TV Hartford, CT; WELI New Haven, CT

TODAY: Gene is deceased.

BOB AVERY
September 1942 - ?

Little is known about Bob. He was hired as America ramped up to World War II. Within days between August and September 1942, WDRC lost announcers Edwin O'Connor, Elliott Miller, Ray Barrett, and Bob Provan to the Armed Services. Bob Avery was hired as a replacement based on his experience with the station owned by The Hartford Times.

PRIOR: WTHT Hartford, CT

AFTER:

TODAY: ?

BOB BACON
prior to August 12, 1959 - prior to January 9, 1960

Bob joined WDRC part-time while a student at Trinity College. Later he was half of the Bacon & Fay morning show (with Dick Fay) during the period before WDRC dropped CBS programming. During his days at WTIC he signed off his music show with the phrase, "This is Bob -- bringin' home the -- Bacon." Still later he opened an advertising agency.

PRIOR: WTIC Hartford, CT

AFTER: WCOP Boston, MA

TODAY: ?

JOE BARBARETTE
January, 1962 - May 18, 1968

A graduate of The Cambridge School of Radio & TV Class of 1955 (in New York), Joe began his career playing music in Bristol. He was hired from Buckley's co-owned Providence station as WDRC news director. He was a regular panelist of Channel 24's "Fourth Estate." He left to become press secretary for Connecticut Senator Thomas Dodd, later returning to radio.

PRIOR: WBIS Bristol, CT; WHIM Providence, RI

AFTER: WPOP Hartford, CT; WFTL Ft. Lauderdale, FL

TODAY: Joe retired from radio in 1977 and is in business in Gainesville, FL (2-5-00).

RAY BARRETT
February, 1937 - September 18, 1942

Ray lived in West Hartford and came to WDRC after teaching English and Public Speaking in New York City. He worked at other radio stations before WDRC, and worked at transcription companies and in commercial movies. He even had his own vaudeville act for three years! In May of 1941 he earned $65 a week as WDRC's Chief Announcer. His duties included hosting Music Off the Rack, from 7:00-7:5AM and 4:00-4:45PM and copy writing. Ray left WDRC to enlist in the Army as a volunteer officer candidate in September 1942; he was replaced as chief announcer by Harvey Olson.

PRIOR:

AFTER: WEAF New York, NY; WNBC New York, NY; NBC Radio & Television, New York, NY

TODAY: Ray died in January, 1973 in Ft. Lauderdale; read a note from his daughter (10-19-01).

JACK BARRY
prior to July 15, 1944 - ?

Jack lived at the YMCA on Pearl Street in Hartford while employed at WDRC during the war. He was a staff announcer. In August 1944 he was assigned to host a 15-minute daily broadcast of news at 8:00 a.m.

PRIOR:

AFTER:

TODAY: ?

E. GILBERT GIRARD BAYEK
December 8, 1936 - after May 28, 1941

Gilbert worked for several other radio stations before landing at WDRC in late 1936. Previously he had his own dance orchestra, wrote music and did arrangements for large orchestras. In 1941 he earned $43 a week as an announcer. He was the emcee of WDRC's "Strictly Swing Club" which boasted 13,000 members.

PRIOR:

AFTER: W47A Schenectady, NY

TODAY: ?

SANDY BEACH
January, 1965 - June 15, 1968

A native of Lunenberg MA, Sandy was working as Jack Diamond at WSPR in Springfield when Charlie Parker hired him for Big D's 10AM-1PM shift. He later did 1-4PM, then noon till 3, before taking over the morning drive show after the departure of Don Wade in October, 1967. His fondness for horses (remember his palomino, Kansas City, and his later horse, Apollo?) and his romance with Susan Butterfield, a local school teacher, were frequent on-air fodder. She later became his wife. Sandy's unusual laugh was recorded as a sound effect which still turns up on the air today.

PRIOR: WRAD Radford, VA; WFBF Great Barrington, MA; WFEA Manchester, NH; WSPR Springfield, MA; WWLP TV Springfield, MA

AFTER: WKBW Buffalo, NY; WBAP Dallas, TX; KYUU San Francisco, CA; WJET Erie, PA; WMJQ Buffalo, NY; WBEN Buffalo, NY; WGR Buffalo, NY; WZTR Milwaukee, WI

TODAY: Buffalo hears plenty of Sandy Beach every day; he plays music on WWKB from 10AM till noon and talks on WBEN afternoons from 3-6PM (3-28-05) (e-mail).

JAN BECKER
1988 - sometime after July 10, 1989

Jan was a news reporter and anchor.

PRIOR: WPOP Hartford/WIOF Waterbury

AFTER: WTIC Hartford

TODAY: Jan does local and national voiceover work through Look Talent in San Francisco (4-18-07)(e-mail)

LEE BECKMAN
prior to July 13, 1986 - late 1986

Lee's voice was heard on the all-night show.

PRIOR:

AFTER:

TODAY: ?

DON BERNS
July-September, 1967

The son of a West Hartford dentist ("the following is a Doctor and Mrs. Burns production...."), Don spent a summer on BIG D FM while a college student. But his interest in WDRC started when he was in high school; he and his best friend hired Sandy Beach to emcee a dance at Fern Park in West Hartford. During the summer between high school and Brown University, he was curious to see what a radio station looked like. Sandy was on the air at 'DRC and Don watched him work "for about five minutes before some office guy threw me out for not having an appointment." It's because of that incident that Don decided to get involved with the university station. His repertoire of character voices was probably influenced by Sandy and Joey Reynolds. In Providence, he was hired by Bob DeCarlo and also worked with Jim Harrington.

PRIOR: WBRU Providence, RI; WICE Providence, RI

AFTER: WTRY Troy, NY; WKBW Buffalo, NY; WPHD/WYSL Buffalo, NY; KLIF Dallas, TX; KFMB San Diego, CA; WGR Buffalo, NY; WHB Kansas City, MO; WTAE Pittsburgh, PA; CFNY, CKEY, CFNY, all Toronto, ONT; CING Burlington, ONT; CIDC Toronto; Virtually Canadian Broadcast Network, Toronto, ONT; CKDX Newmarket, ONT

TODAY: Today Don focuses on voice over work in the U.S. and Canada; see his note (1-28-07). (e-mail)

MICHAEL BERNZ
prior to April 18, 1987 - 1988

Michael's radio career began in 1975, hosting an evening AOR show in Groton.

PRIOR: WSUB A/F Groton, CT; WICH Norwich, CT; WCTY Norwich, CT

AFTER: WBMW Ledyard, CT

TODAY: Michael does weekends at Lite Rock 105 in Providence (e-mail).

JERRY BISHOP
prior to January 18, 1959 - July, 1963

Another charter member of The Friendly Five, Jerry started at WDRC before the switch to local programming in August, 1960. He was known on the air as "Jerry Blair" originally. This Hartford native graduated from Weaver High School, attended UCONN and earned a B.S. in Speech from Emerson College in Boston. As was common in the early sixties, Jerry did a split shift (10AM-12noon and 3-6PM), later settling into afternoon drive. Playing on the popularity of a popular "new" shopping center, his show was called "Bishop's Corner." In one memorable promotion, Jerry and Hartford Mayor DeLucco raised money for the Kiwanis by using their noses to push peanuts in front of the Old State House. The Mayor won--by a nose. Every Monday Jerry did his show from the WDRC parking lot - the Black Top Hop - featuring the newly released Swinging Sixty Survey. After moving to Hollywood, Jerry appeared in a 1973 episode of "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" on CBS TV.

PRIOR: WHUS Storrs, CT; WERS FM Boston, MA; WCCC Hartford, CT

AFTER: KLAC Los Angeles, CA; KFMB San Diego, CA; KFI Los Angeles, CA; KKDJ/KIIS Los Angeles, CA; KFMB TV San Diego, CA; KCBQ San Diego, CA; KGIL San Fernando, CA

TODAY: He still lives in California and has been the voice of the Disney Channel and TV's "Judge Judy;" see his note (7-12-00). (e-mail)

EILEENE BLATNER
September 17, 1940 - after May 28, 1941

Eileene lived in Hartford and was classified as a "special announcer," appearing three times a week for which she was paid $9 a week in 1941.

PRIOR:

AFTER:

TODAY: ?

ELLIOTT BOOTH
1967-68

Elliott grew up in Greater Hartford and attended college in Boston, then the Cambridge School of Broadcasting. After a few years in radio he entered the printing, advertising, and direct mail industry. In 1967 his neighbor, WDRC news director Joe Barbarette, hired him in the news department where he spent about a year and a half.

PRIOR: WSOR Windsor, CT; WEXT West Hartford, CT; WCCC Hartford, CT

AFTER:

TODAY: Elliott is retired from the printing industry in Florida; see his note (10-10-01). (e-mail)

BETH BRADLEY
May 12, 1997 - October 14, 2006

Beth began her broadcast career in 1991 at WSNG before it was owned by Buckley Broadcasting. She started as news director at WDRC in May 1997, doing news on AM 1360 with Brad Davis and with Jerry Kristafer on 102.9 FM. From December 1997 till February, 1999 she partnered with Mark Sommers. She was then promoted as co-host of the Big D FM morning show with Mike Stevens, and since August 2005 has been co-host with John Saville. Beth took an extended leave of absence after suffering a heart attack on October 14, 2006; Connecticut radio veteran Marianne O'Hare filled in for her.

PRIOR: WSNG Torrington, CT; WZBG FM Litchfield, CT; WSNG Torrington, CT; WTIC Hartford, CT

See Beth's latest note (1-4-06) (e-mail).

ANDY BRICKER
prior to July 13, 1986 - September, 1991 - after March, 1992

Nicknamed "Ranger Andy" after a Hartford TV legend of the 1950s-1960s, Andy was news director and still fills in on occasion.

PRIOR: WCNX Middletown, CT

AFTER:

TODAY:

PHIL BRITTON
prior to July 15, 1981 - 1986 ?

Phil was primarily affiliated with WDRC AM, where he replaced Chip Donavon on the 7PM-midnight shift.

PRIOR: WPTR Albany, NY

AFTER:

TODAY: ?

DON BROOKS
prior to May 16, 1980 - late 1982 and February, 1991 ? - summer 1999

Don played the hits on Big D FM his first time around; among his duties was presenting "Near The Top 30 Countdown" Saturday mornings at ten o'clock. After a stint at Channel 3, he returned in 1991 to do Sunday mornings and fill-in, which he did through the summer of 1999. Don later worked full time in the WDRC sales department. (e-mail)

PRIOR:

AFTER: WFSB TV Hartford, CT

KEVIN BROWNELL
April, 1978 - March, 1985

Kevin worked in the WDRC news department; he still fills in from time to time (3-27-05).

PRIOR: WTKO, Ithaca, NY; WTXL, West Springfield, MA; WDEW, Westfield, MA; WHYN, Springfield, MA

AFTER: WATR/WWYZ Waterbury, CT; WNAQ Naugatuck, CT; WPOP Hartford, CT; WFSB TV Hartford, CT; WVIT TV West Hartford, CT

TODAY: While Kevin pursues a full time media job, he drives a school bus for Salter's Express in Simsbury, works with the Hole In The Wall community theater in New Britain and the Simsbury Summer Theatre for Youth; see his note (10-16-03) (e-mail).

BETH BRUNDAGE
early 1990 - December, 1990

Beth worked briefly in the WDRC news department. After Hartford she earned a Master's Degree at Boston University in International Relations and International Communications then worked in television news for 5 years.

PRIOR: WSUB Groton, CT

AFTER: WBOC-TV, Salisbury, MD

TODAY: Beth owns a production company that produces documentaries for PBS, Lifetime, The History Channel, and Discovery. She is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk University in Boston and American University Paris; see her note (9-19-01). (e-mail)

JIM BURNES
prior to August 10, 1958 - 1959 ?

Jim moved from Fairfield to work in the WDRC news department. The Sunday Herald commented favorably on Burnes "setting up some 'candidate meet the press' panel shows" during the weeks leading up to the 1958 general elections. In November, 1958 he was named WDRC news manager.

PRIOR: WNAB Bridgeport, CT

AFTER: ABC Radio and Television, New York

TODAY: Jim died at an early age.