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©
2002-2013
Man From Mars Productions
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On April 11, 2013 Brad Davis observed a remarkable feat - his 36th
anniversary as morning man at WDRC AM. At various times his
show has been heard on both AM and FM but Davis was
already a broadcast veteran by the time he arrived at Big D
in 1977.
A native
of Stafford Springs, Brad was raised on his grandfather's dairy
farm in the Hazardville section of Enfield. After a stint in the
U.S. Marines he began working at WACE in Chicopee in 1956.
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An
advertising executive heard Davis talking about milk on one of his
shows and invited him to audition as host for a new program being
designed for WTIC TV-3 in Hartford. It began airing September 27,
1958 and ran for 11 years.
The
Brad Davis Show was Connecticut's answer to Dick Clark's Bandstand.
It was a Saturday afternoon show featuring live local teenagers
dancing to the day's hottest records - sponsored by Connecticut's
milk producers.
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During
the 1960s Brad did quite a bit of work on WTIC Radio. In the mid
60s he hosted the station's popular Saturday night Hootenanny
Road Show. Featuring live performances by folk artists, the
show was aired from a different high school or college campus every
week.
In
1969 Brad was teamed with John Sablon on Channel 3's What's Happening,
a weekly investigative public affairs show.
He
was a frequent emcee at community events including the annual lighting
of the Christmas decorations at Constitution Plaza.
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Charlie
Parker hired Mr. Connecticut for 6:00-10:00AM effective
April 11, 1977. His early WDRC shows were primarily music-oriented,
but Brad relied heavily on telephone calls from listeners. Gradually
guests were added and for several years the show has been predominately
talk-oriented. He is at home with governors, community leaders movers
and shakers.
Ever
the trooper, Brad did his show from Hartford's Rehabilitation Hospital
for several days in November 1996 as he recovered from hip surgery
caused by years of playing arena polo.
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Brad Davis
& his late wife, Rosanna |
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Brad Davis
in a Hartford Courant
photo, September 18, 2008 |
Enjoy
some newspaper clippings from Brad's WDRC career.
Davis
to Leave TV for Radio Spot (Hartford Courant,
March, 1977)
"Community
involvement" (Hartford Courant, October
28, 1979)
"On another
station soon" (Hartford Courant, January
27, 1980)
"AM/FM
split" (Hartford Courant, August 6, 1982)
Brad
Davis: Our Radio Friend Recalls Youth Without Father
(Hartford Courant Good Life, June/July 1994)
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