January 2, 1940 - An FCC license renewal application showed that The Doolittle Broadcasting Co. owned 55% of WDRC; Franklin M. Doolittle individually owned .2%; partners Lawrence W. Lowman and Sam Pickard (in trust for Patricia Jane Pickard of Miami Beach) continued to own 22.4% each.

August, 1940 - WDRC AM became a fulltime 5,000 watt directional station.

September 1940 - W1XPW broadcast a regular program schedule 12 hours a day. Doolittle's newspaper ads stated, "W1XPW is starting this new schedule so that high fidelity programs will be available for demonstration purposes, and for reception by purchasers of FM sets. The September 4th issue of Variety reported:

"WDRC is divorcing itself from its offspring FM station, W1XPW, putting same officially on its own two feet Monday [as of September 16, 1940]. At that time, W1XPW will become a separate entity, broadcasting its own programming and maintaining its own staff. Believed to be the only FM in the country to maintain its own set-up, it will operate at the start on a 12-hour a day basis."

December 6, 1940 - WDRC Inc. was granted a permit for an FM station at 46.5mc, distinct from the previous "Apex" experimental station. Commercial operation commenced January 1, 1941.

February 14, 1941 - Doolittle's FM took part in a unique radio relay test. Major Edwin H. Armstrong, speaking by telephone (from New York) to the Yankee Network studios in Boston, was fed to Yankee's W1XOJ transmitter at Paxton. The signal was relayed, by FM, to W1XER atop Mt. Washington...back to Paxton...on to W1XPW on Meriden Mountain...and on to Armstrong's W2XMN in Alpine. Engineers at each site spoke freely over the air with each other, without static. (note: this excerpt was recorded by W1XPW engineer John Denny at Meriden; he was recording the off-air signal of W1XOJ. The first voice is that of Major Armstrong, followed by Paul deMars of the Yankee Network.)

March 29, 1941 - WDRC AM moved to 1360kc where it remains today.

May 5, 1941 - The FCC granted W1XPW the first commercial FM authorization in Connecticut. The calls were changed to W65H ("65" represented the middle numerals of the assigned wavelength, 46,500 kc; "H" stood for Hartford). It was on the air every day from 2-10PM. Doolittle published the first general rate card, selling a one-time hour-long program, in prime time, for $25.

September, 1941 - W65H aired the first all-request dance band program on an FM station.

Management staff of WDRC/W65H (l-r): Italo A. Martino, engineer (seated); Walter B. Haase, program director; Franklin M. Doolittle, president; William F. Malo, commercial manager. click for enlargement

October, 1941 - FM Magazine, p.42 : "W65H, the FM outlet of WDRC, Hartford, is using billboards as a part of their efforts to build up their audience. Connecticut dealers report FM set sales show resulting increase." click for enlargement

October, 1941 - W65H aired the first commercial FM program. Programming consisted of dance, symphonic and classical music...sports...frequent news programs...live concert and semi-classical music...and interviews.

January 7, 1943 - At the capitol in Hartford, WDRC provided live coverage of the swearing in of Governor Raymond E. Baldwin (right) by Chief Justice William M. Maltbie (left).

1943 - WDRC's first news broadcast from The Hartford Courant. The station aired daily news programs from the newspaper until 1951. Seated (l-r): managing editor George Stansfield; political writer Jack Zaiman; standing: editor and publisher Maurice S. Sherman; announcer Harvey "Longfellow" Olson and Franklin M. Doolittle. November 1, 1943 - W65H became known as WDRC FM.

1944 - During World War II, Franklin M. Doolittle was appointed Technical Advisor to the Defense Communications Board in Washington, DC. Doolittle and Walter B. Haase (right) assumed co-general manager responsibilities at WDRC AM/FM.

1944 - WDRC FM was part of New England's FM American Network (right), relaying wireless programs from New York's WGYN (via Armstrong's WFMN in Alpine, NJ) to Yankee's WGTR in Paxton, MA and on to WMTW on Mt. Washington, NH. click for enlargement. April 3, 1944 - Doolittle purchased 68 acres atop Talcott Mountain in Farmington, "as a site for a future television station and for other future radio purposes." He stressed TV would not be available on a broad scale immediately after the war, though frequency modulation would be in general use.

July 15, 1944 - FCC license renewal paperwork showed Sam Pickard no longer owned shares in WDRC and WDRC FM. Doolittle Broadcasting Co. owned 71%; Franklin M. Doolittle individually owned .2%; CBS executive Lawrence W. Loman owned 28.8%.

June 16, 1944 - WDRC FM operated at 1.1kw.

October 2, 1944 - WDRC inaugurated local and state news coverage live from The Hartford Courant newsroom Monday through Saturday nights from 6:05-6:15PM.

September 4, 1945 - Lawrence W. Loman relinquished his post as Director of WDRC, Incorporated and was replaced by longtime Vice President and Chief Engineer Italo A. Martino (left). late 1945 - The FCC approved WDRC FM's high band operation at 94.3mc, while continuing low band operation at 46.5mc. Various sources provide conflicting information on the station's precise frequency during the next few years.

February, 1946 - A list of stations in The Journal of Frequency Modulation (p.22) indicates WDRC FM was broadcasting at 94.3mc with 7kw of power.

November 8, 1946 - WDRC FM shifted to 106.3 MHz in the high band, keeping its low band frequency of 46.5mc. May 22, 1947 - WDRC Inc. became Connecticut Broadcasting Company. Doolittle continued to own 60% of the stock; Haase and Martino owned 20% each.

June 12, 1947 - NAB records indicate WDRC FM was broadcasting on 93.7mc with 7kw of power.

June 19, 1947 - On a Thursday night, the three-month old Continental Network, comprised of all FM stations, aired a concert by the USAAF Band from Bolling Field (near Washington, DC) on 18 stations using wire and over-the-air relay stations. WDRC FM played a pivotal role, delivering the signal to northern New England's Yankee Network affiliates. click for enlargement

March 29, 1948 - WDRC FM operated at 94.3 MHz. April 11, 1948 - FM programs were picked up direct from New York, without wires, and re-broadcast to WDRC FM listeners.