ad in Broadcasting-Telecasting
magazine, October 23, 1950

March 2, 1952 - WDRC vice president and chief engineer Italo A. Martino died at the age of 58.

October, 1952 - "One of the early FM pioneers, this Connecticut affiliate of CBS is now carrying WQXR programs on its FM transmitter. While this change has been welcomed by many listeners, others are disappointed because WDRC-FM had picked WCBS-FM off the air for rebroadcasting, providing full audio quality of CBS programs originating in New York City. Now, while the station is rebroadcasting signals from WQXR-FM, there is very little live-talent music." - FM-TV, the Journal of Radio Communication, October, 1952, p.6.

click for 1952 article on WDRC/WQXR "binaural" demonstration

November 8, 1954 - WDRC studios moved to 869 Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, site of the AM transmitter.

click for enlargement | click for page of photos of transmitter site

March 16, 1955 - WDRC FM call letters were changed to WFMQ (Frequency Modulation Quality).

April 25, 1956 - Doolittle sold $10,000 worth of WFMQ stock to T. Mitchell Hastings, Jr. whose General Broadcasting Corporation originated classical music programs on a chain of FM stations. Hastings later moved the frequency to 105.9 and changed call letters to WHCN (Hartford Concert Network). Still later, Doolittle bought back some of the land on which WHCN's transmitter was located and applied for a new FM license.

June 28, 1957 - Two WNEW (New York) executives launched their company. (L-r:) John B. Jaeger and Richard D. Buckley bought WHIM in Providence, RI for $830,000. click headline for details:

July 1, 1957 - To mark the International Geophysical Year (July 1, 1957-December 31, 1958), WDRC gave away "Space Age News Maps" published by Rand McNally (left). Note the imprint at the bottom...only AM 1360 is listed because FM 102.9 was still a year and a half away!

January, 1959 - Network affiliates around the country had to make do with 20 less hours per week of CBS Radio Network programming. The Hartford Times (January 2, 1959) quoted an unidentified station official as saying, "Now we are facing the position of going out and getting things done on what really amounts to an independent basis." WDRC's local news department was immediately expanded.

June 19, 1959 - Franklin M. Doolittle stunned his staff by announcing WDRC would be sold to former WNEW New York executives Richard D. Buckley and John B. Jaeger.

July 15, 1959 - The FCC approved the sale of WDRC (and an FM construction permit) to Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting Corporation of Connecticut for $815,000.

August 3, 1959 - Buckley-Jaeger took over control of WDRC. Victor E. Forker of Darien, a former WNEW account executive, was appointed general manager.

October 26, 1959 - The FCC granted WDRC FM program test authority at 102.9 MHz and the station signed on.