| |
January 1, 1970
- WDRC AM/FM began broadcasting 24 hours a day with overnight
host Dik Haddad. Click
here for a page of photos from 1970 taken by Scotty Morgan.
Click here for 1971 coverage
map
 |
February 14, 1971 - WDRC AM/FM debuted a new
nationally syndicated program, American Top 40, hosted
by Los Angeles deejay Casey Kasem. It aired every Sunday night
from 7-10PM. In September it moved to 8-11PM. Later the show
expanded to four hours, reflecting the increasing length of
hit records and the time required to play the top 40. Starting
in June 1981, AT40 was aired Sunday mornings as well. |
 |
 |
September
28, 1972 - In an effort to differentiate 102.9 from
1360 in the minds of listeners, WDRC FM began airing five hours
a day of Solid Gold on the new Jim
Scott show. |
| September,
1972
- Richard D. Buckley died; Richard D. Buckley, Jr., and his
sister, Martha Ann Buckley
Fahnoe, took over the corporation. |
 |
| October
13, 1972 - The brand new Mobile Studio D was
unveiled at Lynch Toyota's "Put Your Hands On A Toyota
and Never Let Go" promotion. Jim
Harrington did the honors (below left). (Below right:) Bob
Craig at a 1973 remote. |
July, 1973 - WDRC FM began
employing a new positioning statement: "Connecticut's non-stop
stereo rock." It stopped on-air references to 102.9, calling
the station "Big D 103." WDRC AM spent the
rest of the decade calling itself "Hartford's Music Authority."
January
13, 1975 - "The WDRC Morning News,"
with Walt Dibble, Bill
Hennessey, and Ted Dalaku
was launched. It was a daily half hour program which lasted less
than six months. It was a victim of longtime competitor, WPOP,
which dropped pop music and went to an all-news format in June.
| August,
1976
- To celebrate its 16th Anniversary of playing Top 40 music,
WDRC AM launched a month-long promotion giving away dozens
of double pocket albums. Production director Dave Overson produced
a special montage featuring many past personalities that aired
throughout the month. |
 |
early
1977 - WDRC moved out of 750 Main
Street, Hartford, and relocated studios and offices to the remodelled
transmitter building at 869 Blue Hills Avenue,
Bloomfield.
 |
April
7, 1978 - The weekly issue of The Big D Sound
Survey proclaimed a new slogan for WDRC FM. The
station switched to an exclusive album format, giving it the
first 24-hour identity totally distinct from WDRC AM.
By October, all on-air references were to D103.
|
| April
15, 1979 - A Hartford Courant TV Week column
detailed how WDRC FM had tried album-oriented rock, modified
AOR, and was now primarily an oldies format with singles- oriented
album rock. WDRC AM was described as playing standard
Top 40 music. |
|
|
