The image on this page is from a 16x20" point-of-purchase poster produced by the Yankee Network and its affiliates on behalf of a household cleanser, Oakite. The exact date is unknown, but evidence suggests it was printed between 1933 and 1936. Note the inclusion of WDRC Shopper's Special "master of ceremonies" Walter B. Haase.

The Yankee Network was formed in 1930 by John Shepard III, owned of the Shepard Department Stores in Boston and Providence. For 37 years the Yankee Network ("news while it is news") provided hourly news and program-length content to its affiliates. It later pioneered the development of FM radio and networks linked by air rather than by telephone wires.

While Yankee owned some stations, others like WDRC were privately owned; they were known as associated stations. Numerous WDRC program schedules reflect the Yankee Network association, starting August 16, 1931 (click here to see a listing of program schedules). It is unclear when WDRC ended its Yankee Network association, though the Variety magazine Radio Directory for 1937-38 indicates the Hartford station was affiliated only with CBS.

WDRC continued to work with Major Edwin H. Armstrong and the Yankee Network on the development of FM.

For additional information on the role the Yankee Network played in the development of frequency modulation broadcasting, visit Norm Gagnon's excellent web site.

To learn more about John Shepard III and the Yankee Network, read Donna Halper's fine essay.

Find out more about Franklin M. Doolittle's relationship with Major Edwin H. Armstrong, and WDRC's role in the development of frequency modulation broadcasting, by clicking here.