©
1999-2024
Man From Mars Productions
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PAUL
JACKSON
June, 1968 - August, 1969 and May 22, 1971 - November 30,
1971
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Born
May 17, 1948 in New Haven, Paul graduated from Cheshire Academy
and attended Union College in Schenectady where he was involved
with the student station. He logged three different stays
at WDRC FM. The first time was the summer of 1968 when he
was hired for 3-8PM, after which he returned to college, graduating
in 1970. He also spent parts of the summers of 1969 and 1971
at Big D FM. In November, 1969 he began several months of
weekend and fill shifts using the name "Adam
Kelly." Technically speaking, his last appearance
was August 20, 1995 when he phoned in during the 30th anniversary
special on WDRC FM.
PRIOR:
WRUC Schenectady, NY; WKOL Amsterdam, NY
AFTER:
WKOL Amsterdam, NY; Sound Concepts, Woodbridge, CT
TODAY:
Paul
R. Jacobson died May 5, 2011 at the age of 62.
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GARY
JAMES
1984 - April, 1989 and fall 1999 - November, 2001
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Gary's
knowledge of oldies made him a perfect fit for WDRC FM, though
he also hosted afternoon drive on WDRC AM. In August 1988,
Gary replaced program director Frank
Holler. After a ten year absence, he returned in 1999
for weekend and fill shifts. He taught extensively at the
Connecticut School of Broadcasting. From 1999 to late 2001
he hosted Sunday mornings on DRC FM, and did occasional fill-in
shifts.
PRIOR:
WDEW Westfield, MA; WMAS Springfield, MA; WARE Ware, MA; WAVI
Portsmouth, NH; WMEX Boston, MA
AFTER:
WKNE Keene, NH; WHYN Springfield, MA; WTSN/WBYY Dover,
NH; WMEX FM Farmington, NH; WASR Wolfeboro, NH
TODAY:
In 2014 Gary put a new LPFM station on the air, WMEX, in Rochester,
NH; see his note (7-15-02)
(e-mail).
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Click
for an interview
with Jim Jeffrey |
JIM
JEFFREY
prior to March 16, 1968 - August, 1969 and October 14, 1970
- January 22, 1971
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Raised
in Sterling, MA James A. Jeffrey, Jr. launched his radio career
following graduation from high school. He was a popular personality,
starting on WDRC FM's midday shift for a few months before
replacing Sandy Beach in
morning drive in June, 1968. He stayed until the following
June when Al Gates took
over. At that point Jim became Dick
Robinson's assistant director at the Connecticut School
of Broadcasting. Jim returned to Big D in 1970 as a newsman,
and hosting the Saturday afternoon music shift on WDRC AM.
In Pittsburgh Jim did news but later moved into talk radio.
PRIOR:
WKXL Concord, NH; WSPR Springfield, MA, WPRO Providence,
RI
AFTER:
KDKA AM/TV and WWSW, both Pittsburgh, PA; WAVE AM/TV Louisville,
KY; KHOU-TV Houston; KNTS Mesa, AZ; KJJJ Phoenix, AZ; KFYI
& KTVK-TV Phoenix; AZ
TODAY:
Jim
lived in Bridgewater, New Hampshire from 1987 until his death
on September 17, 2009; he was 72.
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LEIF
JENSEN
October 1946 - July, 1958; returned in December, 1958 till
1959
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Leif
William Jensen's broadcast career began in New Haven when
he was just 16 years old. He was a staff announcer at WDRC
during its CBS affiliation. Among other things, he hosted
Today on Wall Street, Your Esso Reporter and
a half hour show weekdays at 3:30 called "Leif Jensen
Presents." Leif was promoted to assistant program
manager in June 1953. In October 1956 he hosted Leif Jensen
Presents, an afternoon program of recorded music every
afternoon at 3:30. His wonderful deep voice resulted in a
move to WHCT-TV Hartford though he was also in demand for
network and freelance work. He returned briefly to WDRC in
December, 1958. He later moved to Boston and was affiliated
with the Yankee Network. Before retiring, Leif was the booth
announcer at Channel 7 in Boston. He had three sons, all of
whom were in involved in radio and television.
PRIOR:
WELI New Haven, CT
AFTER:
WHCT TV Hartford, CT; freelance work for CBS Radio
Network, New York, NY; WINF Manchester, CT; WNAC AM/FM/TV
Boston, MA
TODAY:
Leif
William Jensen passed away on June 24, 2012 while living in
Cotuit, Massachusetts; he was 86 years old.
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Click
for more on
Art Johnson
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ART
JOHNSON
prior to October 22, 1955 - after March 13, 1962
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A
charter member of The Friendly Five, Art's employment
at WDRC actually preceded the switch to pop music programming
in August, 1960. A Stamford native, Art's radio debut occurred
at the age of 11 when he appeared on a W.P.A. toy-collection
effort on WICC Bridgeport. He attended the Connecticut State
Teachers College in Danbury and the University of Connecticut.
After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict,
Art hit the airwaves in Waterbury before being hired at WDRC
to host a wakeup music program from 6-8AM, teaming with Harvey
Olson. Among his assignments at WDRC was hosting a 1957
music program called "Fascinating Rhythms."
In 1958-59 he hosted an hour-long noontime show, "Art
Johnson's Record Shop." Just prior to the format
switch, he was heard afternoons from 3-7PM. After Radio
Fun was born, "A.J. At Midday on Big D"
aired from noon to three. After Big D, he spent many years
hosting WTIC's all night show, "The Other Side of
the Day."
PRIOR:
WLAD Danbury, CT; WATR AM/TV Waterbury, CT
AFTER:
WTIC Hartford, CT; WKSS Hartford, CT; WRCH Farmington,
CT; WMAS Springfield, MA
TODAY:
Art
passed away October 17, 1993 at the age of 63.
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Gay
did overnights on Big D FM.
PRIOR:
AFTER:
TODAY:
?
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Read
more on Lani Jurev |
LANI
JONES
prior to April 22, 1944 - prior to April 1, 1947
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Annette
Lansing-Jones was a part-time announcer and copywriter during
the war. Known on-air as Lani Jones, she was one of
the earliest female announcers on the WDRC air staff. A native
of Brooklyn, NY, she was educated in Newington public schools,
the University of Connecticut and Emerson College in Boston.
She joined WDRC in 1944. For a time in 1946 she left WDRC
for cross-town rival WTHT. After she was married she was known
as Lani Graham. Later she was a reporter for the Bridgeport
Sunday Herald and worked at the Julian Gross Advertising agency.
At WTIC FM, Lani hosted classical music shows using the name,
Lani Jurev. Lani and her family moved to Glastonbury
in 1953 where she was involved with the League of Women Voters
and Connecticut Democratic politics. During the 1970s she
was executive director of the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce.
PRIOR:
WTHT
Hartford, CT
AFTER:
WTIC Hartford, CT
TODAY:
Lani
died on March 24, 2012 at the age of 90.
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MARY
JONES
June 2003 - December 23, 2013
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After
a 17-year career as head of a Farmington corporate recruiting
firm, Audibert Jones Associates, Mary joined WDRC AM's Talk
of Connecticut lineup, hosting a weekday talk show from 2-3PM.
Her focus was upbeat, positive shows featuring guests and
callers. Mary tried to inform and entertain her audience.
Like
all WDRC AM talk shows, she was also heard on WMMW Meriden,
WSNG Torrington and WWCO Waterbury. The Connecticut native
holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from The University
of Connecticut.
Mary's daily show was discontinued in October 2008 during
a budget cutback, but she continued hosting Saturday from
12-2PM and Sunday from 2-4PM, then returned to fulltime work
in early 2011. She retired from WDRC on December 23, 2013;
she and her husband planned to split their time between Connecticut
and Florida.
TODAY:
Mary
hosts "All About Women" on WENG Englewood &
WFLN Port Charlotte, both in Florida (12-20-21).
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Little
is known about this announcer except that he was the overnight
man on January 1, 2000.
PRIOR:
AFTER:
TODAY:
?
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Listen
to the intro for
Larry's listener Talent Show
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LARRY
JUSTICE
February 15, 1969 - after May 10, 1969
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Larry
presided over the "Halls of Justice" at WDRC
for three months in 1969. Like many personalities, he cut
his teeth doing middays on WDRC FM, but most of his stay was
on AM from 10AM-3PM. After many years in Boston, Larry later
got involved in station ownership in Florida and Vermont.
PRIOR:
KBBR, Benton, AR; KXLR, North Little Rock, AR; KAJI, Little
Rock, AR; WPGC Washington, DC; WIBG Philadelphia, PA; WMEX
Boston, MA
AFTER:
WBZ and WROR, both Boston,MA; WCIB Falmouth, MA; WCRJ
AM/FM Jacksonville, FL; WRFD FM Stowe, VT; WQEZ Fort Meyers,
FL; WIOD Miami, FL
TODAY:
After
many years working in real
estate in Naples, Florida, Larry is once again on the
air in Boston on the latest incarnation of WMEX. (8-6-20)(e-mail).
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KRIS
KANE
November, 1976 - April, 1977
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Born
in Massachusetts on October 8, 1944, Kris Robert Kane grew
up in Connecticut and graduated from Berlin High School (Class
of 1963). He attended Lyndon State Teachers School in Vermont
and the Cambridge School of Radio-TV Broadcasting in Boston.
While his stay at WDRC was short, Kris hosted morning drive
and was the production voice of all of Big D's year-end programming
in 1976.
PRIOR:
WICH Norwich, CT; WRLB FM Long Branch, NJ; WBIS Bristol,
CT; WMAS Springfield, MA; WVBF Framingham, MA
AFTER:
WGCL Cleveland, OH; KLZZ San Diego, CA, WKKT Boston, MA
TODAY:
Kris
owned a voiceover business called Waterside Productions and
hosted a show on Sirius Satellite Radio from 1990-2000. He
passed away in Little Rock, AR on February 13, 2013; he was
78 (4-15-23).
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click
for Stephen Kane interview
family-maintained
Wikipedia
page
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STEPHEN
KANE
August 30, 1968 - June 7, 1969
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Steve
was a very witty, low-key personality whose WDRC tenure was
spent mostly in the 10AM-3PM shift on Big D FM. A native of
Brockton, MA, Steve was born on February 28, 1946. He graduated
from Rockland High School in 1964, beginning his on-air career
in Boston that same year at the now defunct Cambridge School/Graham
Junior College. Stephen later earned a B.A. at Antioch College
and a M.A. at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara.
After WDRC he hosted morning drive at two Hartford stations
and did mornings at album rock stations in major markets across
the country using his real name, "Stephen Capen."
In later years he branched into journalism, doing extensive
writing.
PRIOR:
WCSB Boston, MA; WFST A/F Caribou, ME; WBZA A/F Glens
Falls, NY; WAAB Worcester, MA; WHYN Springfield, MA
AFTER:
WCCC Hartford, CT; WHCN FM Hartford, CT; WBCN Boston;
MA; WGLD FM Chicago. IL; WDAI Chicago, IL; WNCR Cleveland,
OH; CJOM Windsor, Ont.; KPRI San Diego, CA; KGB A/F San Diego,
CA; WHCN Hartford, CT (take 2); WINZ Miami, FL; WCOZ Boston,
MA; WCOZ Boston, MA; WEEI FM Boston, MA; WPIX New York, NY;
WCBS FM New York, NY; KSAN, KFRC, KSFX/KGO, KMEL, KRQR all
San Francisco, CA; WXRK New York, NY; KFOG, KDBK San Francisco,
CA; KTID San Rafael, CA; KUSF San Francisco, CA; KVON AM/KVYN
FM Napa, CA
TODAY:
Stephen Harold Capen lost a lengthy battle with a lung tumor
on September 12, 2005; he was 59. See
his note (5-20-05).
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STU
KAUFMAN
prior to November 26, 1977 - December, 1979
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Getting
his radio start at the student station at the University of
Hartford, Stu was a staff member at WDRC FM during the station's
album rock period. He was heard 2-7PM and near the end of
his tenure he was on from 7PM-midnight.
PRIOR:
WWUH FM West Hartford, CT; WHCN FM Hartford, CT
AFTER:
WSHE Miami, FL
TODAY:
Stu
and his girl friend run a daycare center near Minneapolis
(e-mail)(10-26-00).
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ADAM
KELLY
November 21, 1969 - February 7, 1970
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He
used the name "Adam Kelly" during his second
stay at WDRC FM, doing weekends and fill shifts while still
in school. See also Paul
Jackson.
PRIOR:
WRUC Schenectady, NY; WKOL Amsterdam, NY
AFTER:
WKOL Amsterdam, NY; Woodbridge Sound Concepts, Woodbridge,
CT
TODAY:
Paul
R. Jacobson died May 5, 2011 at the age of 62.
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A
native of New Britain, Ed was hired as a part-timer at WDRC
FM by program director Frank
Holler, doing weekends and fill shifts.
PRIOR:
WLIS Old Saybrook, CT; WIKE Newport, VT; WWYZ Waterbury,
CT; WRCQ/WRCH Farmington, CT; WKSS Hartford; WMAS FM Springfield,
MA.
AFTER:
WZRT Rutland, VT
TODAY:
In
2003 Ed joined WJJR
in Rutland, where he hosts the afternoon drive program; see
his note (8-19-05) (e-mail).
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click
for Tom Kelly interview
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TOM
KELLY
October, 1978 - June, 1980
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A
native of Lynn, MA, Tom was born on July 6, 1958. He earned
his high school diploma at Plymouth Carver High School, and
then attended Grahm Junior College in Boston. He was the afternoon
driver at WDRC AM. replacing longtime host Dick
McDonough. For many years he hosted the same shift at
an oldies station in Washington. In 2006 Tom completed his
Washington run and moved to Bath, ME where he ran Choice
Voice, a voiceover business.
PRIOR:
WESX Salem, MA; WFTN Franklin, NH; WSPR Springfield, MA
AFTER:
WTIC FM Hartford, CT; WBEN Buffalo, NY; KHOW and
KMJI, both Denver, CO; WBIG Washington, DC
TODAY:
Thomas Paul Pagnotti died at Maine Medical Center in Portland
from complications of lung cancer on November 30, 2015; he
was 57.
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TOM
KENT
May 17, 2011 - March 2, 2013
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Tom
began spinning records at the age of 13 - in his North Carolina
bedroom! His enthusiasm got him a job doing the real deal
on weekends during his high school years. He was working the
big time - midnights in Memphis - at the age of 18. where
he became known as Truckin' Tom Cookin Kent. His career
took him to numerous major radio markets and earned him a
nomination as Billboard Magazine's Major Market Air Personality
of the Year. Today Tom is based in Cleveland where he
produces a variety of radio programs syndicated to about 150
stations including WDRC FM. He took over the 7PM to midnight
shift on Big D in May 2011, replacing Grahame
Winters who remained as program director. WDRC dropped
the show in early March 2013, replacing Tom with Ron
Sedaille voicetracks. In 2015 Tom was nominated to the
National Radio Hall of Fame. His Tom Kent Radio Network provided
two dozen syndication products for stations aroiund the country.
PRIOR:
WAIR Winston-Salem, NC; WHBQ Memphis, TN; WIXY Cleveland,
OH; KLIF Dallas, TX; WIBG/Philadelphia, PA; WMJX Miami; WGCL
Cleveland; WLS Chicago; WAVA Washington, DC; WRQC & WQAL,
Cleveland, OH
TODAY:
Tom died in a suburb of Cleveland on June 24, 2024 after a
lengthy battle with cancer.
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click
for
Reeth & King
profile |
EDDIE
KING
prior to January 9, 1960 - prior to April 26, 1960
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Eddie
King (born Charles E. Potts) was half of a short-lived morning
team at WDRC prior to the arrival of Ron
Landry. Eddie met Ken Reeth in the 9th grade. In the school
drama club they appeared in live, weekly dramas on the local
NBC affiliate, WSAN. Reeth & King formed The Martini
Brothers, a tumbling act that evolved into a comedy song
and dance act. They began working clubs all over the country
and continued after the Korean War (during which Eddie was
in the Air Force). In between club dates they hosted a morning
show at WHOL in Allentown, which was Eddie's hometown. In
late 1959 they responded to a blind ad in Broadcasting
magazine for an opening at WDRC, replacing Bacon
& Fay. After a few months
Reeth & King took their act to WZUM/WAMO in Pittsburgh.
In 1964 Eddie went solo on a station in Hagerstown, MD; he
later left radio to work with kids at a social service agency.
See Kenny Reeth.
PRIOR:
WSAN Allentown, PA; WHOL Allentown, PA; nightclub circuit
AFTER:
WZUM/WAMO
Pittsburgh; WMBT Shenandoah, PA; WHAG AM/TV Hagerstown, MD;
Hagerstown Board of Education TV Center
TODAY:
Eddie
passed away in Hagerstown on October 7, 1988 at the age of
58; he is buried in Allentown, PA.
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SUZI
KLONK
September 2, 2014 - present
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Miss
Klonk (aka Suzanne Moutinho) grew up in West Hartford and
graduated from the University of Hartford in 2004 with a liberal
arts degree in Communication and Media Studies. She spent
more than 10 years at crosstown rival WCCC when it played
classic rock. She began as an intern and worked her way up
to on-air work, holding a variety of shifts, but mostly afternoon
drive. In September 2014 she was hired by Connoisseur as promotions
director for all of its Connecticut stations. She did some
fill-in shifts at DRC FM before assuming the 7PM-midnight
shift when Connoisseur rebranded the station as 102.9THEWHALE
in January 2015. In addition to her on-air responsibilities,
Klonk is the station's marketing and promotions director.
PRIOR:
WCCC FM Hartford, CT
TODAY:
In January 2017 Klonk switched shifts with Allan
Lamberti, moving from evenings to middays (e-mail).
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CAL
BERNARD KOLBY
February, 1953 - prior to January 12, 1960
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Born
on Valentines Day 1916, Cal replaced Bill
Sheehan in Springfield during WWII. Cal later served in
the U.S. Army occupation forces in Japan before returning
to the radio business in Waterbury. By 1948 he was an announcer
in Meriden. A year later he was working in Bristol as program
director and station manager. Colonel Cal Kolby was at WDRC
during the CBS affiliation years. He hosted local music and
interview shows, though. In December 1955 Cal called Bob E.
Lloyd, the announcer on opposite him at WGTH in Hartford.
They cued up the same record at the same time, then told their
respective audiences to check back and forth between stations
to see if the records were in sync! From 1954-58 he was heard
from 4-6PM and at 11 o'clock at night. During the late night
show he featured rock and roll music. In early 1956 Cal's
late-night show featured rhythm & blues music and he billed
himself as the Square Bear from Nowhere with Rappin' and
Tappin' Sounds. In early 1959 the West Hartford resident
moved into an all-night show amidst considerable promotion,
but it was quietly discontinued and WDRC resumed its traditional
signoff time of 1AM. During his last months at WDRC Cal was
primarily a newscaster.
PRIOR:
WMAS Springfield, MA; WMMW Meriden, CT; WLLH Lawrence/Lowell,
MA; WSPR Springfield, MA; WBRY Waterbury, CT; WAVZ New Haven,
CT; WBIS Bristol, CT
AFTER:
WPOP Hartford, CT; WINF Manchester, CT; WNBH New Bedford,
MA
TODAY:
Cal
was a general contractor when he died on July 26, 1976 while
living in Dayton, OH; he was 60.
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JERRY
KRISTAFER
August 9, 1982 - December 5, 1997 & January 15, 2008 -
October 4, 2013
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A
native of New Jersey, Jerry got a broadcast journalism major
at Glassboro State College, but he actually started his career
in high school hosting a show on his local cable TV system.
Prior to Jerry's long stay as morning man at WDRC FM, he worked
for another WDRC alumni, Joey
Reynolds, in New Jersey and Pittsburgh. In addition to
his wakeup duties Jerry was named operations manager and program
director in June 1989. Jerry returned to DRC FM on January
15, 2008, replacing John
Saville. For a while his partner was Marianne
O'Hare until she departed on March 31st. Jerry worked
solo until late June 2009 when he was joined by former morning
man Mike
Stevens.
PRIOR:
WHLW Lakewood, NJ; KQV Pittsburgh, PA; Indianapolis, IN;
WCDQ and WKCI, both Hamden, CT; WAVZ New Haven, CT; WFFM Pittsburgh,
PA; WCCC Hartford, CT
AFTER:
WHYN FM Springfield, MA; WELI New Haven, CT; WJMJ Prospect,
CT
TODAY:
Jerry was shown the door on October 4, 2013. Exactly one month
later he began hosting the wakeup show at WJMJ, the Diocese
of Hartford station. (e-mail)
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ALLAN
LAMBERTI
July 7, 2014 - present
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A
Texas native, Allan graduated from Trumbull High School and
lives in Bridgeport. He joined DRC FM when Connoisseur Media
bought the station from Buckley Broadcasting in July 2014.
He took over the afternoon drive shift, 2-7PM, formerly occupied
by Floyd Wright. In addition
to being the music director for Connoisseur's southern Connecticut
radio stations, Allan is a contributing writer for Connoisseur's
CTBoom.com
website. In January 2015 DRC FM rebranded itself as 102.9
TheWhale and Allan moved to the 10AM-3PM timeslot. In January
2017 Allan took over programming duties and switched shifts
with Klonk, moving from
middays to evenings. In January 2018 Connoisseur sold WDRC
to Red Wolf Broadcasting and Allan stayed with Connoisseur.
PRIOR:
WPLR New Haven, CT; WFOX FM Southport, CT
TODAY:
In October 2019 Allan took over the afternoon drive show on
Connoisseur's WEBE in Westport (e-mail).
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LON
LANDIS
October 16, 1970 - after October 5, 1977
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A
native of New York City, Lon honed his craft in the Empire
State after earning a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts and
a Master's Degree in Political Science from Syracuse University.
At WOR he produced the all-night Barry Farber talk show and
was a newsman. He was news director at a Bridgeport station
for a year before coming to Hartford. His voice was a staple
in the WDRC news department for several years.
PRIOR:
WOLF, WHEN TV & WNYS TV, all Syracuse, NY; WOR AM/FM
New York, NY; WNAB Bridgeport, CT
AFTER:
WHDH Boston, MA; WELI New Haven, CT; WCBS FM New York,
NY; WPOP Hartford, CT; WTIC Hartford, CT; KCBS FM Los Angeles,
CA
TODAY:
Lon
spent many years teaching on the west coast but today lives
in Jacksonville, FL (9-11-20) (e-mail).
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click
for
Ron Landry
photo page
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RON
LANDRY
prior to April 26, 1960 - March 5, 1966
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Born
in Louisiana, but raised in Washington, DC, "Buffalo
Ron" was another original member of The Friendly
Five, though his employment at WDRC predated the switch
to local programming by several months. He replaced the short-lived
Reeth & King
morning show.
Ron's
early broadcast influences were Jean Shepherd and Bob and
Ray. Beginning in 1953, and during the next three years, Ron
worked for three stations in Virginia. It was during his stop
in Roanoke that he hosted an evening TV show that featured
his sketch comedy. Ron was drafted in 1958 and served his
two years at Armed Forces Radio in New York. During his stay
in the U.S. Army, Ron met his wife, Margo, who was a flight
attendant.
He hosted the "live and lively" morning drive
show during his entire stay at Big D, and for a while in 1965-66
he hosted "Scene 18" every Friday night at
6PM on WHCT-TV. Ron was a master of character voices and his
entourage included Charlie, Hemingway Monroe, Dan Press, Doug
Weedwell, and beatnik Geets Romo. He recorded their voices
during records, then played them back and had a live conversation
with the characters. During most of his time at WDRC, his
engineer/producer was Wayne
Mulligan, current general manager of WDRC AM/FM. Ron moved
to the West Coast and during the early 1970s issued a number
of successful comedy albums with broadcast partner Bob Hudson.
Hudson and Landry's "Ajax Liquor Store" was
one of the cuts played on WDRC. His career moved into television
where Ron was very successful on the writing teams of "Szysznyk,"
"Flo," "Benson," "The
Red Foxx Show" and "Gimme A Break."
He released his last comedy album with comedian Tom Beiner
in 1989.
PRIOR:
WJMA Orange, VA; WBTM Danville, VA; WSLS Roanoke, VA;
Armed Forces Radio
AFTER:
WBZ Boston, MA; KGBS and KFI Los Angeles, CA
TODAY:
Ron
passed away at the age of 67 after a yearlong battle with
cancer on September 16, 2002; see
his note (6-10-00).
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MIKE
LAPITINO
July 7, 2014 - March 2015
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Mike
was the longtime afternoon driver (2-8PM) at WPLR before Connoisseur
Media bought WDRC in 2014. Mike joined the New Haven station
in 1986 when it was owned by Cox Radio. At WDRC he took over
the midday shift (10A-2PM) formerly held by Grahame
Winters.
PRIOR:
WPLR New Haven, CT
AFTER:
WPLR
New Haven, CT
TODAY:
By
January of 2015 Mike was off the air at DRC and back on the
air at WPLR.
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JOHN
LARRABEE
July 1975 - November, 1978
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John
was born in Oxnard, California on May 15, 1948. He graduated
from Camarillo High School in 1966 and went on to Ventura
College, where he studied business law. He also attended Columbia
Broadcasting School. He was a musician in a local group known
as the "Henchmen" playing the local clubs and the Los Angeles
area for about 3 years. Prior to joining WDRC on the 7PM-midnight
shift, John worked at WPOP under the name "Tom Britton."
John spent 21 years on the air at KYKY St. Louis before buying
his own plane. A pilot since 1982, he reported traffic for
many years over KMOX.
PRIOR:
KUDU Ventura, CA; KACY Oxnard, CA; KAFY Bakersfield, CA;
KCPX Salt Lake City, UT; WDXB Chattanooga, TN; WAVZ New Haven,
CT; WPOP Hartford, CT; WRIE Erie, PA; WGNG Providence, RI
AFTER:
WXLO New York, NY; KSLQ St. Louis, MO; KYKY St. Louis,
MO; KADI St. Louis, MO; KMOX St. Louis, MO
TODAY:
John died at his residence in Moscow Mills, MO on July 10,
2021; he was 73 (7-28-21).
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JACK
LAWRENCE
November, 1975 - April, 1979
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A
native of Somerville, MA, Jack had the utility shift, filling
in for other announcers on both AM and FM.
PRIOR:
WCCC Hartford, CT; WTSV/WECM Claremont, NH; WCFR Springfield,
VT
AFTER:
WTIC FM Hartford, CT; WFLY Albany, NY; WVBF Framingham,
MA; WSSH Lowell, MA; WBOS Boston, MA; WROR Boston, MA; WBOS
Boston
TODAY:
Jack
does weekends at WZLX Boston; see
his note (5-19-00) (e-mail).
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JACK
LENNHOFF
before July 27, 1942 - July 1955
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Born
November 5, 1925, John Carey Lennhoff's term of employment
at WDRC was during the CBS days, though he began entertaining
on Daddy Couch's
Children's Hour on WDRC early in the 1930s when he
was six years old. He continued there weekly until his voice
changed; his pay was a loaf of the sponsor's bread. Jack's
second stint at WDRC-W65H took place when he was 16 in the
summer of 1942; he served as a control operator then. He also
worked as an announcer at WLCR Torrington while a student
at Hartford High School (using the air name John
Clare). After three years of service in the US Army, Jack
became a student at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,
where he also worked part-time in radio. After graduation
Jack worked at Aetna Life Insurance Co. in advertising and
continued part-time at WDRC until he founded Connecticut Public
Television in 1962. He also wrote a weekly television and
radio column for the Catholic Transcript for 25 years, using
the pen name of John Clare. He married Jeanne Danaher in 1954,
the daughter of U.S. Senator John A. Danaher, and became the
father of Ellen, John and Michael.
PRIOR:
WLCR
Torrington, CT
AFTER:
WAAB Worcester, MA; WTIC Hartford, CT; Connecticut Public
Television
TODAY:
Jack
died on June 6, 2010 at the age of 85.
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ART
LEWIS
September 20, 1970
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Art
had the distinction of working one day at WDRC - in the news
department. Prior to that he co-hosted a three-hour daily
news block at WCCC with former Big D alumnus Stephen
Kane.
PRIOR:
WCCC
A/F Hartford, CT
AFTER:
TODAY:
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PETE
LIS
1989 - after April 16, 1990
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Pete
was born in Waterbury on May 22, 1945. He attended Bristol
Eastern High School and Quinnipiac College. During his many
years in Bristol he was involved in broadcasting many different
sporting events. At WDRC FM Pete was Jerry
Kristafer's morning news anchor.
PRIOR:
WBIS Bristol, CT; Armed Forces Radio in Korea; WBIS Bristol,
CT; WLAD Danbury, CT; WINE Brookfield, CT; WRCH/WRCQ Farmington,
CT
AFTER:
TODAY:
Pete
was nominated to the Bristol
Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. (5/31/15)
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CHRISTINE
LISI
prior to April, 2001 - after December 20, 2002
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A
1987 graduate of Olean (NY) High School and 1991 graduate
of The State University of New York at Geneseo, Christine
spent four years as coordinator of a cable TV company in Olean
before relocating to Connecticut. She was heard on WDRC, anchoring
afternoon newscasts from Metro Networks in Hartford during
the Doug Taylor Show.
She has also worked at other Hartford area stations and has
a long-time affiliation with ESPN as a field producer, production
assistant, and update anchor (e-mail).
She has been fulltime with ESPN since 2005 and also does quite
a bit of freelance voice work.
PRIOR:
WPKX Springfield, MA
AFTER:
TODAY:
ESPN
Radio in Bristol, CT (5-20-11)
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TED
LORSON
prior to April 13, 2001 - @2008
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Ted
is another news voice heard on WDRC, though he is actually
employed by the Hartford bureau of Metro Networks (e-mail).
PRIOR:
WELI New Haven, CT; WNNZ Springfield, MA
AFTER:
Metro Networks; Clear Channel
TODAY:
Ted
lives in Orange, CT and writes news copy for iHeartMedia when
he isn't traveling the country for barbeque competitions (5/31/15).
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DAN
LOVALLO
December 31, 1996 - February 13, 2012 & January 4, 2016
- March 29, 2018
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Dan's
first "broadcast" was the 1972 Torrington High School
Thanksgiving Day Football game in 1972 when he was a student.
After graduation he went on to UCONN, eventually returning
to Torrington to broadcast news and sports on WSNG. From 1983-1993
he did baseball play-by-play for the Kingston (NC) Blue Jays
and Richmond (VA) Braves. Dan joined WDRC when Buckley Broadcasting
bought WSNG, where he was sports director. He was the morning
news and sports anchor on WDRC AM's Brad
Davis show. On March 13, 2006 Dan came off the morning
show to begin hosting "Tuned In To Connecticut,"
a 3-6PM local talk show. Dan was let go in 2012 because of
budget constraints. Dan never lost his interest in sports
broadcasting; his assignments included doing play-by-play
for the Hartford Yard Goats.
PRIOR:
WSNG Torrington, CT; Kingston, NC; Richmond, VA; WSNG
Torrington, CT
AFTER:
WAPJ
Torrington, CT; WJMJ Prospect, CT
TODAY:
Dan returned to WDRC AM from noon till 1:00 p.m. on January
4, 2016. Exactly a year later he was teamed as morning drive
co-host with Brad Davis,
but exited the station after new owner Full Power Radio took
over in March 2018. He hosts a podcast
with meteorologist Brad Field and maintains a website
(5/23/20)
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DEAN
H. LUCE
December 1944 - prior to December 16, 1946
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A
Detroit native, Dean was a staff announcer at WDRC in the
mid-1940s. He delivered newscasts at 1 and 6 p.m., and served
as editor for George
B. Armstead's 6:30 p.m. broadcast. During 1945 Dean took
turns hosting the popular Night Owl disc jockey show
with Charley
Haaser. In October 1945 he was Charlie
Parker's best man! During his WDRC days Dean lived in
West Hartford. He left Hartford to join a brand new station
in Virginia, and later became a sportscaster in the nation's
capital.
PRIOR:
WCHV Charlottesville, VA; WSJS Winston-Salem, NC; WERC
Erie, PA
AFTER:
WARL
Arlington, VA; WMAL AM/TV Washington, DC
TODAY:
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RICHARD
LYON
summers of 1955-56
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A
blurb in the Connecticut Herald, Sunday, August 7,
1955 (p.43 of Hartford Edition), said: "Summer staffer
at WDRC is Richard Lyon, who is filling in for this one and
that while regulars vacation. Chores include those of deejay,
newscaster, announcer, and whatever. Dick, who has a teaching
fellowship at UCONN finds the job right up his alley, too.
He teaches English." He was a UCONN professor who
moved on to the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1956.
PRIOR:
AFTER:
TODAY:
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