On
July 31, 2011 Buckley Broadcasting Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Richard D. Buckley, Jr. died after suffering a brain
embolism while boating in Long Island Sound. He was 74.
Buckley
Broadcasting is the parent company of WDRC & WDRC
FM in Hartford as well as WSNG Torrington, WMMW
Meriden and WWCO, all in Connecticut; WOR and the WOR Radio
Network based in New York; KLLY/KKBB/KNZR/KSMJ in Bakersfield; KWAV/KIDD/KYZZ
in Monterey; KUBB/KHTN in Merced/Modesto; and KSEQ/K100 in Visalia/Fresno,
all in California.
As
a high school student he worked in the mail room and music library
at WNEW in New York when it was owned by Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting
Corporation. After graduating from the University of Miami in 1960
he began a two-year stint as a page at the National Broadcsting
Company in New York City. Early in his career he held various sales
capacities at WHIM, Providence, RI, then a Buckley radio property.
Buckley
spent much of the 1960s as President of the group of stations that
constituted Buckley Broadcasting of California for six years (including
KGIL San Fernando and KKHI San Francisco). When the company bought
the legendary WIBG in Philadelphia in 1969 Buckley moved east to
run it. He took over the parent corporation in September 1972 upon
the death of his father, Richard D. Buckley, Sr.
Rick
was a past Chairman of the Board of the Radio Advertising Bureau,
a past Chair of the Southern California Broadcaster’s Association,
and served on the Board of Directors for the Broadcasters’ Foundation.
In June 2011 he was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters
Association’s Hall of Fame.
A member
of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, The University of Miami,
Buckley was instrumental in establishing the Richard D. Buckley
Audio Lab at the University Of Miami School of Communication.
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