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.

Richard D. Buckley, Jr.