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WRCH (FM)

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Coordinates:41°42′14″N72°49′55″W/ 41.704°N 72.832°W/41.704; -72.832
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the small signaling G protein, seeWrch1.

WRCH
Broadcast areaGreater Hartford
Frequency100.5MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingLite 100.5 WRCH
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatAdult contemporary
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 1, 1968;56 years ago(1968-07-01)
Call signmeaning
Radio Connecticut Hartford or "Rich music" (former slogan)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID1910
ClassB
ERP7,500 watts
HAAT381 meters (1,250 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°42′14″N72°49′55″W/ 41.704°N 72.832°W/41.704; -72.832
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaAudacy)
Websitewww.audacy/wrch

WRCH(100.5FM;"Lite 100.5" ) is acommercialradio stationlicensedtoNew Britain, Connecticut,and serving theGreater HartfordandNew Havenareas. It is owned byAudacy, Inc.and airs anadult contemporaryradio format.

WRCH'stransmitteris located atopRattlesnake Mountain,and transmits from theWTIC-TVtower offU.S. Route 6(Colt Highway) inFarmington.[2]A backup transmitter is in "Radio Park" behind theConnecticut School of Broadcasting,its former studio location. The station's studios and offices are located on Executive Drive, also in Farmington. WRCH broadcasts in theHD Radiohybrid format. It offered smooth jazz programming on its formerly HD2 sub-channel. The HD3 sub-channel formerly carried asimulcastofsports talk-formattedWEEI-FMinBoston.[3]

History

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Beautiful music

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On July 1, 1968, WRCH-FMsigned onthe air.[4]It was the FM counterpart of WRCH (910 AM, nowWLAT). Both were owned by Central Connecticut Broadcasting, itself owned by Aldo DeDominicis.[5]While the AM station aired afull service,middle of the roadformat, WRCH-FM carried abeautiful musicformat. It played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumentalcover versionsof pop songs andHollywoodandBroadwayshowtunes.Easy listeningwas a popular format in that era, with several stations in the Hartford area also playing beautiful music, includingWKSS,WWYZ,WKCIandWTIC-FM.Over time, as those stations switched to other formats, WRCH continued its easy listening sound.

In 1977, WRCH-FM and its AMsister stationWRCQ, were acquired by the Radio Corporation of Hartford,[6]controlled by Enzo DeDominicis (nephew of Aldo DeDominicis) andConnecticut School of Broadcastingowner Nicholas Robinson, for $3 million;[5]Robinson sold his stake to DeDominicis in 1979.[7]

Soft AC

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In the 1980s, WRCH gradually increased the number of soft vocals and decreased the instrumentals, to the point where it became asoft adult contemporarystation. The transition was gradual. Many of its listeners stuck with WRCH as a companion in the office and at home, and it remained one of the top rated stations inGreater Hartford.

Enzo DeDominicis sold WRCH, along with AM sister station WNEZ, toAmerican Radio Systems(ARS) in December 1993.[8]The $15 million acquisition,[9]completed in July 1994,[10]was the first made by ARS following its formation a month earlier. It placed WRCH under the same ownership asWZMX,which offered a "bright adult contemporary"format.[8]Ahead of the sale, DeDominicis relocated to South Carolina to oversee his two radio stations there,[8]which he had acquired in 1989.[11]

CBS and Entercom

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Westinghouse Electric Corporation,then-parent company ofCBS Radio,announced its acquisition of ARS in September 1997,[12]a deal completed in June 1998.[13]By this time, the company's holdings in the market, in addition to WRCH and WZMX, includedWTIC (AM)and WTIC-FM;[14]WNEZ had been sold to Mega Broadcasting in 1996.[15]WRCH continued its soft AC format, although picking up the tempo a bit into the 2000s, shifting to mainstream adult contemporary music.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[16]The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[17][18]The only noticeable effect from the merger for listeners was the switch of Boston sports stations on WRCH's HD3 subchannel, as the simulcast changed from the now-Beasley-ownedWBZ-FMto Entercom-ownedWEEI-FM.

In 2021, Entercom changed its name to Audacy, Inc. Audacy discontinued WRCH's HD subchannels in 2022.

References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WRCH".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"WRCH-FM 100.5 MHz - New Britain, CT".radio-locator.
  3. ^"HD Radio Hartford–New Britain–Middletown, CT".HD Radio.Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2016.
  4. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 page B-36
  5. ^ab"Changing Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting.May 2, 1977. p. 40.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  6. ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1985 page B-48
  7. ^"WRCH-FM history cards"(PDF).CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  8. ^abcLender, Jon (December 16, 1993)."Deal adds up to radio 'duopoly'".Hartford Courant.RetrievedOctober 6,2021.
  9. ^"Changing Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting & Cable.January 31, 1994. p. 44.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  10. ^"Newsline".Billboard.July 9, 1994.RetrievedOctober 6,2021.
  11. ^"Changing Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting.January 2, 1989. p. 110.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  12. ^"Baltimore Sun: Baltimore breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic".The Baltimore Sun.Bloomberg News.September 20, 1997.RetrievedOctober 7,2021.
  13. ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-79
  14. ^"ARS Cashes Out, Goes To CBS"(PDF).Radio & Records.September 26, 1997. p. 6.RetrievedOctober 7,2021.
  15. ^Keveney, Bill (November 13, 1996)."Spanish stations becoming a force".Hartford Courant.RetrievedOctober 7,2021.
  16. ^CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  17. ^"Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio".Entercom.November 9, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  18. ^Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017)."Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger".Radio Insight.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
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