WRCH (FM)
![]() | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(November 2010) |
![]() | |
| |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Greater Hartford |
Frequency | 100.5MHz(HD Radio) |
Branding | Lite 100.5 WRCH |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Adult contemporary |
Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | July 1, 1968 |
Call signmeaning | Radio Connecticut Hartford or "Rich music" (former slogan) |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 1910 |
Class | B |
ERP | 7,500 watts |
HAAT | 381 meters (1,250 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°42′14″N72°49′55″W/ 41.704°N 72.832°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live(viaAudacy) |
Website | www |
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
[edit]Beautiful music
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for WRCH".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"WRCH-FM 100.5 MHz - New Britain, CT".radio-locator.
- ^"HD Radio Hartford–New Britain–Middletown, CT".HD Radio.Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2016.
- ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 page B-36
- ^ab"Changing Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting.May 2, 1977. p. 40.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
- ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1985 page B-48
- ^"WRCH-FM history cards"(PDF).CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
- ^abcLender, Jon (December 16, 1993)."Deal adds up to radio 'duopoly'".Hartford Courant.RetrievedOctober 6,2021.
- ^"Changing Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting & Cable.January 31, 1994. p. 44.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
- ^"Newsline".Billboard.July 9, 1994.RetrievedOctober 6,2021.
- ^"Changing Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting.January 2, 1989. p. 110.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
- ^"Baltimore Sun: Baltimore breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic".The Baltimore Sun.Bloomberg News.September 20, 1997.RetrievedOctober 7,2021.
- ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-79
- ^"ARS Cashes Out, Goes To CBS"(PDF).Radio & Records.September 26, 1997. p. 6.RetrievedOctober 7,2021.
- ^Keveney, Bill (November 13, 1996)."Spanish stations becoming a force".Hartford Courant.RetrievedOctober 7,2021.
- ^CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
- ^"Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio".Entercom.November 9, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
- ^Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017)."Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger".Radio Insight.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 1910 (WRCH)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- WRCHinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- HD Radio stations
- 1968 establishments in the United States
- Audacy, Inc. radio stations
- Farmington, Connecticut
- Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States
- Mass media in Hartford County, Connecticut
- New Britain, Connecticut
- Radio stations established in 1968
- Radio stations in Connecticut