WDRC-FM
| City | Hartford, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Branding | 102.9 The Whale |
| Slogan | Hartford's Classic Rock |
| Frequency | 102.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | October 26, 1959 |
| Format | FM/HD1: Classic rock HD2: Oldies "Big D 103" HD3: Talk (WDRC simulcast) |
| ERP | 19,540 watts |
| HAAT | 247 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 7718 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 41°33′43″N 72°50′38″W / 41.562°N 72.844°WCoordinates: 41°33′43″N 72°50′38″W / 41.562°N 72.844°W |
| Callsign meaning | Doolittle Radio Corporation (founder of AM sister station) |
| Owner |
Connoisseur Media (Connoisseur Media Licenses, LLC) |
| Webcast |
Listen Live Listen Live (via TuneIn) |
| Website | 1029thewhale |
WDRC-FM, known as 102.9 The Whale, is a radio station with a classic rock format licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. The station began broadcasting in 1959 and was the first commercial FM station in the Hartford radio market. Currently owned by Connoisseur Media with studios located at 869 Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut and transmitter site in Meriden, Connecticut.
WDRC-FM traces its roots to the Doolittle Radio Company, which established what would become WDRC in 1922. In 1941, Doolittle upgraded an experimental FM station to a commercial license and used the call letters WDRC-FM. Doolittle sold the FM station in 1956 to General Broadcasting Corporation, and the AM station in 1959 to Buckley Broadcasting. Buckley inherited a second FM license, which it used to establish the current WDRC-FM. The original WDRC-FM is now WHCN.
The current WDRC-FM was issued a program test authority by the FCC on October 26, 1959. It officially signed on at 8:15 P.M. that same day. On August 31, 1966, WDRC-FM increased power from 7,000 to 17,500 watts, then to 50,000 watts the following May. It began broadcasting in stereo in September 1969. In 1973, the station began calling itself "Big D 103," and employed a Top 40 format. In 1977, the station flipped to album rock, with a much deeper playlist than its rivals, WCCC and WHCN. However, by 1979, the station leaned Rock/AC, and then abruptly flipped back to Top 40 in early 1980. By 1984, WDRC-FM was an oldies-based Adult Contemporary station, but only played oldies on the weekends. Due to the positive feedback, in 1986, WDRC-FM became an oldies station full-time. At that point, the station focused on the hits of 1964 to 1969 with about four songs per hour from the 1955-63 era. The station also played about one song from the early 1970s per hour. The AM station also offered oldies until 1990. Core artists included The Beatles, The Four Seasons, Elvis Presley, Supremes, Everly Brothers, Temptations, The Hollies, The Righteous Brothers, Dion, and many others. The station also had quite high ratings, even being number one at least a few times.
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