WHCN (W1XPW)

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WHCN (W1XPW)

(See also WHCN (W1XPW) Early Years and WHCN Memories, links on left).

In late 1938, W1XPW, licensed to WDRC, Inc., was given an authorization for experimental operation on 40.3 MHz. from West Peak in Meriden. The location and some of the equipment had been used since 1936 as W1XSL, which was an amplitude modulation Apex station.

On May 13, 1939, Doolittle's W1XPW started on-air testing with 2,000 watts on 43.4 MHz., awaiting a higher power transmitter. This was one of the first FM transmissions in the country and certainly the first in the state.

On Jan. 4 and 5, 1940, Major Armstrong utilized Doolittle's West Peak station for historic experimental FM relay broadcasts with programming being sent from New York City to an AM station in Boston via W2XCR Yonkers, W2XMN Alpine NJ, W1XPW Meriden CT, W1XOJ Paxton MA, W1XOY Mt. Washington NH and finally to a Boston AM station. The success of this test marked the way for the proliferation of radio networks

In September of that same year, Franklin Doolittle, who also operated WDRC, launched a new commercial station on the new FM band (88-108 Mhz). Retaining the call letters W1XPW the station had an ambitious schedule of nearly 20 hours a day of special FM programming. Doolittle stated that the purpose of the station was to serve as a demonstration of the potential of FM radio and to give purchasers of new FM sets something to listen to. Robert M. Provan, Jr., was hired as promotions manager and he also set the station's programming schedule. Both newspapers and mailings to radio distributors were used to get the word out about the new station.

A 1941 Hartford Times article quotes Mr. Doolittle as saying "very shortly, the first question asked about a radio receiver will be: Has it a frequency modulation band?"

    In 1956 the call letters were changed to WFMQ (FM). In June of that year WFMQ (FM) was acquired by The General Broadcasting Corporation, Mitchell Hastings Jr., President. Later that year William Meola became Station Manager.
    General Broadcasting owned the "Concert Network," and stations WFMX (FM) New York City, WTMH (FM) Providence, and WGHF (FM) Brookfield, Connecticut. All of the stations shared the same classical and fine arts programming provided by an FM radio link between the stations.
    Roger Strawbridge was named Assistant to the President of WFMQ (FM) in 1957. That same year the Commission granted a construction permit to change frequency to 105.9 megacycles and approving the licensee name chage to Concert Network Inc.
    1957 also saw a change in the station's frequency from 93.7 megacycles to 105.9 megacycles.
    In 1958, WFMQ changed call letters to WHCN (FM), which stood for "Hartford Concert Network".
    Former Station Manager William Meola became chief engineer in 1961.
    Sale to WHCN Inc. received FCC approval in 1961.
    In early 1964, Coleman J. Nee was named General Manager and the station was broadcasting from studios located at West Peak, Meriden, Connecticut with a classical format.
    In 1966 Bryant Michaud became WHCN (FM) Station Manager. In 1967 Leonard A. Cohen became Vice President and General Manager. R. R. Riepen was named as WHCN (FM)'s new General Manager in 1968.
    Marlinn Taylor was there when the format changed to Beautiful Music.
    On May 12, 1969 the station ended its long-time "Beautiful Music" and becomming a new "Underground Rock" music station. Larry Titus and the late Randy Mayer and
     In 1970 the studio location became 100 High Street, Hartford and R. R. Riepen became WHCN Inc. President with Randall Mayer, formally of WWUH, as General Manager.
    WHCN did not stay on High Street for very long. On November 11, 1970, the station was granted permission to move the studio to 60 Washington Street, Hartford. The actual studio move took place in 1971 to 60 Washington Street. In 1972, Mr. Mayer became President of the station's licensee, retaining his post of General Manager until 1973 when Dick Paisley was appointed WHCN (FM) Vice President and General Manager.
    WHCN (FM) was acquired from WHCN Inc. by Beck-Ross Communications Inc. in August of 1974. On October 9, 1974, WHCN (FM) was granted FCC permission to increase power from 7.3 KW to 19 KW.
    Jay I. Mitchell succeeded Mr. Paisley as Vice President and General Manager of WHCN (FM) in 1976 and Martin Beck was President.  A. William Lee became Vice President and General Manager in July 1977. Studios were relocated to 1039 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, in 1979. The station had a "Album-Oriented Rock" music format by 1980.
    Boyd E. Arnold was appointed Vice President and General Manager in early September 1984.

     By the middle sixties the classical format was being play from reel to reel tape from an automation system located on West Peak in Meriden, the site of the station's transmitter.
        In 1969 some of the folks where were instrumental in putting WWUH on the air the year before at the University of Hartford were able to switch the WHCN format to progressive Rock. The late Randy Mayer was one of them, along with others (names needed).
    In the early sevenites the studios were moved to 100 High Street in Hartford. Several years later the station moved to the 6th and 8th floors of 60 Washington St.  Later they moved to the first floor of that building.
    George Taylor Morris was PD from 1974-76. Other staff in the early to mid seventies included Fred Moore(who helped build the new studio at 60 Wash and was on the air as well), Jim Cameron, News Director '76-'77, “Rex” (J. Shanahan/Shannon) ‘72-’78, Bill Papoosha '72-'78, Country Paul (Payton), Gabby, (Rick) Allison, Charlie Hotpartz, Steve Capen,
Jack Richard late '73 - early '76 and Marcia Simon.
     The "5:44" was some of the best non-music radio ever put on the airwaves.
     The format was flipped to main stream album rock, in late 1976. Known as "106-WHCN", it was very successful in the 1970s and the 1980s. It was home to the morning show Picozzi and The Horn, up until the mid 1990s. Other announcers during this period included Kim Alexander, Maryanne O'Hare and Diane Kelly.

Jack Richards on the air in 1975

Wierd Al and Gary Lee Horn, 1980s

Irv Goldfarb, Gary Lee Horn, Phil Kyszyc, and Eddie Haskell - 1980s

    WHCN switched to Classic rock in the mid 1990s to compete for the older rock audience that grew up with WHCN, but changing owners would signal changes at WHCN as well.
     The station became "105-9 WHCN" and adapt a harder-edged classic rock sound billed as "Classic Rock that really rocks!".
    WHCN was purchased by Liberty Broadcasting and then SFX Broadcasting/Capstar, then AMFM and then Clear Channel Communications in 2000.

After years of declining ratings, the 33-year run of WHCN would come to an abrupt end in March 2002 when WHCN became known as "The River 105.9", surprisingly retaining most of its on-air staff in its infancy from the previous classic rock incarnation. The playlist was different and much more diverse than other stations in the market and the station shot up in ratings from 13th place to 5th place within a year. "The River 105.9" targeted listeners of WRCH and WTIC-FM by launching its current hot adult contemporary format, which was a blend of classic rock hits of the 1970s and 1980s with recurrent and current hits of today.
WHCN also carried the nationally syndicated "John Tesh Radio Show".

The station appeals to baby boomers and Generation X listeners with various programming such as the "High School reunion" at 6pm, focused on a specific year and the "Eighties at Eight", which is an hour of Eighties music starting at 8am.

The station carries a "deep tracks" format on its HD Radio HD-2 subchannel.

Above: South end of original W1XPW building on West Peak in Meriden, CT. In the foreground of this picture is the original W1XPW 70' tower. The orange tower to the right is currently used by WHCN, the tower on the far left supports the WDRC-FM antenna. 2008 Photo.

Above: The base of the original W1XPW tower in 2008.

Above: These are the stairs in the W1XPW (WHCN) shack leading upstairs to the kitchen (L) and old studio area (R).

Above: Kitchen area on the south side of the second floor of the W1XPW building. Note hand pump to right of sink. Water was from a rooftop rainwater collection system is still operational! Radio magaines from the early '40s were found here in the late seventies by WHCN CE Rick Walsh. Window on right was blocked off years ago for security purposes but must have provided a spectacular view to the NW when Major Armstrong and then Doolittle operated at the site. In the late sixties WHCN's studio occupied the room next door to the kitchen. 2008 photo.

Above: This room on the south end of the 2nd floor of the original Armstrong building on West Peak is where the WHCN studio was located in the late sixties and early seventies, prior to the move to High Street. The actual broadcast console was in the right rear corner. If you look closely under the cardboard box you can see how worn out the floor is from the DJ's chair! Having a studio this close to a relatively high power FM antenna on a short tower can be a problem as the RF gets into the audio gear. In this situation they minimized the problem by stapling window screen to the inside of all of the walls. Most has been removed but some was visible on my last visit. Until recently this area contained the NOAA weather radio transmitter. Currently it is used as a storage area.
Back when the room housed the WHCN studio the building ended where the yellow caution tape is and there was an exterior window which much have had an excellent view to the south although there are reports from people who were there that it was "perpetually dirty." On a clear day Long Island Sound can be seen from that elevation. MCI added onto the building in the late seventies so the area beyond the yellow tape is used for storage.

Above: W1XPW's original tower taken at sunset in 2008.

1962

Above: Stationary from WHCN when it was part of the Concert Network, 1967. Courtesy of Rick Walsh.

Above: Rare WHCN "Peace Sign" stationary from 1969. Note "Radio Mountain" address including zip code! Did they really delivery mail up there on West Peak? Courtesy of Rick Walsh.

Logo from WHCN envelope from the eighties. Courtesy of Dan Hayden.

In the seventies WHCN experimented with Quadraphonic broadcasting, transmitting four-encoded audio channels somewhat similar to surround-sound.

Courtesy of Dan Hayden

In the late sixties and early seventies WHCN engineer Larry Titus devised a way to broadcast live from The Shaboo Inn concert venue in Willimantic, pictures above in its former life as a mill.

1968

1969

1971

February, 1970

1972

1039 Asylum Ave, winter 1982.

Picozzi and the Horn segments from the '80s

Photo from the early eighties showing the old WHCN tower with three bay directional antenna on left next to the new "MCI" tower on the right. The pole to support a new WHCN antenna has yet to be installed on the new tower. The original WHCN building can be seen prior to it being added on to by MCI. Photo courtesy of Daniel Francis Hayden.

In the early eighties MCI erected a new tower for WHCN. In this 1985 shot you can see the MCI microwave dishes on the side and the three bay WHCN directional FM antenna on the pole on top.