WCCC (FM)

History

WCCC-FM was licensed on a frequency of 106.9 MHz. in 1959 with a transmitter site atop Avon Mountain in West Hartford, and went on the air June 7, 1960. The station was owned by well-known Hartford jeweler Bill Savitt, and the studios, shared with sister station WNWW, were on the "lower street level" of the Hotel Bond on Asylum St. In the late 1960s WCCC-FM moved to 11 Asylum Street in Hartford and changed to a hugely popular "All Request" format which was simulcast in part on WCCC. WCCC was one of the only stations in the country ever owned by a record label, in this case Elektra (1960s). Sy Dresner's Greater Hartford Communications Corp. purchased the station in the early Seventies and during the summer of 1975 the station switched to a progressive rock music format. At one point in time WCCC could be heard not only on 106.9 FM, but on also 1290 AM (until that station changed to a classical music format in 2002). For short periods of time in the 1980s WCCC experimented with all-talk and sports radio all-sports formats. During the summer of 1976, the format was tweaked to a more mainstream album rock format. Conservative National Commentator Paul "The Rest of the Story" Harvey was heard on WCCC for close to two decades. WCCC was the home of Howard Stern in the late 1979, where he worked morning drive. This was Stern's first job in a large market. It was at WCCC that Stern met Fred Norris, the longest-tenured member of Stern's staff, who followed Stern when Stern left Hartford. From May 1996, Stern's syndicated morning show aired every weekday morning on WCCC-FM until he departed for Sirius Satellite Radio in December 2005. WCCC replaced Stern in the morning with Sebastian, who had worked for the station in the mid-1990s until moving to WZMX in February 1995. Sebastian left the station at the end of August, 2009.

In 1980, the station was moved to 243 South Whitney Street in Hartford. In 1998 Marlin Broadcasting purchased the station from Greater Hartford Communications Corporation and moved the station to 1039 Asylum Avenue in Hartford with an Active Rock format. Because their building is made of brick (and due to the name of the street they're located on), it is often referred to by staff as "The Asylum." The building used to be occupied by Hartford station WHCN. Program director Mike Picozzi worked for WHCN when it was located on Asylum Avenue.

In 2000 a million-dollar renovation was undertaken at the station's tower site with a new tower, a new antenna and a new building installed. This resulted in improved coverage for the station's 23,000 watt FM signal.

In mid-2002, to parody the recent change of 105.9 WHCN's switch to "The River 105.9," WCCC briefly changed to "The Lake 106.9," causing confusion for a few hours among Connecticut listeners, prompting angry phone calls to the station. Throughout the tenure of "The Lake," the DJs at WCCC could be heard in the background between the playing of soft-pop songs screaming nonsense and gibberish.

In 2004 WCCC-FM started streaming its programming on the web 24/7. In April 2005 WCCC-FM became one of the first stations in the state to commence HD broadcasting. In 2006 it added an HD-2 channel which featured its co-owned Beethoven radio classical music format. In 2007, WCCC-FM shut down the HD signal for financial reasons. It has never returned.

In April 2007 the classical programming of sister station WCCC was added to the HD-2 channel of WCCC-FM. This is possible with the use of HD Radio technology which allows a properly equipped FM station to transmit three or more separate audio programs on a single frequency. In this case WCCC-FM will continue with its Active Rock format on its main channel (analog and HD-1 channels), and will carry Beethoven Radio on its HD-2 channel.

WCCC-FM also occasionally conducts live broadcasts from Planet of Sound, a recording studio in downtown Hartford where artists perform acoustically. Artists and bands that have performed live include Zakk Wylde, Collective Soul, Staind, Skindred, and Shinedown. Many of these songs have been released on the Planet of Sound CD, the proceeds to which were donated to Foodshare and the RSRF.

The former Homegrown Program gave local bands in the northeast a shot at radio play and has featured the likes of Positive Chaos, Not For Nothing, and Livintrust. WCCC no longer supports local music.

WCCC was a nominee for a RadioContraband Rock Radio Award for "Medium Market Radio Station of the Year" in 2012.

In late February - early March 2013, WCCC changed its format from a "hard rock/heavy metal" station to a "classic rock" station, as recorded in the Hartford Courant's blog. The change in format resulted in controversy and backlash from both fans and the program managers. When asked about the change, program director Mike Picozzi responded, "Why not?" On April 2, 2013, Mike Piccozzi left WCCC.

On Wednesday July 30, 2014, it was announced that August 1 would be WCCC's final day as a classic rock station, as EMF Broadcasting bought WCCC (AM) and WCCC-FM. On the last day of rock, program director Mike Karolyi hosted a five-hour goodbye show with most of its current and former DJs, guests, and bands inspired by WCCC coming by the studio or calling in, including Howard Stern talking about his time on WCCC. At 5 pm, Rock 106.9 WCCC signed off with Walk by Pantera. At 5:06 pm, WCCC went off the air. Soon after, WCCC-FM and AM joined the nationwide K-LOVE network.

On June 2, 2016, the station dropped the "-FM" suffix from its call sign.