>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO
CONNECTING POINT.
I'M JIM MADIGAN.
FOR MANY HARD ROCK FANS ACROSS
THE REGION, THE STATION FOR
YEARS TO LISTEN TO, WAS 106.9 FM
WCCC.
THE LEGENDARY STATION PROVIDED
THE SOUNDTRACK TO MANY LOCAL
TEAMS AND SPAWNED THE CAREER OF
HOWARD STERN.
THE STATION WAS SOLD IN 2014 AND
STOPPED BROADCASTING LOCALLY
PROGRAMMED MUSIC AFTER 54 YEARS.
BUT THE LONG-TERM DJ'S MIKE
KAROLYI AND STEPHEN WAYNE ARE
CARRYING ON THE TRADITION WITH A
NEW STATION FOR THE
21ST CENTURY.
PRODUCER TONY DUNNE AND
VIDEOGRAPHER DAVID FRASER TURNS
THE DIAL BACK ON THE STEREO TO
LISTEN TO 106.9 FM WCCC IN
HARTFORD, GONE BUT NOT
FORGOTTEN.
>> GROWING UP IN CONNECTICUT WE
LOVED ROCK, AND THERE WERE TWO
MAIN ROCK STATIONS OUT OF
HARTFORD BACK IN THE DAY.
THERE WAS WCHN AND WCCC.
>> ONE OF THE FIRST ENCOUNTERS
WAS FRANKENSTEIN, AND I SAID, I
AM DOWN WITH THAT.
>> THIS STATION WAS THE STATION
THAT EVERYBODY LISTENED TO,
ESPECIALLY EVEN PEOPLE FROM NEW
YORK AND FROM BOSTON BECAUSE
WHEN YOU WENT BACK AND FORTH,
WHEN YOU DROVE, YOU LISTENED TO
WCCC.
>> YOU COULD COUNT ON US.
WE WERE ALWAYS THERE NO MATTER
WHERE YOU WERE AT, YOU COULD
ALWAYS PUT ON 106.9 FM WCCC AND
HEAR SOMEBODY VERY FAMILIAR TO
YOU.
>> IT WAS A GREAT PLACE FOR
THESE KIND OF EXTRA SPECIAL
PERSONALITIES TO HONE THEIR
CRAFT AND REALLY BECOME STARS.
>> GOING BACK TO HOWARD STERN,
OF COURSE.
>> AND WHAT A RICH HISTORY, YOU
WOULD GO IN AND MEET THE GREAT
GUYS WHO WERE TRYING TO FIND
THEMSELVES IN RADIO, AND GUYS
LIKE PETER AND BRIAN AND THEY
WERE JUST -- IT WAS -- IT WAS A
PLACE WHERE YOUNG BROADCASTERS
COULD LEARN, AND YOU COULD MAKE
YOUR WAY.
>> THIS IS HOWARD STERN BUT IN
MY TIME THERE WAS RICK AND SUDS
BUT ALSO THE LITTLE GUY, LISTEN,
THE LEGENDARY LITTLE GUY, A HUGE
PERSONALITY WHEN I FIRST
STARTED.
JOHN AND I STARTED AT ABOUT THE
SAME TIME, AND JOHN WAS THIS GUY
THAT WOULD BREAK ALL THE RADIO
RULES.
MORE RECENTLY, JAY WAS A HUGE
PERSONALITY OUT OF WCCC AND
STEPHEN WAYAN, ON EVERY SAT
NIGHT, AND YOU COULD HEAR HIM
WHETHER HE HAD THE RADIO ON OR
NOT.
>> DEAR OLD DAD, THIS IS
STILLBOURNE, AT THE HEADQUARTERS
OF ROCK.
>> STEPHEN IS ONE OF THESE
LARGER THAN LIFE CHARACTERS.
I HAVE HAD A GREAT RUN IN THE 25
YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN DOING THIS.
I HAVE MET EVERYBODY ROCK STAR
KNOWN TO MAN.
>> AND HE'S JUST HIGH ENERGY,
AND THE LISTENERS LOVE HIM, SO A
LOT OF PERSONALITIES OVER THE
YEARS HAVE COME OUT OF THAT
RADIO STATION FOR SURE.
>> THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS
ABOUT WCCC OR THE ROCK THAT
BECAME CHARACTERS THEMSELVES.
EVEN THINGS LIKE OUR BUILDING
THAT WE BROADCAST OUT OF.
IT WAS LIKE A MULLET.
YOUR BUSINESS IN FRONT, PARTY IN
THE BACK.
THE RADIO STATION WAS, BUSINESS
DURING THE DAY AND AT NIGHT, IT
WAS A PARTY.
WE NICK-NAMED IT ASYLUM BECAUSE
WE WERE ON ASYLUM AVENUE.
>> IF WE HAD SHOWS GOING ON ONE
OF THE HUMMERS WOULD COME
FORWARD AND ROCK STARS WOULD GET
OUT OF IT AND WE WOULD PUT THEM
ON AIR, SO THERE WAS SOMETHING
GOING ON AT THE ASYLUM.
WE WERE COOKING 24 HOURS A DAY,
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
>> IT IS MIKE KAROLYI
BROADCASTING FROM 3C.
>> ONE THING WE TRIED TO DO WAS
BE A COMPANION TO WHOMEVER MAY
BE LISTENING.
>> WE WOULD INVOLVE OUR LIVES IN
OUR ON-AIR BROADCASTING.
I WOULD TALK ABOUT THE BIRTH OF
MY SON, ALL MY EX-WIFE AND CRANK
HER UP WHICH PEOPLE REALLY
SEEMED TO LIKE.
>> I LOST MY FATHER, WALKED
ACROSS THE STREET, HE WAS AT ST.
FRANCIS HOSPITAL, WALKED ACROSS
THE STREET THAT SATURDAY NIGHT,
SO THOSE TYPES OF EXPERIENCES.
>> I THINK THAT THE LISTENERS
REALLY GOT INVESTED.
THEY GET INVESTED IN THE
DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES AND WE
STAYED AROUND BECAUSE WHY WOULD
YOU WANT TO WORK ANYWHERE ELSE?
IT WAS GREAT.
>> WE WERE NOT PEOPLE IN RADIO
TO BE IN RADIO.
WE WERE PEOPLE TO BE IN WCCC
BECAUSE OF THE MUSIC THAT WE
WERE PLAYING BECAUSE WE BELIEVED
IN IT.
>> AND THEN OUR OWNER DECIDED HE
JUST HAD ENOUGH.
HE WAS MOVING FORWARD BY SELLING
THE RADIO STATION.
>> KNOWING THAT OUR FAMILY, ALL
THE LISTENERS AND THE THOUSANDS
OF LISTENERS THAT WE HAD, THEY
WERE GOING TO BE WITHOUT
SOMETHING THAT MEANT AS MUCH TO
THEM AS IT MEANT TO US.
>> TO OUR OWNER'S CREDIT, HE DID
GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY
GOODBYE WHICH YOU DON'T GET TO
DO IN RADIO.
>> WE THANK YOU.
WE WERE ONE OF YOU.
WE ARE ONE OF YOU.
WHEN WE GO TO CONCERTS WE GO
BECAUSE WE'RE A FAMILY, JUST
LIKE YOU ARE.
MAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW I AM GOING
TO TOP THIS.
SOME HOW I WILL.
>> NOT HAVING A JOB, YOU CAN
MOVE ON FROM THAT BUT LOSING
YOUR FAMILY LIKE YOU SAID, AND
WE LOST OUR FAMILY, THAT WAS
HARD TO TAKE, REALLY HARD TO
TAKE.
>> FROM ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM
AND EVERYBODY WHO PUT ON A WCCC
T-SHIRT OR ATTENDED ONE OF OUR
EVENTS IT'S TIME FOR US TO WALK.
[APPLAUSE]
>> ME AND MANY OF US PUT OUR
HEART AND SOUL INTO THAT RADIO
STATION PROGRAM FOR A VERY LONG
TIME BUT FOR ME PERSONALLY
WHETHER IT CAME TO AN END, I
DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING
TO DO TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
>> LUCKILY MIKE AND I ARE
GRADUATES OF CONNECTICUT SCHOOL
OF BROADCASTING.
MR.
ROBINSON IS A RADIO GUY.
HE FELT THE PAIN, OBVIOUSLY, AND
FELT THAT VOID NEEDED TO BE
FILLED, SO WE DECIDED TO GO
FORWARD WITH IROCK RADIO, AT THE
CONNECTICUT SCHOOL OF
BROADCASTING IN FARMINGTON.
>> THE WORLD HEADQUARTERS OF
ROCK, IT IS MIKE KAROLYI AND
THAT IS BARE TOOTH CALLED "HATE
IT."
>> WE WANTED TO UTILIZE THE
TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE FOR US, OK,
TO BRING IT BACK, SO THAT IS WHY
THE SCHEME WAS THE SAME.
WE WANTED THEM TO LOOK AT US AND
SAY, I REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW,
AND WE HAVE OUR OLD FRONT LAWN
SIGN HERE IN THE STUDIO 3C, JUST
TO REMIND US EVERY DAY OF WHERE
WE CAME FROM.
>> IF IT HAPPENS YOU WILL HEAR
ABOUT IT RIGHT HERE.
>> WE PRETTY MUCH DO WHAT WCCC
DID BACK FROM THE DAY SO IT'S A
REALLY COOL THING.
