>> 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.