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			{{short description\|Adult contemporary radio station in New Britain–Hartford, Connecticut}}
⚫	{{no footnotes\|date=November 2010}}
	{{for\|the small signaling G protein\|Wrch1}}		{{for\|the small signaling G protein\|Wrch1}}
		⚫	{{more footnotes\|date=November 2010}}
⚫	{{Infobox ~~Radio~~ station \|
			{{Use mdy dates\|date=March 2024}}
	\|image = \|
		⚫	{{Infobox radio station
	\|name = WRCH \|		\| name = WRCH
⚫	~~\|city =~~ ] \|
	\|~~area~~ = ]		\| city = ]
			\| country = US
	\|branding = ''Lite 100.5 WRCH''\|
			\| logo = WRCH Lite 100.5 logo.png
	\|slogan = Southern New England's At Work Station
			\| logo_size =
⚫	\|frequency = 100.5 ]~~<br>~~{{HD Radio}}\|
	\|~~format~~ = ]		\| area = ]
	~~100.5-2~~ ]\|		\| rds =
	\|~~erp~~ = ~~7,500~~ ~~]s\|~~		\| branding = Lite 100.5 WRCH
		⚫	\| frequency = {{frequency\|100.5\|]}} {{HD Radio}}
	\|haat = 381 meters\|
			\| airdate = {{start date and age\|1968\|7\|1}}
⚫	\|class = B\|
			\| language = ]
⚫	\|facility_id = 1910\|
			\| format = ]
	\|callsign_meaning = '''W''' '''R'''adio '''C'''onnecticut '''H'''artford or '''R'''i'''CH''' music\|
			\| erp = {{val\|7500\|u=watts\|fmt=commas}}
⚫	\|owner = ]\|
			\| haat = {{convert\|381\|m\|ft\|sp=us}}
⚫	\|sister_stations = ], ], ]\|
		⚫	\| class = B
	\|webcast = \|
			\| licensing_authority = ]
⚫	\|website = \|
		⚫	\| facility_id = 1910
		⚫	\| coordinates = {{coord\|41.704\|N\|72.832\|W\|type:landmark_region:US-CT_source:FCC\|display=inline,title}}
			\| callsign_meaning = Radio Connecticut Hartford or "Rich music" (former slogan)
			\| affiliations = ]
		⚫	\| owner = ]
			\| licensee = Audacy License, LLC
		⚫	\| sister_stations = {{hlist\|]\|]\|]}}
			\| webcast = {{Audacy.com\|wrch}}
		⚫	\| website = {{url\|https://www.audacy.com/wrch}}
	}}		}}
	'''WRCH''' is a ] in the ], ] area and broadcasts at 100.5 ] with an ] format. Its transmitter is located on ] with antenna on the ] tower, with a backup transmitter in "Radio Park" behind the ] (its former studio location), with studios and offices located at 10 Executive Drive all in ]. Its "Pillow Talk" program on weekday evenings features a Soft Adult Contemporary format.

			'''WRCH''' (100.5 ]; "Lite 100.5") is a ] radio station ] to ], and serving the ] and ] areas. It is owned by ] and airs an ] radio format.
	WRCH offers smooth-jazz programming on its HD2 channel.

			WRCH's ] is located atop ], and transmits from the ] tower off ] (Colt Highway) in ].<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=wrch&nav=\|title=WRCH-FM 100.5 MHz - New Britain, CT\|website=radio-locator.com}}</ref> A backup transmitter is in "Radio Park" behind the ], its former studio location. The station's studios and offices are located on Executive Drive, also in Farmington. WRCH broadcasts in the ] hybrid format. It offered smooth jazz programming on its formerly HD2 sub-channel. The HD3 sub-channel formerly carried a ] of ]-formatted ] in ].<ref>{{cite web \|title=HD Radio Hartford–New Britain–Middletown, CT \|url=http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=50 \|website=HD Radio \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113175240/http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=50 \|archive-date=November 13, 2016}}</ref>
⚫	==References==

			==History==
			===Beautiful music===
			On July 1, 1968, WRCH-FM ] the air.<ref></ref> It was the FM counterpart of WRCH (910 AM, now ]). Both were owned by Central Connecticut Broadcasting, itself owned by Aldo DeDominicis.<ref name="b-saletorch">{{cite news \|title=Changing Hands \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1977/BC-1977-05-02.pdf \|access-date=October 14, 2021 \|work=] \|date=May 2, 1977 \|page=40}}</ref> While the AM station aired a ], ] format, WRCH-FM carried a ] format. It played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumental ]s of pop songs and ] and ] ]. ] was a popular format in that era, with several stations in the Hartford area also playing beautiful music, including ], ], ] and ]. Over time, as those stations switched to other formats, WRCH continued its easy listening sound.

			In 1977, WRCH-FM and its AM ] WRCQ, were acquired by the Radio Corporation of Hartford,<ref></ref> controlled by Enzo DeDominicis (nephew of Aldo DeDominicis) and ] owner Nicholas Robinson, for $3 million;<ref name="b-saletorch"/> Robinson sold his stake to DeDominicis in 1979.<ref name="fcc-cards">{{cite web \|title=WRCH-FM history cards \|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=82767 \|website=CDBS Public Access \|publisher=] \|access-date=October 14, 2021 \|format=PDF}}</ref>

			===Soft AC===
			In the 1980s, WRCH gradually increased the number of soft vocals and decreased the instrumentals, to the point where it became a ] station. The transition was gradual. Many of its listeners stuck with WRCH as a companion in the office and at home, and it remained one of the top rated stations in ].

			Enzo DeDominicis sold WRCH, along with AM sister station WNEZ, to ] (ARS) in December 1993.<ref name="hc-saletoars">{{cite news \|last1=Lender \|first1=Jon \|title=Deal adds up to radio 'duopoly' \|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1993-12-16-0000000663-story.html \|access-date=October 6, 2021 \|work=] \|date=December 16, 1993}}</ref> The $15 million acquisition,<ref name="b&c-saletoars">{{cite news \|title=Changing Hands \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-01-31.pdf \|access-date=October 14, 2021 \|work=] \|date=January 31, 1994 \|page=44}}</ref> completed in July 1994,<ref name="b-saletoarscomplete">{{cite magazine \|title=Newsline \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XggEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22WRCH%22+%22WNEZ%22+%22American+Radio+Systems%22&pg=PA88 \|access-date=October 6, 2021 \|magazine=] \|date=July 9, 1994}}</ref> was the first made by ARS following its formation a month earlier. It placed WRCH under the same ownership as ], which offered a "]" format.<ref name="hc-saletoars"/> Ahead of the sale, DeDominicis relocated to South Carolina to oversee his two radio stations there,<ref name="hc-saletoars"/> which he had acquired in 1989.<ref name="b-scstations">{{cite news \|title=Changing Hands \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1989/BC-1989-01-02.pdf \|access-date=October 14, 2021 \|work=] \|date=January 2, 1989 \|page=110}}</ref>

			===CBS and Entercom===
			], then-parent company of ], announced its acquisition of ARS in September 1997,<ref name="bs-saletocbs">{{cite news \|title=Baltimore Sun: Baltimore breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic \|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1997-09-20-1997263053-story.html \|access-date=October 7, 2021 \|work=] \|agency=] \|date=September 20, 1997}}</ref> a deal completed in June 1998.<ref></ref> By this time, the company's holdings in the market, in addition to WRCH and WZMX, included ] and WTIC-FM;<ref name="r&r-saletocbs">{{cite news \|title=ARS Cashes Out, Goes To CBS \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-09-26.pdf#page=6 \|access-date=October 7, 2021 \|work=] \|date=September 26, 1997 \|page=6}}</ref> WNEZ had been sold to Mega Broadcasting in 1996.<ref name="hc-wnezsale">{{cite news \|last1=Keveney \|first1=Bill \|title=Spanish stations becoming a force \|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-11-13-9611130032-story.html \|access-date=October 7, 2021 \|work=] \|date=November 13, 1996}}</ref> WRCH continued its soft AC format, although picking up the tempo a bit into the 2000s, shifting to mainstream adult contemporary music.

			On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with ].<ref></ref> The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://entercom.com/press/entercom-receives-fcc-approval-merger-cbs-radio/\|title=Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio\|work=Entercom\|date=November 9, 2017\|access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/121072/entercom-completes-cbs-radio-merger/\|title=Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger\|last=Venta\|first=Lance\|work=Radio Insight\|date=November 17, 2017\|access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref> The only noticeable effect from the merger for listeners was the switch of Boston sports stations on WRCH's HD3 subchannel, as the simulcast changed from the now-]-owned ] to Entercom-owned ].

			In 2021, Entercom changed its name to Audacy, Inc. Audacy discontinued WRCH's HD subchannels in 2022.

		⚫	== References ==
	{{Reflist}}		{{Reflist}}

	==External links==		==External links==
			* {{Official website\|https://www.audacy.com/wrch}}
	*
	*{{FM station data\|WRCH}}		* {{FM station data\|1910\|WRCH}}

	{{Hartford Radio}}		{{Hartford Radio}}
	{{New Haven Radio}}
	{{Springfield MA Radio}}
	{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in Connecticut}}		{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in Connecticut}}
	{{~~CBS Radio~~}}		{{Entercom}}
	{{CBS}}

⚫	{{coord\|41.704\|N\|72.832\|W\|type:landmark_region:~~US_source~~:FCC\|display=title}}

		⚫	]
			]
	]		]
	]		]
	]		]
		⚫	]
		⚫	]
	]		]
⚫	]
⚫	]

	{{Connecticut-radio-station-stub}}

Latest revision as of 19:31, 5 January 2025

Adult contemporary radio station in New Britain–Hartford, Connecticut For the small signaling G protein, see Wrch1.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

WRCH
New Britain, Connecticut United States

Broadcast area	Greater Hartford
Frequency	100.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	Lite 100.5 WRCH
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Adult contemporary
Affiliations	Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner	Audacy, Inc. (Audacy License, LLC)
Sister stations	WTIC WTIC-FM WZMX
History
First air date	July 1, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-07-01)
Call sign meaning	Radio Connecticut Hartford or "Rich music" (former slogan)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	1910
Class	B
ERP	7,500 watts
HAAT	381 meters (1,250 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	41°42′14″N 72°49′55″W / 41.704°N 72.832°W / 41.704; -72.832
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live (via Audacy)
Website	www.audacy.com/wrch

WRCH (100.5 FM; "Lite 100.5") is a commercial radio station licensed to New Britain, Connecticut, and serving the Greater Hartford and New Haven areas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an adult contemporary radio format.

WRCH's transmitter is located atop Rattlesnake Mountain, and transmits from the WTIC-TV tower off U.S. Route 6 (Colt Highway) in Farmington. A backup transmitter is in "Radio Park" behind the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, its former studio location. The station's studios and offices are located on Executive Drive, also in Farmington. WRCH broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. It offered smooth jazz programming on its formerly HD2 sub-channel. The HD3 sub-channel formerly carried a simulcast of sports talk-formatted WEEI-FM in Boston.

History

Beautiful music

On July 1, 1968, WRCH-FM signed on the air. It was the FM counterpart of WRCH (910 AM, now WLAT). Both were owned by Central Connecticut Broadcasting, itself owned by Aldo DeDominicis. While the AM station aired a full service, middle of the road format, WRCH-FM carried a beautiful music format. It played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumental cover versions of pop songs and Hollywood and Broadway showtunes. Easy listening was a popular format in that era, with several stations in the Hartford area also playing beautiful music, including WKSS, WWYZ, WKCI and WTIC-FM. Over time, as those stations switched to other formats, WRCH continued its easy listening sound.

In 1977, WRCH-FM and its AM sister station WRCQ, were acquired by the Radio Corporation of Hartford, controlled by Enzo DeDominicis (nephew of Aldo DeDominicis) and Connecticut School of Broadcasting owner Nicholas Robinson, for $3 million; Robinson sold his stake to DeDominicis in 1979.

Soft AC

In the 1980s, WRCH gradually increased the number of soft vocals and decreased the instrumentals, to the point where it became a soft adult contemporary station. The transition was gradual. Many of its listeners stuck with WRCH as a companion in the office and at home, and it remained one of the top rated stations in Greater Hartford.

Enzo DeDominicis sold WRCH, along with AM sister station WNEZ, to American Radio Systems (ARS) in December 1993. The $15 million acquisition, completed in July 1994, was the first made by ARS following its formation a month earlier. It placed WRCH under the same ownership as WZMX, which offered a "bright adult contemporary" format. Ahead of the sale, DeDominicis relocated to South Carolina to oversee his two radio stations there, which he had acquired in 1989.

CBS and Entercom

Westinghouse Electric Corporation, then-parent company of CBS Radio, announced its acquisition of ARS in September 1997, a deal completed in June 1998. By this time, the company's holdings in the market, in addition to WRCH and WZMX, included WTIC (AM) and WTIC-FM; WNEZ had been sold to Mega Broadcasting in 1996. WRCH continued its soft AC format, although picking up the tempo a bit into the 2000s, shifting to mainstream adult contemporary music.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. The only noticeable effect from the merger for listeners was the switch of Boston sports stations on WRCH's HD3 subchannel, as the simulcast changed from the now-Beasley-owned WBZ-FM to Entercom-owned WEEI-FM.

In 2021, Entercom changed its name to Audacy, Inc. Audacy discontinued WRCH's HD subchannels in 2022.

References

"Facility Technical Data for WRCH". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
"WRCH-FM 100.5 MHz - New Britain, CT". radio-locator.com.
"HD Radio Hartford–New Britain–Middletown, CT". HD Radio. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016.
Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 page B-36
^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 2, 1977. p. 40. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1985 page B-48
"WRCH-FM history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
^ Lender, Jon (December 16, 1993). "Deal adds up to radio 'duopoly'". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
"Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. January 31, 1994. p. 44. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
"Newsline". Billboard. July 9, 1994. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
"Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 2, 1989. p. 110. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
"Baltimore Sun: Baltimore breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic". The Baltimore Sun. Bloomberg News. September 20, 1997. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-79
"ARS Cashes Out, Goes To CBS" (PDF). Radio & Records. September 26, 1997. p. 6. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
Keveney, Bill (November 13, 1996). "Spanish stations becoming a force". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
"Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.

External links

Official website
Facility details for Facility ID 1910 (WRCH) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
WRCH in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

Radio stations in the Hartford, Connecticut, metropolitan area

This region also includes the following cities: New Britain

LPFM	96.9 98.7 103.5 107.7
Translators	91.9 94.1 95.3 96.1 97.1 97.5 97.7 99.5 100.1 100.9 101.7 103.3 104.3 105.3 107.3

Digital radio
by frequency & subchannel

By call sign

Defunct

Nearby regions: Bridgeport; Danbury; New Haven; New London/Westerly; Pittsfield; Poughkeepsie; Springfield; Worcester

See also: List of radio stations in Connecticut

v t e Adult Contemporary radio stations in the state of Connecticut
By frequency	1350 94.7 96.5 97.3 98.3 99.9 100.5 106.5 107.9
By callsign	WBMW WDAQ WEBE WEZN-FM WINY WMAS-FM WRCH WTIC-FM WZBG
By community of license	Bridgeport Danbury Enfield Hartford Litchfield New Britain Pawcatuck Putnam Westport
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Connecticut

v t e Audacy, Inc.
stations licensed to Audacy, Inc. (formerly Entercom)
AM radio stations	KAMP KCBS KDKA KFH KFNZ KFXX KIFM KIKK KILT KJCE KMBZ KMOX KMTT KNSS KNX KRLD KWOD KXNT KYW KYYS WAAF WAMO** WAOK WAXY WBBM WBEN WCCO WEEI WFAN WGR WHLL WHSQ WILK WINS WJFK WJZ WLMZ WMC WMFS WORD WPHT WQAM WRNL WROC WRVA WSCR WSSP WTEM WTIC WVEI WWJ WWKB WWL WWWL WWWS WXYT WYRD
FM radio stations	KALC KALV-FM KAMX KBZT KCBS-FM KDGS KDKA-FM KEYN-FM KEZK-FM KFBZ KFNZ-FM KFRC-FM KFRG KFTK-FM KGMZ-FM KGON KHMX KHTP KILT-FM KISW KITS KJKK KKDO KKHH KKMJ-FM KKWF KLLC KLOL KLUC-FM KMBZ-FM KMLE KMNB KMVK KMXB KNDD KNRK KNSS-FM KNX-FM KOOL-FM KQKS KQMT KQRC-FM KRBQ KRLD-FM KROQ-FM KRSK KRTH KRXQ KSEG KSFM KSON KSPF KSWD KTWV KUDL KVIL (HD2) KWFN KWJJ-FM KXFG KXQQ-FM KXSN KYCH-FM KYKY KYXY KZJK KZPT WBBM-FM WBEB WBEE-FM WBGB WBMX WBTJ WBZA WBZZ WCBS-FM WCFS-FM WCMF-FM WDAF-FM WDCH-FM† WDOK WDSY-FM WDZH WEEI-FM WEZB WFAN-FM WFBC-FM WFUN-FM WGGY WHHL WIAD WILK-FM WINS-FM WIP-FM WJFK-FM WJHM WJMH WJZ-FM WKBU WKIS WKRK-FM WKRZ WKSE WKTK WKXJ WLFP WLIF WLKK WLMG WLMZ-FM WLND WLYF WLZL WMAS-FM WMFS-FM WMHX WMJX WMMM-FM WMXJ WMYX-FM WNCX WNEW-FM WNVZ WOCL WOGL WOLX-FM WOMC WOMX-FM WPAW WPGC-FM WPHI-FM WPOW WPTE WPXY-FM WQAL WQMG WRCH WROQ WRVQ WRVR WRXL HD2 WRXR-FM WSFS WSKY-FM WSMW WSTR WTDY-FM WTIC-FM WTPT WTVR-FM WUSN WUSY WVEE WVEI-FM WVKL WWBX WWDE-FM WWEI WWL-FM WWMX WXBK WXRT WXSS WXYT-FM WYCD WYRD-FM WZGC WZMX
Radio Networks	BetQL Network Infinity Sports Network* Sabres Hockey Network New York Yankees Radio Channel Q
Digital properties	Audacy Cadence13 Eventful Pineapple Street Studios Play.it
See also	CBS Radio List of radio stations
* = Formerly CBS Sports Radio, Audacy operated as producer with distribution handled by Westwood One. ** = Audacy operates pursuant to a local marketing agreement with Martz Communications Group. † = Operated by Bloomberg L.P. pursuant to a time brokerage agreement.

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