Why is the fact that WCCC which changed its format over a year ago from active rock to classic rock hitting me so hard? There are a lot of reasons. The music of course. I became fans of bands like Shinedown, Staind, Linkin Park, Trapt and too many more to name because WCCC introduced them to me, but it's more than the music. I was lucky enough to somehow find my way in a little deeper than the average fan. Over the years I got to hang out with Picozzi, Slaveboy,Rhino and Raven. I got to be pretty friendly with Mary Scanlon, Klonk, Karolyi, Sinnamin and the lesser known Kathy Roche. I was by no means BFF's. I was just able to have real conversations with real people and talk about music and life.
I found myself an unofficial employee for a couple of years. Back before live streaming of radio on your computer or apps was the norm, WCCC was just starting out and where I worked I couldn't get the station on my radio because of the location of my office so I started listening to the live stream. I found pretty quickly that there were let's just say "problems" with it. Sometimes we would hear commercials in August that were advertising a Christmas Sale for one of the sponsors or the station would go dark all together and we would have 5-10 minutes of silence. So I reached out to Mary Scanlon and Klonk and they connected me with Kathy Roche who at the time was in charge of all things web related. Kathy asked me to alert her of problems via email. I did this for a couple of years and over time it got better and better to the app that it is today. I did it because I loved the station and I wanted it to progress and stay current with today's technology. I think Kathy knew that and she was so generous. She would send me little giftcards here and there and even some concert tickets on occasion. One year she sent me what is still my fave gift ever, It's a teeny replica of the "ROCK" outside the station. It sits on my desk and I look at it everyday. Well Kathy moved on and the live stream was pretty much running perfectly so I didn't interact with the station as much but I still was a loyal listener even when the worst thing that I thought could ever happen did.
WCCC changes from active rock to classic rock. Oh man the uproar was insane. A cool chic established a Save the Rock fan page, people protested, picketed, called, wrote, pretty much did everything but lay over the control board when the switch happen. I knew how difficult it was for the DJ's. I knew they didn't want it but they did need their jobs and you do what you must survive. They had seen a lot of personnel changes even before this happened. Sebastian and Mary Scanlon were let go and I was devastated. Mary was great. She made my morning drive every day. Then Raven took over and we went through the switch ups from a three person morning show to one then back to two and Raven and Sinnamin were still standing. I can't imagine what it felt like to work in that environment, never knowing when your number was up. I didn't however, see the format change coming and I wish it never had. Apparently the demographic listening to the bands we loved wasn't exactly helping the economy. In other words, sponsorship was difficult to secure because men 18-24 don't buy stuff. Ok. well I guess I can understand that and at the end of the day business is business. So the change occurred and although I love Stevie Nicks I really don't wanna hear her on WCCC, but I stayed. I stayed loyal because the one thing that this classic rock station had that the others didn't was the people, The DJ's who made every day seem like they were in your house having a beer playing a record for you. They didn't come off like a Rick Dees knock off. They were REAL PEOPLE living in Connecticut dealing with the same crap we were .
So we carried on. We didn't like it but we carried on. Over time though the PEOPLE part of what made WCCC started to fade. Suddenly there were these voices that we knew damn well were not live in the studio nor were they live in this friggin state. I kinda started checking out after that. I listened to Raven religiously and Karolyi too and would catch part of Craig and Klonks shifts but i totally tuned out in between. They weren't our people. They were the Rick Dees knock offs and that was too much to bear. I heard the ratings were better since the switch which is probably how it sustained itself for so long, but in the end the Corporation won. I could say Corporate Greed, but I think its less about greed and more about the powers that be just being out of touch with how much their station of 30 years truly impacted the Connecticut Listeners. I am sure that the station could have sustained itself but they just didn't want to do it anymore and its far easier to make a profit and no longer have to worry about the FCC, unemployment benefits, insurance, staffing, lawsuits and liability. I get it. I don't like it but I get it. I will say that they could have treated their employees with a bit more respect and sent them out with more than a handshake and that is an understatement. I want to be a lot more vulgar and a lot less politically correct but I don't know the whole story and Im not going to comment on things I don't have facts on.
So here we are on the eve of my 41st birthday and what do I get for a present? I get to hear Howard Stern back on WCCC as well as Staind and Shinedown and all the DJ's together talking about the good old days. Sounds like a great gift. Too bad it comes at a horrible price. The final broadcast of the station I have listened to since my 20's. I know this blog rambled on and on, but I wanted to share my experiences with the greatest group of people in the radio industry and just remind everyone that these people gave their heart and soul to WCCC, they were there on holidays instead of with their families, they were there to not just hand out tickets and spin a tune, they were there with us, in it, living the music, loving the culture and reminding us all how much fun rock and roll truly is.
Thank you WCCC. I will miss you but I have a lifetime of memories. I can say I remember when WCCC......
Live Local and Ass Kicking. Tomorrow they will burn the flame one final time!!
Much love,
Tamyra
