WATR
Encyclopedia
WATR is a radio station
licensed to serve Waterbury, Connecticut
. The station is owned by WATR, Inc. It airs a News
/Talk
plus Oldies
music format. It is oldest privately-owned station in the state of Connecticut, never having been sold outside the family of its founder, Harold Thomas (1902–1968).
The station is host to "Tom Chute & You," the weekday morning drive program hosted by general manager and program director Thomas J. Chute (6-9:30 a.m.) Barbara Davitt, who marked 45 years at WATR in November 2008, hosts "Coffee Break" from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Having debuted in the mid-1960s, it is one of the longest-running shows in radio. Regional broadcasting veteran Larry Rifkin hosts "Talk of the Town," WATR's flagship talk program focusing on local and national issues, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Weekend programming includes the traditional and contemporary sounds of Polish music on "The Polish Eagles Show." The show dates back to 1934 when it was originated on WATR by bandleader Victor Zembruski (1912–1976). His widow, Sophie Zembruski (1918-2010), hosted the show from 1976 to 2008, at which time the couple's daughter, Loretta Hoxie, took over hosting duties. Other weekend programming highlights include the Saturday night "Music Museum," hosted by Jay Crawford; Sunday morning's "Carosello Italiano," a program hosted by Sarino and Joe Costa featuring music and news from the Italian community; and the Sunday night "Solid Gold Rock & Roll Party," hosted by longtime radio personality John Bunnell.
The station has been assigned the WATR call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
since it was initially licensed in 1934.
WATR once had sister F.M. and T.V. stations which both survive: WATR-FM is now WWYZ
and WATR-TV is now WCCT-TV.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to serve Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
. The station is owned by WATR, Inc. It airs a News
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
/Talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
plus Oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
music format. It is oldest privately-owned station in the state of Connecticut, never having been sold outside the family of its founder, Harold Thomas (1902–1968).
The station is host to "Tom Chute & You," the weekday morning drive program hosted by general manager and program director Thomas J. Chute (6-9:30 a.m.) Barbara Davitt, who marked 45 years at WATR in November 2008, hosts "Coffee Break" from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Having debuted in the mid-1960s, it is one of the longest-running shows in radio. Regional broadcasting veteran Larry Rifkin hosts "Talk of the Town," WATR's flagship talk program focusing on local and national issues, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Weekend programming includes the traditional and contemporary sounds of Polish music on "The Polish Eagles Show." The show dates back to 1934 when it was originated on WATR by bandleader Victor Zembruski (1912–1976). His widow, Sophie Zembruski (1918-2010), hosted the show from 1976 to 2008, at which time the couple's daughter, Loretta Hoxie, took over hosting duties. Other weekend programming highlights include the Saturday night "Music Museum," hosted by Jay Crawford; Sunday morning's "Carosello Italiano," a program hosted by Sarino and Joe Costa featuring music and news from the Italian community; and the Sunday night "Solid Gold Rock & Roll Party," hosted by longtime radio personality John Bunnell.
The station has been assigned the WATR call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
since it was initially licensed in 1934.
WATR once had sister F.M. and T.V. stations which both survive: WATR-FM is now WWYZ
WWYZ
WWYZ is a Country Station licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut, broadcasting at 92.5 FM. It is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications, but was formerly locally owned by the Gilmore family as a sister to WATR and WATR-TV...
and WATR-TV is now WCCT-TV.