IN THE BEGINNING

WHERE WHOLE LOTTA ROCK BEGAN

91-5 Whole Lotta Rock traces its beginnings to 1995 in Southbury, Connecticut, when WRKN was little more than an idea, a collection of rock records and a determination to put something different on the local airwaves. Shamus McCloud and Bryant Howe were there when the station’s transmitter was connected and powered up for the first time, helping build WRKN from its humble beginnings into a place where classic rock, hard rock and lesser-known album tracks could finally have a home. The station’s first engineer, Lee Christopher, played an important role in getting the original transmitter, antennas and studio equipment connected and working—a much bigger undertaking in those days than simply turning on a computer and clicking a button. Steve Michaels later became WRKN’s Chief Engineer, helping the station grow and keeping everything running as its technology changed through the years.

In the 1990s, broadcasting was much more hands-on. The DJs worked with racks of CDs, cassette tapes, carts and equipment that had to be cued manually, and every song change required someone behind the board paying attention. There were late nights, technical problems, plenty of trial and error and more than a few moments when everyone wondered whether the station would stay on the air—but that was also part of the fun.

By the early 2000s, WRKN was ready to take a major step forward. For six months, staff members put in countless hours digitizing the station’s music library for new automation software. General Manager Dave Diamond and Program Director Bryant Howe spent entire weekends sitting on the floor of Bryant’s apartment, feeding one CD after another into a computer and converting every song into an MP3. Today that may sound simple, but at the time it was a new, painstakingly slow process—and thousands of tracks had to be handled individually. The work gave WRKN a fully digitized library before other stations began making the same transition. It also opened the door for 91-5 to become the first station to take its programming beyond the local signal and broadcast globally over the internet. WRKN embraced the technology and moved into the future early. They were ahead of the curve in nearly every way—they just didn’t know it yet.

Today, WRKN operates from Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut, and most of the music, scheduling and station operations are computerized. The equipment may be different and the station may have a new home, but the reason WRKN exists has never changed: to share great rock music, uncover the songs other stations overlook and create a genuine connection with the people listening. From those early days in Southbury to the station you hear today, 91-5 Whole Lotta Rock continues to be powered by the same love of radio, the same independent spirit and the same belief that the right song can bring back a memory, change your mood or make the rest of your day just a little louder.