Entertainment
Listen: WILI transmissions since 1957
Oct 04, 2007 @ 12:01 AM
By SHARMA HOWARD
For the Norwich Bulletin
WILLIMANTIC - The first thing the late Herbert C. Rice did when he bought WILI (1400 AM) in Willimantic in 1959 was to move it to Main Street, where people driving by could peer in and see the hustle and bustle of a radio station and, curious, tune in on their car radio to hear what the buzz was all about.
It was a move, according to Colin Rice — executive vice president of the station now owned by Hall Communications — that proved to be prudent not only for business, but for the endurance of this small radio station that is still going strong with an emphasis on local news, weather, sports and guests.
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the station.
“He was the creative magic that made it all work,” said Rice, who recalled his father as a whirlwind. “He could write copy in a flash, go in and do the voice over and then play the recording for the client.”
His father had his fair share of brushes with famous people, starting with Bette Davis, who he overheard rehearsing in a theater tent, now known as Cape Cod Music Theater. He interrupted the process to tell the young actress she wasn’t convincing. The director challenged him to coach her, which he did, earning him the role as an assistant.
He also wrote and directed many radio dramas and serials, including Bobby Bensen and the B-BAR-B Riders. He auditioned and chose none other than Don Knotts to play a blustery big mouth.
But after living in New York, Colin Rice said his father longed to get away from the rat race and live in a small community. And he instilled a love of radio in his children.
“He emotionally led us into radio and we loved it,” said Rice, whose sister, Kathy, works at WINY in Putnam, with two other siblings, Robin and Michael, also in the family business.
Many memories have been probed this week at the station, which has brought in past employees to talk about meaningful events and the changing times with Wayne Norman, DJ at WILI since 1970.
“Probably the No. 1 thing people have enjoyed the most is not only having voices they’ve heard on the air in the past, but also Tuesday we brought back newscasters from the ’70s,” he said.
Popular 1960's WILI announcer Bob "Uncle Greg" Gregory
One story told by Jeff Reismann, newscaster from 1975-78, was the arrest of six reporters who had attempted to cover a closed city council meeting, which was against the Freedom of Information Act. Once brought before the judge, the case was thrown out.
“These are news events from people who were on the scene and had a pretty accurate retelling of the story,” said Norman, who also works as the color commentator for University of Connecticut football and basketball games.
A national trend WILI can be credited for launching is its Boom Box Parade.
“It’s the largest party of its kind in the world — right here in little ol’ Willimantic, U.S.A.,” Norman quipped.
It started in 1986, when the town lost the high school marching band for the Memorial Day Parade and asked the radio station if it would play music for the event. The station couldn’t get it together on short notice, but did oblige for the Fourth of July parade, and the tradition is still alive and well — even as iPods replace the ghetto blasters of old.
“You couldn’t have an iPod parade,” Norman joked. “It wouldn’t work.”
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