About Thames Valley Radio
Eastern Connecticut's leading news talk AM broadcast voice, serving Norwich, Preston, and New London counties.
Broadcasting History Since 1957
Founded in the autumn of 1957, Thames Valley Radio (originally transmitting under local license authority from Main Street) was established to provide the residents of Norwich and Preston with reliable town news, weather bulletins, and agricultural talk.
Over the decades, as modern infrastructure expanded across Eastern Connecticut, the station grew its footprint, upgrading to a 5000-Watt non-directional transmitter array in nearby Preston. In 2012, the station formed an affiliation with the Blizzard Broadcast Center, integrating cutting-edge regional weather feeds and high-speed dynamic traffic scraping systems to improve commuter safety.
Today, Thames Valley Radio (AM 980 and FM 99.5 translators) represents the premier municipal talk voice of New London County, operating 24 hours a day with local programming, emergency alerts coordination, and community notice board spotlights.
Transmitter & Coverage Telemetry
980 kHz (AM)
FM translator: 99.5 MHz
5,000 Watts (Day)
1,000 Watts (Night)
FCC ID: #38421
Preston Transmitter Array
Our primary transmission tower operates with vertical polarization, broadcasting a directional signal pattern designed to cover New London County, southern Windham County, and coastal sections of Connecticut. In cases of severe power grid outages, our studios immediately transition to localized backup generators to guarantee uninterrupted weather alerts.
Administrative Team
Marcus Vance
Sarah Thorne
Harold 'Hal' Miller, PE
FCC Licensing Registry
Thames Valley Radio is licensed under call letters WCTY-AM to broadcast in Eastern Connecticut. All regulatory documents are available in the public inspection library:
Main Street Offices
Thames Valley Broadcast Center
257 Main St, Norwich CT 06360
Office Hours: Monday - Friday (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST)
General Office Line: (860) 555-9801
