WATR Welcomes “Chris & Allison in the Morning”

Longtime News Director Christopher Fortier has taken on a management role at the station and is one half of the morning drive program. In addition to the new AM-drive gig, Fortier succeeds Tom Chute in the new management role of Director of Operations & Programming.

The lovely Allison Demers has returned to the airwaves at WATR Radio as co-host for “Chris & Allison in the Morning.” The new morning drive program made its debut on Oct. 9. Demers additionally serves as WATR Director of Promotions and Community Outreach.

Fortier has been in journalism for 26 years and took over the WATR newsroom when Demers left after two years in 2017. As a result, the two newscasters have never worked together on the air before co-hosting this new morning show. In a short time, the pair have developed an easy rapport.

Demers, a regional broadcasting veteran, is likely best remembered as co-host of the popular “Allan, Mike and Allison” morning program on WRCH FM, but she has a long list of credits on her resume. She is also a minister.

Entertainer Kenny James (center) returned from Las Vegas to his hometown of Waterbury and WATR to appear at the Are You Dense Music fest at the Palace Theater. Pictured here with Tom Chute (at left) and Allison Demers. June 18, 2105

After more than 50 years in broadcasting, Chute called it a career after 38 years at WATR with a heartfelt final show on Sept. 29.

It was a whirlwind morning on that final broadcast, with special guests including Chute’s wife Mary Beth, Jim and Kathy Smith, Eddie Schaefer, Jimmy Donohue, Larry Rifkin and farewells from Barbara Davitt, Bob Sagendorf, Chris Fortier and so many others.

In the end, it was all about the audience, with Chute offering gratitude and love to those who have tuned in with loyalty for nearly 40 years. "Tom Chute & You" left the air as the fourth-longest continuously running AM drive radio program in Connecticut.

When “TC” returned to Waterbury to serve as the master of ceremonies of the Waterbury Neighborhood Council Awards Dinner on Oct. 19, the veteran broadcaster was presented with an award by Council President and co host Arthur Denze. The award in the shape of a golden microphone was labeled with a plaque thanking Chute for his dedicated service to the Waterbury Neighborhood Council and the community over the last 38 years.

Demers told me that the content of the new morning show is intended to engage the listening audience, especially families and Waterbury businesses. There will be daily games and trivia, with prizes that in the first weeks have included ticket giveaways from the Waterbury’s Palace Theater, Lake Compounce, Quassy Amusement Park, and Fascia’s Chocolates. The daily call in game takes place at approximately 8:05, so potential contestants should “get in line” and call the station at 203 757-1320 during the 8:00 a.m. news break.

Prizes will also be available during the “6:00 Club” for those listeners who are up that early and there are plans for upcoming trips. Demers will also provide a weekend events calendar on Fridays.

In addition to national and local news every half hour, “Chris & Allison in the Morning” still provides local weather with Gil Simmons of WTNH, traffic and sports. There is now a bit of morning comedy during the program and, of course, there is still plenty of great music as the soundtrack for listeners’ morning drive time.

The morning team has continued the tradition of sharing local birthdays as well as celebrity birthdays for the day at approximately 7:35 a.m. The co hosts have eliminated the need for one of them to guess the celebrities that are celebrating a birthday. I was given the opportunity to play “Guess the Birthdays” on the air with Fortier twice before Chute retired, as the Mattatuck Museum’s director “Mattatuck Bob” Burns had done during numerous appearances on the morning show.

Listeners can send requests for birthday, anniversaries or milestone shout outs by emailing them to talkproducer@watr.com with a few days' notice.

Join WATR on Election Night for the election results.

“Chris & Allison in the Morning” can be heard weekdays from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on WATR FM 97.7 and AM 1320, at watr.com online or via a radio app, followed by “Coffee Break” with the venerable Barbara Davitt. WATR is the legendary Connecticut radio station serving Greater Waterbury and Central Connecticut since 1934.