Wikipedia

WNYC-FM

WNYC-FM(93.9 MHz) is anon-profit,non-commercial,publicradio stationlicensed toNew York City.It is owned byNew York Public Radioalong withWNYC (AM),Newark, New Jersey-licensedclassical musicoutletWQXR-FM(105.9 MHz),New Jersey Public Radio,and theJerome L. GreenePerformance Space.[2][3] New York Public Radio is a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in 1979, and is publicly supported through membership, development and sponsorship.[4]The station broadcasts from studios and offices located in theHudson Squareneighborhood inlower Manhattan.WNYC-FM's transmitter is located at theEmpire State Building.[5]The station serves theNew York metropolitan area.

WNYC-FM
Frequency93.9MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingWNYC 93.9 FM
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews/Talk (Public)
Subchannels
AffiliationsNPR
Ownership
OwnerNew York Public Radio
WNYC,WQXR-FM,WQXW,New Jersey Public Radio
History
First air date
March 13, 1943(81 years ago)(1943-03-13)
Call signmeaning
New York City
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID73355
ClassB
ERP
  • 5,200watts(analog)
  • 315 watts (digital)
HAAT415 meters (1,362 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°44′54.4″N73°59′8.5″W/ 40.748444°N 73.985694°W/40.748444; -73.985694(WNYC)
Links
Public license information
WebcastWNYC-FM Webcast
Websitewww.wnyc.org

History

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Manhattan Municipal Building,WNYC's home from 1922 to 2008

Early years (1943–1994)

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WNYC-FM began regularly scheduled broadcasts on the FM band on March 13, 1943, at 43.9MHzas the sister station toWNYC.Known originally as W39NY, the FM outlet adopted its present WNYC-FM identity and its present frequency of 93.9 MHz within a few years. In 1961 the pair were joined by a television operation, as WUHF (channel 31) took to the air in an experimental format. The following year the station was renamed WNYC-TV.

The Municipal Broadcasting System (which was renamed the WNYC Communications Group in 1989) helped to formNational Public Radioin 1971, and the WNYC stations were among the 90 stations that carried the inaugural broadcast ofAll Things Consideredlater that year.

The station's ownership by the City meant that it was occasionally subject to the whims ofvarious mayors.As part of a crackdown on prostitution in 1979, then-MayorEd Kochtried to use WNYC to broadcast the names of "johns"arrested for soliciting. Announcers threatened a walkout and station management refused to comply with the idea; after one broadcast the idea was abandoned.SeeJohn Hour.

Independence from the City (1994–present)

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Shortly after assuming the mayoralty in 1994,Rudolph W. Giulianiannounced he was considering selling WNYC-AM-FM. Giuliani believed that broadcasting was no longer essential as a municipal service, and that the financial compensation from selling the stations could be used to help the City cover budget shortfalls.[6]The final decision was made in March 1995: while the City opted to divest WNYC-TV (nowWPXN-TV) through ablind auctionto commercial buyers, WNYC-AM-FM was sold to the WNYC Foundation for$20 million over a six-year period, far less than what the stations could have been sold for if they were placed on the open market.[7]While the sale put an end to the occasional political intrusions of the past, it required the WNYC Foundation to embark on a major appeal towards listeners, other foundations, and private benefactors. The station's audience and budget have continued to grow since the split from the City.

Theterrorist attacks of September 11, 2001destroyed WNYC-FM's transmitter atop theWorld Trade Center.WNYC-AM-FM's studios, in the nearbyManhattan Municipal Building,had to be evacuated and station staff was unable to return to its offices for three weeks. The FM signal was knocked off the air for a time. WNYC-FM temporarily moved to studios at National Public Radio's New York bureau in midtown Manhattan, where it broadcast on its still operating AM signal transmitting from towers in Kearny, New Jersey and by a live Internet stream. The stations eventually returned to the Municipal Building.

Move to new studios (2008)

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On June 16, 2008, NYPR moved from its 51,400 square feet (4,780 m2) of rent-free space scattered on eight floors of the Manhattan Municipal Building to a new location onVarick Street,near theHolland Tunnel.The station now occupies three and a half floors of a 12-story former printing building. The new offices have 12-foot (4 m) ceilings and 71,900 square feet (6,680 m2) of space. The number of recording studios and booths has doubled, to 31. There is a new 140-seat, street-level studio for live broadcasts, concerts and public forums and an expansion of the newsroom of over 60 journalists.

Renovation, construction, rent and operating costs for the new Varick Street location amounted to $45 million. In addition to raising these funds, NYPR raised money for a one-time fund of $12.5 million to cover the cost of creating 40 more hours of new programming and three new shows. The total cost of $57.5 million for both the move and programming is nearly three times the $20 million the station had to raise over seven years to buy its licenses from the City in 1997.[8]

Acquisition of WQXR (2009)

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On October 8, 2009, WNYC took control of classical music stationWQXR-FM,then at 96.3. WQXR'sintellectual property(call letters and format) was acquired from theNew York Times Companyas part of a three-way transaction withUnivision Radio.[9]WNYC also purchased the 105.9 FM frequency of Univision's WCAA (nowWXNY-FM). WQXR-FM's classical format moved to 105.9 and WXNY's Spanish Tropical format debuted at 96.3. The deal resulted in WQXR becoming anon-commercialstation. With WQXR as a co-owned 24-hour classical station, WNYC-FM dropped its remaining classical music programming to become a full-time news/talk station.

Past personalities

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Past WNYC radio personalities includeH. V. Kaltenborn,who hosted radio's first quiz program on WNYC in 1926, theBrooklyn Daily Eagle'sCurrent Events Bee,a forerunner to shows like National Public Radio'sWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!In its early years the station lacked funds for a record library and would borrow albums from record stores around theManhattan Municipal Building,where its studios were located. Legend has it, a listener began lending classical records to the station and in 1929, WNYC began broadcast ofMasterwork Hour,radio's first program of recorded classical music.

Following the U.S. entry intoWorld War II,then-mayorFiorello H. La Guardiamade use of the station every Sunday in hisTalk to the Peopleprogram. During a lengthy newspaper workers strike, La Guardia also used the WNYC airwaves to read the latestcomic stripsto local youngsters while they were not available in New York.

Margaret Juntwait,an announcer and classical music host at WNYC for 15 years, left for theMetropolitan Operain September 2006. Prior to her death in 2015, Juntwait served as announcer for the Met's Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts, the first woman to hold the position and only the third regular announcer of the long-standing broadcast series, which was launched in 1931.John Schaefer,a music show host at WNYC since 1982,[10]has written liner notes for more than 100 albums, for everyone fromYo-Yo MatoTerry Rileyand was named a "New York influential" byNew York Magazinein 2006.[11]

Programming

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WNYC produces its own programming, including nationally syndicated shows such asOn the Media,The New Yorker Radio Hour,andRadiolab,as well as local news and interview shows that includeThe Brian Lehrer Show,All of It with Alison Stewart,andNew Sounds.The entire schedule is streamed live over the internet, as a result, the station receives listener calls from far-flung states and even has international listeners. Many of these shows are simulcast on its AM sister.

WNYC has a local news team of 60 journalists, producers, editors, and other broadcasting professionals.[citation needed]

  • On the Mediais a nationally syndicated, weekly one-hour program hosted byBrooke Gladstone,covering the media and its effect on American culture and society. Many stories investigate how events of the past week were covered by the press. Stories also regularly cover such topics as video news releases,net neutrality,media consolidation, censorship, freedom of the press, spin, and how the media is changing with technology. It won aPeabody Awardin 2004.[12]In 2023,On the Mediawon a Peabody Award for its series "The Divided Dial", which charts the growth and influence of the broadcasting company, Salem Media Group and its impact on far-right politics.[13]
  • The Brian Lehrer Showis a two-hour weekday talk show covering local and national current events and social issues hosted by Brian Lehrer, a former anchor and reporter for NBC Radio Network. It won aPeabody Awardin 2007 "for facilitating reasoned conversation about critical issues and opening it up to everyone within earshot".[14]
  • All of It with Alison Stewart,covers culture in the broadest sense - religion, food, language, music etc.[15]
  • Consider This,a short form daily news podcast from WNYC and NPR, hosted by Janae Pierre. The show offers a mix of the day's top local stories from WNYC and national stories from NPR.

WNYC broadcasts the major daily news programs produced by NPR, includingMorning EditionandAll Things Considered,as well as theBBC World Serviceand selected programs fromPublic Radio ExchangeincludingThis American Life.

Other WNYC andWNYC Studiosproduced programs andpodcastsinclude:

  • Radiolab– two-time Peabody Award-winning podcast attempts to approach broad, difficult topics such as "time" and "morality" in an accessible and light-hearted manner and with a distinctive audio production style.
  • New Sounds– guest musicians, fromDavid ByrnetoMeredith Monk,present performances and showcase new works from classical to folk and jazz.
  • Radio Rookies– provides teenagers with the tools and training to create radio stories about themselves, their communities and their world. It won aPeabody Awardin 2005.[16]
  • Death, Sex & Money– Anna Sale talks to celebrities and regular people about relationships, money, family, work and making it all count.
  • Notes from America with Kai Wright,a live call-in show about the unfinished business of our history, and its grip on our future
  • NYC NOW,A podcast feed that delivers local news from WNYC and Gothamist every morning, midday and evening.

Listenership and new media

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WNYC has been an early adopter of new technologies includingHD Radio,liveaudio streaming,andpodcasting.RSSfeeds and email newsletters link to archived audio of individual program segments. WNYC also makes some of its programming available on the WNYC app.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WNYC-FM".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"2013 Income Tax Returns"(PDF).
  3. ^"Homepage".New York Public Radio.
  4. ^"New York Public Radio Financial Statements and Supplemental Schedule"(PDF).
  5. ^"Transmitter information for WNYC 93.9 FM".Radio Locator.
  6. ^"Opinion: Don't sell out WNYC."The New York Times,February 28, 1994. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  7. ^Myers, Steven Lee (March 22, 1995)."New York, signing off, to sell its radio and TV stations".The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 12,2013.
  8. ^Collins, Glenn (July 17, 2006)."WNYC's Planned Move Will Finish Its Breakup With the City".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 6,2010.
  9. ^Perez-Pena, Richard (July 17, 2009)."Times Co. agrees to sell WQXR Radio".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 1,2011.
  10. ^Cooper, Michael (October 21, 2019)."A Musical Revolt Succeeds: WNYC, in a Reversal, Keeps 'New Sounds'".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 18,2019.
  11. ^"The Influentials: Classical and Dance".New York.May 15, 2006.
  12. ^64th Annual Peabody Awards,May 2005.
  13. ^"83rd Annual Peabody Awards Announced".peabodyawards.com.Peabody Awards.RetrievedJune 26,2023.
  14. ^67th Annual Peabody Awards,May 2008.
  15. ^"All of It on WNYC | WNYC".WNYC.RetrievedJanuary 30,2019.
  16. ^65th Annual Peabody Awards,May 2006.
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WNYC-FM

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