WNYU
Encyclopedia
WNYU-FM is a college radio station
owned and operated by New York University
. Until 2004, it served lower Manhattan
and surrounding areas, but thanks to a new booster, it now broadcasts to the tri-state region. The station can be heard on 89.1 FM
at 8,300 watt
s from 4pm until 1am on weekdays, and on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at wnyu.org. The stream can also be found in iTunes
Radio under the Eclectic genre.
WNYU is run entirely by university students. It plays a diverse array of music and encourages independent artists to submit their work for airplay. Their website features archives of aired shows, allowing listeners to tune in to missed broadcasts.
The offices and studios are located at 5-11 University Place in Greenwich Village
. WNYU's main transmitter is located at University Heights in the Bronx, the former location of NYU. Another transmitter is licensed as WNYU-FM1, a co-channel booster station located at University Plaza at the current campus 40°43′37"N 73°59′53"W, and serving lower Manhattan
where the main signal is blocked by the skyscraper
s of upper Manhattan
.
The frequency of 89.1 in the New York metropolitan area
is actually reserved by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) for the United Nations
(to a maximum of 20 kW effective radiated power
at up to 500 feet (152 m) HAAT, per 47 CFR §73.501. This is the only allotment in the country to be specified in the reserved band used by non-commercial educational
stations. Because this was never used by the U.N., WNYU and WFDU
were allowed to broadcast on it, on a shared time basis.
to New Wave
, creating a U.S. launching pad for an entire new generation of music including The Human League
, Heaven 17
, R.E.M.
, Public Image Limited as well as NYC and Hoboken
acts such as The dB's
, The Fleshtones
, The Bongos
, Liquid Liquid
, KONK
, ESG
, The Individuals
and The Bush Tetras
.
The original New Afternoon Show line-up included Gary Cee (now Program Director and Afternoon drive host of WPDH), Naomi Regelson, Michael "Pablo" Dugan, Sal LoCurto, and Evan "Funk" Davies. Brian "Weems" Williams replaced Gary Cee in 1981. Loscalzo (later of WPDH
, WRCN, WDRE
, KROQ-FM
and K-Rock/NY WFNY-FM#WXRK replaced Evan "Funk" Davies in 1982. Other New Afternoon Show DJs during the 80's included Hrynyszyn, Jon Fox, Anne Clark, Sylvia, and Hugh Foley.
The station broke ground by airing one of the first hardcore punk programs - "Noise! The Show" - with host (and future MTV veejay) Tim Sommer
. A snippet of this show can be heard on the Beastie Boys
collection "Some Old Bullshit
". Following the success of "Noise! The Show", a similar punk and hardcore radio show called "Crucial Chaos" started in the late 1980s and was a staple of the NYHC scene. An infamous live set from the show with an on-air fight between members of Sick of it All and Born Against still exists and can be found on the internet. Crucial Chaos continues to this day, now in its 24th year and still features live sets and interviews from bands in the current hardcore scene.
Alec Baldwin
was a frequent guest on short-lived comedy program "Comedy Hell" hosted by Max Keiser
who would later go on to invent the Hollywood Stock Exchange
and appear as a presenter on both Al-Jazeera English and BBC World News. The show was co-hosted and produced by Loscalzo.
, who hosts a hip-hop show called The Halftime Show every Wednesday night.
Tim Sweeney, whom Time Out New York named "one of the most in-demand DJs in the city" in an April 2005 feature, spins dance classics and new electronic music on Beats In Space, Tuesday nights. The Village Voice
facetiously called Beats In Space the "Best Radio Show for Hearing 'Disco Train' Several Times on Repeat" in their Best of 2005 issue.
"The Cheap Seats," a sports talk program, airs each Monday night. The show airs for one half hour and aims to break down professional sports from a uniquely independent viewpoint, especially focusing on teams from the New York region. Listeners may call in and offer their own opinions on the air. The show is currently hosted by Chase Kressel. Other past members include Kenny Albert
(Fox
), John Schmeelk (New York Giants
), Aaron Goldhammer (ESPN Radio
), Brook Silva-Braga (HBO), Rachel Steinberg, Bryan Koch, Keith Sabalja, Rob Maiale, and Brad Clough. Hosts often interview relevant figures from the world of sports. Past guests have included DeMaurice Smith
, John Sterling
, Kerry Rhodes
, Satch Sanders, Ramses Barden
and Stu Jackson
. The WNYU sports department also provides coverage of NYU men's and women's basketball.
"Tunnel One", which airs every Tuesday evening from 9:00pm to 10:30pm EST, is New York City's only weekly Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and foundation reggae & dancehall radio program. Begun circa 1997, and hosted by djMush1 (trumpet player/multi-instrumentalist, engineer, arranger, and producer, and formerly of the Slackers and Murphy's law, and currently of The Hungry March Band, The Scorchers, & Al Paragus record label and event space [home of When Dance Was Nice]), Tunnel One has featured live in-studio guests such as Junior Reid, Carlton Livingston, Clive Chin, Johnny Osbourne, Danny Dread (Stereo Mars/Volacano), Jah Wise (Tippatone), Tony Screw (Downbeat), Junior Cat, General Trees, Professor Nuts, Al Campbell, Brigadier Jerry, Monty Alexander, Welton Irie, Ranking Trevor, Ranking Joe, and many more.
All of WNYU's current show descriptions and air times can be found on the FM Schedule and .Org schedule on their website.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
owned and operated by New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. Until 2004, it served lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and surrounding areas, but thanks to a new booster, it now broadcasts to the tri-state region. The station can be heard on 89.1 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
at 8,300 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s from 4pm until 1am on weekdays, and on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at wnyu.org. The stream can also be found in iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Radio under the Eclectic genre.
WNYU is run entirely by university students. It plays a diverse array of music and encourages independent artists to submit their work for airplay. Their website features archives of aired shows, allowing listeners to tune in to missed broadcasts.
The offices and studios are located at 5-11 University Place in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. WNYU's main transmitter is located at University Heights in the Bronx, the former location of NYU. Another transmitter is licensed as WNYU-FM1, a co-channel booster station located at University Plaza at the current campus 40°43′37"N 73°59′53"W, and serving lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
where the main signal is blocked by the skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s of upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan denotes the more northerly region of the New York City Borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary may be defined anywhere between 59th Street and 155th Street. Between these two extremes lies the most common definitions of Upper Manhattan as Manhattan above 96th Street...
.
The frequency of 89.1 in the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
is actually reserved by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(to a maximum of 20 kW effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
at up to 500 feet (152 m) HAAT, per 47 CFR §73.501. This is the only allotment in the country to be specified in the reserved band used by non-commercial educational
Non-commercial educational
The term non-commercial educational applies to a radio station or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements , as defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . NCE stations do not pay broadcast license fees for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum...
stations. Because this was never used by the U.N., WNYU and WFDU
WFDU
WFDU is a non-commercial, college radio station licensed to Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. Since 1971, WFDU has broadcast from studios on the Metropolitan Campus of said college. WFDU's transmitter site is at the world famous Major Edwin Howard Armstrong tower in Alpine, NJ...
were allowed to broadcast on it, on a shared time basis.
History
WNYU has been home to Plastic Tales from the Marshmallow Dimension as well as the legendary New Afternoon Show since 1980, when programmer Sal LoCurto flipped the format from progressive rockProgressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
to New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, creating a U.S. launching pad for an entire new generation of music including The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
, Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, Public Image Limited as well as NYC and Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
acts such as The dB's
The dB's
The dB's are a jangle pop/power pop group who came into prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s. The bandmembers were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder, all of whom were from Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
, The Fleshtones
The Fleshtones
The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.- 1976-1979 :The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York by Keith Streng and Marek Pakulski The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.- 1976-1979 :The...
, The Bongos
The Bongos
The Bongos were a rock band from Hoboken, New Jersey, primarily active in the 1980s. With a unique blend of British Invasion-flavored power pop, jangly guitars, and dance beats they made the leap to national recognition with the advent of MTV.-Biography:...
, Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid is a New York City post-punk, post-disco band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's old school rap classic, "White Lines "...
, KONK
Konk (Band)
Formed in 1980 in New York City, KONK was a band that emerged during a period marked by the Post-Punk/New-Wave and Disco scenes which were prevalent at the time. KONK won the attention of both scenes by playing a hybrid of the two musical styles which involved the blending of a New Wave attitude...
, ESG
ESG
ESG may refer to:* Engineering Seismology Group, a microseismic monitoring and data analysis company from Canada.* Environmental Social and Corporate Governance, the commonly accepted factors involved in Responsible Investment assessments...
, The Individuals
The Individuals (New Jersey band)
The Individuals were a Hoboken, New Jersey-based band led by Glenn Morrow and featuring Janet Wygal , Janet's brother Doug Wygal , and Jon Light Klages...
and The Bush Tetras
Bush Tetras
Bush Tetras are an American post-punk band from New York City, popular in the Manhattan club scene in the early 1980s but never achieving much mainstream success. Their music combined funk rhythms and dissonant guitar riffs.-History:...
.
The original New Afternoon Show line-up included Gary Cee (now Program Director and Afternoon drive host of WPDH), Naomi Regelson, Michael "Pablo" Dugan, Sal LoCurto, and Evan "Funk" Davies. Brian "Weems" Williams replaced Gary Cee in 1981. Loscalzo (later of WPDH
WPDH
WPDH is a mainstream rock radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving from extreme Northern New Jersey to New York's Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts on 101.5 MHz at 4.4 kilowatts ERP from a tower site on Illinois Mountain in...
, WRCN, WDRE
WDRE (FM)
WPTY, "Party 105", is a gold based rhythmic AC station serving the Long Island market, mostly throughout Eastern Suffolk County. The JVC Media LLC outlet broadcasts at 105.3 MHz with their antenna based in Manorville, New York at an effective radiated power of 660W and is licensed to...
, KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
and K-Rock/NY WFNY-FM#WXRK replaced Evan "Funk" Davies in 1982. Other New Afternoon Show DJs during the 80's included Hrynyszyn, Jon Fox, Anne Clark, Sylvia, and Hugh Foley.
The station broke ground by airing one of the first hardcore punk programs - "Noise! The Show" - with host (and future MTV veejay) Tim Sommer
Tim Sommer
Timothy Andrew Sommer is an American musician, record producer, former Atlantic Records A&R Representative, WNYU DJ, Trouser Press journalist, MTV News correspondent, and VH1 VJ. Tim is perhaps best known as a bass player in the slo-core, dreampop bellwether Hugo Largo and the creator and host of...
. A snippet of this show can be heard on the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
collection "Some Old Bullshit
Some Old Bullshit
Some Old Bullshit is a collection of several early Beastie Boys EPs, recorded in the early '80s. These recordings present a sound radically different from that of the hip-hop sound generally associated with the band...
". Following the success of "Noise! The Show", a similar punk and hardcore radio show called "Crucial Chaos" started in the late 1980s and was a staple of the NYHC scene. An infamous live set from the show with an on-air fight between members of Sick of it All and Born Against still exists and can be found on the internet. Crucial Chaos continues to this day, now in its 24th year and still features live sets and interviews from bands in the current hardcore scene.
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
was a frequent guest on short-lived comedy program "Comedy Hell" hosted by Max Keiser
Max Keiser
Timothy Maxwell "Max" Keiser is an American broadcaster, film-maker, and former equities broker. Keiser is the host of On the Edge, a program of news and analysis hosted by Iran's Press TV. He also hosts Keiser Report, a financial program broadcast on RT - formerly Russia Today...
who would later go on to invent the Hollywood Stock Exchange
Hollywood Stock Exchange
The Hollywood Stock Exchange, or HSX, is a web-based, multiplayer game in which players use simulated money to buy and sell "shares" of actors, directors, upcoming films, and film-related options....
and appear as a presenter on both Al-Jazeera English and BBC World News. The show was co-hosted and produced by Loscalzo.
Current programming
Current WNYU DJs include DJ Eclipse of Non PhixionNon Phixion
Non Phixion was a New York-based hardcore hip-hop group.-History:In late 1994, MC Serch took his protege Sabac and teamed him up with DJ Eclipse and Ill Bill, thereby creating the group known as Non Phixion. Within six months Goretex, a childhood friend of Ill Bill, had joined the crew after...
, who hosts a hip-hop show called The Halftime Show every Wednesday night.
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
facetiously called Beats In Space the "Best Radio Show for Hearing 'Disco Train' Several Times on Repeat" in their Best of 2005 issue.
"The Cheap Seats," a sports talk program, airs each Monday night. The show airs for one half hour and aims to break down professional sports from a uniquely independent viewpoint, especially focusing on teams from the New York region. Listeners may call in and offer their own opinions on the air. The show is currently hosted by Chase Kressel. Other past members include Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert , is an American sportscaster, and the son of sportscaster Marv Albert and the nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert...
(Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
), John Schmeelk (New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Aaron Goldhammer (ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
), Brook Silva-Braga (HBO), Rachel Steinberg, Bryan Koch, Keith Sabalja, Rob Maiale, and Brad Clough. Hosts often interview relevant figures from the world of sports. Past guests have included DeMaurice Smith
DeMaurice Smith
DeMaurice "D" Smith is the Executive Director of the National Football League Players' Association . Smith was elected unanimously by a board of active player representatives on March 16, 2009.- Career :...
, John Sterling
John Sterling
John Sterling may refer to:*John Sterling , British author, subject of a life by Thomas Carlyle*John Sterling, character in Robert A...
, Kerry Rhodes
Kerry Rhodes
Kerry Rhodes is an American football safety for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, Satch Sanders, Ramses Barden
Ramses Barden
Ramses Barden is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
and Stu Jackson
Stu Jackson
Stuart Wayne Jackson is an American former head coach and current executive in the National Basketball Association. He has coached two different NBA teams: the New York Knicks in 1990 and 1991, and the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1997; he also has served as the Grizzlies' general manager...
. The WNYU sports department also provides coverage of NYU men's and women's basketball.
"Tunnel One", which airs every Tuesday evening from 9:00pm to 10:30pm EST, is New York City's only weekly Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and foundation reggae & dancehall radio program. Begun circa 1997, and hosted by djMush1 (trumpet player/multi-instrumentalist, engineer, arranger, and producer, and formerly of the Slackers and Murphy's law, and currently of The Hungry March Band, The Scorchers, & Al Paragus record label and event space [home of When Dance Was Nice]), Tunnel One has featured live in-studio guests such as Junior Reid, Carlton Livingston, Clive Chin, Johnny Osbourne, Danny Dread (Stereo Mars/Volacano), Jah Wise (Tippatone), Tony Screw (Downbeat), Junior Cat, General Trees, Professor Nuts, Al Campbell, Brigadier Jerry, Monty Alexander, Welton Irie, Ranking Trevor, Ranking Joe, and many more.
All of WNYU's current show descriptions and air times can be found on the FM Schedule and .Org schedule on their website.
External links
Video
- PUNKCAST#383 Rob Hatch-Miller interviews TV On The Radio on the New Afternoon Show, Jan 28 2004. (RealPlayerRealPlayerRealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...
) - PUNKCAST#386 Daniel Blumin interviews Blixa Bargeld on the New Afternoon Show, Jan 30 2004. (RealPlayerRealPlayerRealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...
)