WFMU
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WFMU-FM is a noncommercial radio station broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM using a freeform radio format. They were formerly affiliated with Upsala College, in East Orange, NJ. Shortly before the closing of Upsala College on May 31, 1995, WFMU purchased its license from Upsala, and is now fully independent. It relocated in 1998 to Jersey City, NJ. WFMU's license is now owned by Auricle Communications, a nonprofit group made up of current and former WFMU staff members and listeners. WFMU has a relay station, WXHD, 90.1 MHz FM, broadcasting in the Hudson Valley, NY, the Lower Catskills, NY, Western New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Along with its traditional radio broadcast, WFMU is broadcast live over the internet on a wide variety of streaming formats and all programming is archived on the website in MP3 for two weeks, then in RealAudio indefinitely.
WFMU receives absolutely no corporate or government funding. They are 100% funded by listeners through an annual on-air fundraising marathon as well as a fall record fair and other events.
WFMU was named Best Radio Station in the Country by Rolling Stone magazine and has also been dubbed the best radio station in either NYC or the US by The Village Voice, New York Press, and CMJ, among others. Additionally, the station has been showcased in a New York Times Magazine feature article. Many newspapers and magazines also covered WFMU DJ Glen Jones's successful attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest consecutive radio broadcast by staying on the air a full 100 hours, 41 seconds.
WFMU's programming ranges from flat-out uncategorizable strangeness to pure rock and roll, lots of "alternative," psychedelia, experimental, obscure 50's-60's blues, R&B, soul, hot-rod music, 78's, 8-tracks, twee indiepop, schlock-a-billy, "electronica", exotica, Downtown art music, Radio Improvisation, dopey but kick-ass call-in shows, off-kilter kids' music, interviews with obscure radio personalites, interviews with notable science-world luminaries, spoken word mish-mashes, Andrew Lloyd Webber soundtracks in languages other than english, Gospel and Good Ol' Country Music.
External links
- WFMU web site (http://www.wfmu.org/)
- An interview with WFMU station manager Ken Freedman on The Rock and Roll Report (http://www.rockandrollreport.com/the_rock_and_roll_report/2005/05/radio_done_righ.html)