WFUV

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WFUV-FM

Broadcast area	New York, New York
Branding	90.7 WFUV
First air date	1947
Frequency	90.7 (MHz)
Format	Adult album alternative
ERP	50,000 watts
Class	B
Callsign meaning	W Fordham University's Voice
Owner	Fordham University
Website	wfuv.org

WFUV, 90.7 FM in New York City, is Fordham University's 50,000-watt non-commercial radio station. First broadcast in 1947, WFUV has an airstaff which includes such New York radio veterans as Pete Fornatale (who returned to WFUV in 2001 after a 30-year hiatus), Dennis Elsas, and Vin Scelsa. Other full-time air staff members include Rita Houston (music director and host of the program The Whole Wide World), Darren DeVivo, Claudia Marshall and Corny O'Connell.

The station is a National Public Radio affiliate and carries several shows from Public Radio International. It had been a 3,500-watt station until February 21, 1969 and began broadcasting in stereo on March 31, 1973. It serves over 300,000 listeners weekly in the New York area and thousands more worldwide on the Web (wfuv.org). The station is known for its adult album alternative format (a mix of adult rock, singer-songwriters, world and other music), as well as Celtic music. Other programs include genres such as folk music and early pop and jazz. National programs heard on WFUV include World Cafe, American Routes, Mountain Stage and Thistle & Shamrock. In-studio interviews and performances are also a prominent feature of its programming. On-air guests have included Paul Simon, Los Lobos, Tony Bennett, The Bad Plus, Buddy Guy, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Jackson Browne, Ben Harper, Decemberists, Moby, Uncle Tupelo, Josh Ritter, Neil Young, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones and many others. WFUV has introduced many new artists over the years.

WFUV's call letters stand for "Fordham University's Voice." A professional, public radio station, the station's mission also includes a strong training component for Fordham students. Students receive intensive instruction, and are heard on the air in news and sports programming. WFUV's alumni have had a significant impact on broadcast and entertainment history, including Charles Osgood, Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), and actor Alan Alda. News department grads are heard on many stations and networks nationally. These include Richard Hake from WNYC in New York; Chris Reilly, an anchor on 1010 WINS and WNYC; and Kathleen Maloney, a 1010 WINS reporter. The sports department has produced several notable alumni, including Dodgers announcer and Baseball Hall of Famer Vin Scully, two-time Emmy Award-winning sports anchor for New York City's WB affiliate (WPIX-TV) Sal Marchiano, Yankees announcer Michael Kay, New York Times sportswriter Jack Curry, USA Today sportswriter Malcolm Moran, Knicks announcer and The NBA on ABC sportscaster Mike Breen, Nets announcer Chris Carrino, Lakers announcer Spero Dedes, New York Giants announcer Bob Papa, and WFAN's Talking Baseball host Ed Randall.

WFUV's rock music shows were formerly hosted by Fordham students and some of those famous alumni include Fornatale (whose first show began in November 1964, when he was a sophomore), former WFUV program director Bill Crowley of Air America Radio, Pat Dawson of NBC News, and Gary Stanley, sportscaster on WCBS-AM in New York City. Two went on to win Emmy Awards as directors of "Sesame Street"--Ozzie Alfonso and Edward May. Daily rock music programming was begun in 1970. Prior to that most of the music heard on WFUV was classical. Many chamber music and piano recitals were broadcast live from now-defunct Studio B in the 1950's.

WFUV has been a professionally-managed public radio station since 1988, when it was recognized by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The station's reputation and audience expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s, as its schedule increasingly focused on the "Triple A" music format. The programming has brought the station critical attention and national awards (for both its full time and student staffs). In addition to its broadcast signal at 90.7 FM, the station also offers a web stream, online archive of programming, and several podcasts.

In 2005 the studios, offices, and transmitter moved from the third floor of Keating Hall on Fordham's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, where it had been since 1947, to Keating Hall's basement. Its antenna was moved in 2006 from atop Keating Hall (it was temporarily freestanding on the Rose Hill campus) to atop Montefiore Medical Center, the tallest building in the Bronx.

[edit] External link

• WFUV's website