WNYU-FM
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| City | New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | New York metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 89.1 MHz |
| Branding | WNYU 89.1 FM |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Talk and Music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | New York University |
| History | |
First air date | 1949 |
Call sign meaning | New York University |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 48695 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 8,300 watts |
| HAAT | 78 metres (256 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°51′26″N 73°54′48″W / 40.85722°N 73.91333°WCoordinates: 40°51′26″N 73°54′48″W / 40.85722°N 73.91333°W |
| Repeater(s) | WNYU-FM1 |
| Links | |
| Website | wnyu.org |
WNYU-FM (89.1 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 New York metropolitan area. The station can be heard on 89.1 FM at 8,300 watts from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m. on weekdays, and on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at WNYU.org.[1] 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 / 40.72694°N 73.99806°W, and serving lower Manhattan where the main signal is blocked by the skyscrapers of upper Manhattan.
The frequency of 89.1 in the New York metropolitan area is 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.[2] 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.
Program History[]
WNYU has been home to "Plastic Tales from the Marshmallow Dimension" as well as the "New Afternoon Show" since 1980, when programmer Sal LoCurto, with the support of WNYU Station Manager, Vincent Montuori, flipped the format from progressive rock 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 Ltd as well as NYC and Hoboken, New Jersey 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 Senior VP of Programming at iHeartMedia in Sussex, New Jersey), Naomi Regelson, Michael "Pablo" Dugan, Sal LoCurto, and Evan "Funk" Davies. Brian "Weems" Williams replaced Gary Cee in 1981. Loscalzo (later of WPDH, WRCN-FM, WDRE, KROQ-FM and K-Rock/NY 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.
Notable Guests[]
1980s[]
| Guest Name | Year | Show Title |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Richman | 1980 | Music View |
| Beastie Boys | 1982 | Noise The Show |
| Vaughan Mason | 1987 | Club 89 |
| Damage | 1987 | Crucial Chaos |
| The Altar Boys | 1986 | NAS |
| Drivin' and Cryin' | 1987 | NAS |
| The Heartbreakers | 1984 | - |
| Death of Samantha | 1986 | NAS |
| Alice Donut | 1989 | NAS |
| Dave Alvin | 1987 | Backroads |
| Flaming Lips | 1986 | NAS |
| Das Damen | 1987 | - |
| Blurt | 1988 | NAS |
| Kim Gordon | 1986 | - |
| Dead Kennedys | 1985 | NAS |
| Sonic Youth | 1984 | Music View |
| Devo | 1988 | Club 89 |
| Suicidal Tendencies | 1985 | Music View |
| The Cure | - | - |
| Descendants | 1986 | - |
| Misfits | 1981 | Music View |
| Circle Jerks | 1986 | NAS |
| Social Distortion and Vandals | 1986 | Music View |
| The Smiths | 1984 | Music View |
| Ramones | 1980/86 | - |
| Dead Milkmen | 1986 | NAS |
| Frank Zappa | - | - |
| Nirvana | - | - |
| Yo La Tengo | 1988 | NAS |
| Swans | - | 1989 |
1990s[]
| Guest Name | Year | Show Title |
|---|---|---|
| Apocalypse | 1990 | Crucial Chaos |
| Born Against | 1991 | Crucial Chaos |
| Eric Bogosian | 1993 | - |
| Smashing Pumpkins | 1991 | NAS |
| Henry Rollins | 1990 | NAS |
| Public Enemy | - | - |
| Sonic Youth | 1990 | NAS |
| LL Cool J | - | - |
| Norman Bates and the Showerheads | 1990 | Crucial Chaos |
| Billy Idol | - | - |
| GG Allin (Last Interview Ever) | 1993 | Club 89 |
2000s[]
| Guest Name | Year | Show Title |
|---|---|---|
| Keith Emerson | 2014 | NAS |
| Michael Hurley | 2015 | Shake Em on Down |
| Jay IDK | 2016 | Can I Kick It? |
| Jim Campilongo | 2015 | A-C-E |
| Home Blitz | 2016 | NAS |
| Nels Cline | 2016 | A-C-E |
| Bill Frisell | 2016 | A-C-E |
| Downtown Boys | 2016 | Crucial Chaos |
| Palberta | 2017 | Crucial Chaos |
| Free Cake For Every Creature | 2017 | NAS |
| Elliot Taylor | 2017 | Hannon |
| Mina Kimes | 2017 | The Far Sideline |
| Gong Gong Gong | 2018 | NAS |
| Eyes of Love | 2018 | NAS |
| Climax Landers | 2018 | NAS |
| Eyes of Love | 2018 | NAS |
| Tredici Bacci | 2018 | The Sound Between |
| Wolf Eyes | 2019 | Loving Hell Radio |
External links[]
- WNYU Homepage
- WNYU in the FCC FM station database
- WNYU on Radio-Locator
- WNYU in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- WNYU's page on StylusCity
Video[]
- PUNKCAST#383 Rob Hatch-Miller interviews TV On The Radio on the New Afternoon Show, Jan 28 2004. (RealPlayer)
- PUNKCAST#386 Daniel Blumin interviews Blixa Bargeld on the New Afternoon Show, Jan 30 2004. (RealPlayer)
References[]
- College radio stations in New York (state)
- New York University
- Radio stations established in 1980