A little bit more on
WFUV, with a little help from www.wfuv.org
WFUV is the
radio station responsible for maintaining my sanity during my
morning commute to
Fordham's
Bronx,
NYC campus. A powerful station, Fordham University's Voice pumps out 50 kW. That's enough power to get the signal up through to the top of
Westchester County and down through
Suffolk. In other words, the signal makes a good 50
mile radius.
FUV's prominent
radio show is the daylong
City Folk, which despite its name incorporates more than just "
folk" music. While there is a
playlist,
theme days incorporate extended segments of the day's honored
artist. For example,
Michael Stipe's birthday mixed in
REM singles and obscure work with more common fare. Thematic events spread over the different hosts that comprise the City Folk day.
WFUV is also a
haven for
New York veteran commercial DJ legends , such as
Dennis Elsas and
Darren DeVivo. All shows are well produced. While some
improvisation adds some color, and the veteran broadcasters bring familiar voices to the station, some may get the impression that the radio station is too
slick for a
university enterprise. Yet even though the station is under the oversight of the
trustees of Fordham, its apparent that the level of production is something wholly unlike spinning a few records down at the local
college low power station.
Yes, WFUV has fund drives like most public radio stations, but even there WFUV tries to keep attention with
programming that takes the sting away from
brazen pleas for money.
Shellacking the
2001 holiday season fund drive with thick album cuts from popular
independent and folk albums of the year, some WFUV listeners may have wanted to listen to a fund drive just to get in some
Dan Bern .
And yes, there's always
NPR at the top of the hour.