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DJ Changes at WFUV
- Thread starter BruceNYC
- Start date
For those of us out of the market.
Is WFUV somehow related to Fordham University?
What are they programming on it these days?
Here's a place to start:
www.wfuv.org
Under "About" it says:
Who We Are
WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org), New York’s source for music discovery, has been a noncommercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University for more than 70 years. WFUV has received national recognition for its unique weekday format of adult album alternative music, award-winning local news and sports, and a diverse weekend lineup.
www.wfuv.org
Under "About" it says:
Who We Are
WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org), New York’s source for music discovery, has been a noncommercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University for more than 70 years. WFUV has received national recognition for its unique weekday format of adult album alternative music, award-winning local news and sports, and a diverse weekend lineup.
You may be thinking of their short-lived progressive period, which was much more than a generation ago. But that was a pretty consistent format throughout the week. I don't recall them doing sports, which WFUV does. It was short lived because it was a ratings disaster. By the late 70s and 80s, the station was a narrowly defined current rock station with a pretty tight playlist. In fact it was Dennis Elsas (now at WFUV) who was brought in to tighten the music from what it had been.
Like most noncomms, WFUV relies on serving an audience of donors rather than the mainstream lowest-common-denominator audience that commercial radio courts. FUV plays more new AAA music than a commercial station could. They offer something that their donors enjoy and can't get elsewhere on OTA radio. As long as they attract enough donors to carry out their mission, their ratings are irrelevant.
Exactly....when I read the complaints from people about OTA radio, I always ask "Have you tried WFUV?" Or "Have you tried WFMU?" Or "Have you tried WSOU?" All good choices for new rock in New York. Radio is a lot more than just one thing.
WFUV sort of modernized their musical direction a few years ago but at the same time they've hung onto a fair amount of the old Americana/folk stuff that used to dominate their sound. I like "eclectic", but 'FUV always seems like they're trying to please two different audiences that don't have all that much in common with each other now. My guess is they're trying to build a younger audience with an eye to the future, but the elderly folks donate the most so they keep mixing in the old Americana stuff to hold onto them at the same time. Blah.
WFUV's indie/alternative side channel, The Alternate Side, was the best thing they ever did IMO. Unlike the folk-tinged AAA format, The Alternate Side really reflected New York's live & indie music scene. They killed off the channel and relegated it to a few hours on Friday Nights which again, clashes with a lot of the older stuff they play the rest of the week. A shame.
You can check out WFUV's recent playlist at http://www.wfuv.org/content/wfuv-air . When I listened from 6:00 to 6:35 this morning they played Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder and Heart of Stone by the Rolling Stones which would appeal to older listeners like myself.
Theater of My Mind wrote: "WFUV sort of modernized their musical direction a few years ago but at the same time they've hung onto a fair amount of the old Americana/folk stuff that used to dominate their sound. I like "eclectic", but 'FUV always seems like they're trying to please two different audiences that don't have all that much in common with each other now. My guess is they're trying to build a younger audience with an eye to the future, but the elderly folks donate the most so they keep mixing in the old Americana stuff to hold onto them at the same time. Blah."
I haven't come across any studies concerning the average age of people that like Americana music. But I doubt that it is particularly high. There are tons of recent records being released by Americana artists, such as Rosanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle. There are also many young new artists.
It may be a good format for an HD2/3.
I haven't come across any studies concerning the average age of people that like Americana music. But I doubt that it is particularly high. There are tons of recent records being released by Americana artists, such as Rosanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle. There are also many young new artists.
It may be a good format for an HD2/3.
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The Alternate Side was streamed and on WFUV's HD2 for at least a few years I believe. I would guess that the format didn't receive adequate donor support leading to its demise. WXPN in Philly did the same kind of thing on their HD2 for a number of years, initially run by veterans of a defunct commercial alternative station (Y100). XPN now runs a feed of their syndicated AAA Xponential Radio format on their HD2. Apparently, donors didn't adequately support the alternative format.
This is a problem heritage AAA stations like WFUV, WXPN and Baltimore's WTMD are facing. Many of their listeners are at or near retirement age, which is good for donations right now, but poses a longevity problem. WTMD has been playing a lot of new alternative tracks, but lately I hear them mixing in more heritage alt tracks and classic rock. It's a balancing act, but primarily donor-driven. The question is where new younger donors will fit into the equation over the next 5 to 10 years. With Classic Rock and Classic Hits formats attracting younger listeners, those types of songs may provide the bridge between generations of donors.
We did one a few years ago, and it was around 64. This was at the time when Americana was also playing Robert Plant and Levon Helm. I don't think it's gone down since then. I think it's a good format for non-commercial radio, and the listeners tend to support it with donations.
Re. WFUV playlist sample--THAT is a VERY good almost GREAT playlist, one I'd listen to!! And they even played at 1:58 pm The Shangri-Las Give Him A Great Big Kiss LOL!! Not afraid to play it, but maybe that's the golden nugget of the day
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