Talk:WFMU

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I remember listening to a NYC-metro station that i thot was WFMU and thot was affiliated with Fordham University, so perhaps i am confusing the call letters. Could there be a "not to be confused with" note, by someone who can figure out how i got confused? TIA. --Jerzy(t) 17:42, 2004 Aug 20 (UTC)

WFUV? --rbrwrˆ 20:09, 20 Aug 2004 (UTC)

longest-running claim[edit]

There's a claim it's the longest-running freeform radio station extant, but my station, KUOI, is older. Mkilly 03:16, 30 May 2007 (UTC)][reply]

KUOI is older than WFMU, but WFMU has documented that it has been a full-time freeform station since May, 1968. A national magazine (The Eye, edited by Helen Gurley Brown) featured WFMU at that time. WFMU's website has detailed information about the beginnings of full-time freeform on WFMU in May, 1968. It's not the age of the station at issue, it's the continuity of the radio format (or non-format) on the station. If KUOI has had a freeform format for a longer period of time than WFMU, it has not documented it. The first station in the US to have freeform programming was KPFA in Berkeley. WFMU Listener Praq, 19 June 2007.


Blatant contradiction in WFMU article[edit]

Early in the article it is stated:

WFMU refuses all corporate sponsorship and government funding ("on general principle"), as well as any type of underwriting from private foundations and other educational or public institutions.

Later it reports:

In 2006, WFMU was awarded of a grant from the New York State Music Fund, a program created by the Office of the New York State Attorney General to make contemporary music of all genres more available and accessible to diverse audiences and within New York State.

The only way both statements can be true is if WFMU refused the grant from the New York State Music Fund — whereas the opposite seems to be implied. I suspect the earlier claim must go but perhaps I am missing something so I'll wait for comments before changing it. —Blanchette (talk) 05:16, 17 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have modified the article to repair the contradiction. I am assuming that the $400,000 grant WFMU accepted is used only for the special "Free Music Archive" project so the information that the entire station operating budget is fully funded by its listeners remains true, but verification, if available, would be useful.—Blanchette (talk) 21:58, 26 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Explaining my re-edit of the Funding and Operations section.[edit]

User 216.118.106.138 has updated this section with new operating budget figures and modified my attempt to repair the apparent contradiction between the principle stated by Ken Freedman in the cited interview and the acceptance of the $400,000 grant from the New York State Music Fund via the Rockefeller Foundation. The previous version of this article, before my edits of 26 January, stated, "WFMU refuses all corporate sponsorship and government funding ("on general principle"), as well as any type of underwriting from private foundations and other educational or public institutions. Now user 216.118.106.138 has altered the account of those principles to eliminate the mention of refusing "underwriting from private foundations and other educational or public institutions." Having listened to the cited interview I now realize that those were not the principles explicitly mentioned in the cited interview, so I do not find fault with their excision. User 216.118.106.138's new version states that "Historically, WFMU has occasionally accepted financial support from private foundations." That's a contradiction with the badly referenced previous version but is itself unreferenced aside from citing the Music Fund grant.

Just to be clear about the original account of WFMUs principles, its cited source was and remains the interview with WFMU station manager Ken Freedman from 3/15/1990. It wasn't an accurate account. The relevant portion of that interview begins at about 26:33 on the archive MP3 and says:

Ken Freedman: "When the last fiscal year ended our entire operating budget was a hundred and thirty thousand dollars. And we don't have any support outside of listener contributions. We get no grants, no institutional support from Upsala College."

Interviewer (Emmanuel Goldstein?): "Any underwriting?"

Ken Freedman: "No underwriting, we've always rejected underwriting on principle."

Perhaps one can make the case that WFMU can accept "support from private foundations" without calling it "underwriting," but user 216.118.106.138 retained the claim that WFMU "refuses all corporate sponsorship and government funding." It appears that the point must be that (1) WFMU still accepts no support from for-profit corporations (the Rockefeller Foundation is a corporation, a not-for-profit specifically under the Membership Corporations Law of NY State) and (2) WFMU still accepts no funding directly from government, though of course by accepting the Rockefeller grant WFMU was accepting government money indirectly. Specifically, the grants were an "innovative program created by the Office of the New York State Attorney General to make contemporary music of all genres more available and accessible to diverse audiences and communities within New York State." [1] Since support for contemporary music was specifically targeted by the Office of the Attorney General it's not clear, just for one example, that this is not a use of government power to favor contemporary over traditional music and it's hard to see that the fact that the Rockefeller Foundation is the intermediary serves to isolate WFMU from the purposes of the government source. Note that the problem for me is not where WFMU gets its support, but only whether has modified its stated principles or violated them. I suspect it has modified its rejection of underwriting on principle to allow occasional support from private foundations or else that the original policy was intended to reject underwriting by for-profit institutions. I can find no "Statement of Principles" on the WFMU website but there may be one in its charter or similar document that would clarify this business.

I enjoy WFMU and I am not trying to embarrass them but in the face of the facts I have had to modify the article to state that the station rejects 'direct' government funding and funding from for-profit corporations. I may be wrong about this, but it seems to fit the facts as I know them. I have also limited the original statement of principle to what Mr. Freedman actually stated.-Blanchette (talk) 08:51, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

User 216.118.106.138 Explains —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.85.2.75 (talk) 14:34, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Blanchette. In 1990, WFMU had not received any support from government, corporations or foundations. In the late 90's, WFMU was offered and accepted a few small grants from private foundations. WFMU continue to this day to reject corporate and governmental support and does not solicit or receive foundation support for operational funds. WFMU also rejects and has always rejected "underwriting announcements," also known as "commercials." Part of the confusion here stems from the various meanings of the word "underwriting." I always use that word to mean on-air sponsorship announcements, which is the usual meaning when applied to public broadcasting. You interpret that word to mean financial support in general. WFMU does not accept support from corporations whether they are for-profit or not-for-profit, except when a not-for-profit is a foundation, as defined by the IRS. Saying that WFMU accepts support from non-commercial corporations is misleading, as the overwhelming majority of not-for-profit corporations are not legally foundations. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.85.2.75 (talk) 14:17, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the explanation 216.118.106.138/67.85.2.75. You write as one with personal knowledge of the operations of WFMU, suggesting that you may be associated with the station. Unfortunately you cite no sources for your information and Wikipedia strives for sourced information. If you do have something to do with WFMU, you could help us reference this article by asking that the station post its Statement of Principles, Mission Statement, or whatever seems appropriate on their website in order that the policy you have just explained may be properly described and referenced with a citation to WFMU as its source. I think you'll agree that the quote from the 1990 interview is no longer sufficient. Thanks for clarifying the term "underwriting" as used in broadcasting. Perhaps that could be added to the article as well.—Blanchette (talk) 22:34, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
For what it's worth, Station Manager Ken Freedman talked in depth about the WFMU's NY State Music Fund grant in his 2007 "State of the Station Address", which can be heard in the WFMU archive (http://wfmu.org/listen.ram?show=22346&archive=33798 at the 18:26 mark) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.165.166.229 (talk) 09:37, 13 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:WFMU.gif[edit]

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BetacommandBot (talk) 07:06, 21 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Recognition and Cultural Influence[edit]

The section on recognition and cultural influence is very long and really disrupts the flow of the article. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to change it?

Also, does anyone think it would be appropriate to make the list of dj's its own seperate page.

Kevinrbing (talk) 21:54, 16 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Featured Article[edit]

Hey, I'm going to endeavour to make this a featured article. If anyone wants to help me in the cause drop me a line on my talk page.

Kevinrbing (talk) 02:08, 17 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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