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{{Short description|Listener-supported, independent community radio station in Jersey City, New Jersey}}
{{Advert|date=December 2022}}
 
{{Infobox radio station
 
| logo = WFMU logo.png
 
| logo_size = 220px
 
| name = WFMU
 
| airdate = 1958
 
| frequency = {{Frequency|91.1|[[Hertz|MHz]]}}
 
| city = [[East Orange, New Jersey]]
| country = US
 
| area = [[New York metropolitan area]]
 
| format = [[Freeform radio]]
 
| owner = Auricle Communications
 
| erp = 1,250 [[watt]]s
 
| haat = {{convert|151|m|sp=us}}
 
| branding =
 
| class = A
 
| facility_id = 3249
 
| webcast = [http://www.wfmu.org/ssaudionet.shtml Listen Live]
 
| website = {{Official URL|https://wfmu.org}}
 
| callsign_meaning = '''W''' '''FM''' '''U'''psala College <br> (former owner)
 
| repeater = {{Radio Relay|90.1|[[WMFU]]|[[Mount Hope, New York|Mount Hope]]}}
 
| translator = {{Radio Relay|91.9|W220EJ|[[Weehawken, New Jersey|Weehawken]]}}
 
| coordinates = {{coord|40|47|19.00|N| 74|15|20.00|W|region:US_type:city}}
 
}}
 
'''WFMU''' is a listener-supported, [[independent radio|independent]] [[community radio]] station. Although, [[city of license|licensed]] to operate in [[East Orange, New Jersey]],. sinceSince 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]]. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, in the [[Hudson Valley]], the [[Catskill Mountains|Lower Catskills]], western New Jersey, and eastern [[Pennsylvania]] from [[Mount Hope, New York]] at 90.1 [[WMFU]], and to [[New York City]] and [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland County]] at 91.9 FM.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wfmu.org/about/|title=About WFMU – WFMU-FM 91.1/Jersey City, NJ; 90.1/Hudson Valley, NY|access-date=2019-01-01}}</ref> Overall, it covers most of the [[New York metropolitan area]], and presents a [[freeform radio]] [[radio format|format]]. It is the longest-running freeform radio station in the U.S.<ref>[http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/21/freeform.html "A Brief History of Free-form Radio"], Lowest Common Denominator, Issue #21 (c. 1998)</ref> The station's main terrestrial transmitter is located in [[West Orange, New Jersey]].
 
==Philosophy and influence==
WFMU does not belong to any existing [[public broadcasting]] network, and nearly 100% of its programming originates at the radio station.
 
WFMU has a stated commitment to unstructured-format broadcasting. All programming is created by each individual air personality, and is not restricted by any type of station-wide [[playlist]] or [[Rotation (music)|rotation]] schedule. Experimentation, spontaneity and humor are among the station's most frequently noted distinguishing traits. Unlike most [[commercial broadcasting]] and [[non-commercial educational]] radio stations, WFMU does not offer regularly scheduled news, weather, traffic, sports, or financial information.
==Ownership and management==
 
WFMU commenced broadcasting in April 1958, licensed to [[Upsala College]] in [[East Orange, New Jersey]]. Initially a student-staffed and faculty-administered [[Campus radio|college radio]] operation, by the 1980s most of the station's staff had no affiliation with the college, and the station's management, though hired by the college, had little involvement with the academic community. Shortly before Upsala's [[bankruptcy]] filing and closure on May 31, 1995, a group of station executives, personnel, and supporters formed Auricle Communications. It became a fully [[independent radio]] station when Auricle bought the license from the college. In August 1998, listener donations funded a new studio and office in Jersey City.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WFMU|url=https://americanarchive.org/participating-orgs/4857|access-date=2021-07-25|website=americanarchive.org}}</ref>
 
 
The station's transmitter is situated atop the [[Watchung Mountains|First Watchung Mountain]] in [[West Orange, New Jersey]]. Due to the crowded state of the noncommercial end of the FM dial in the northeastern United States and the need to avoid interfering with fellow radio station [[WNYE (FM)|WNYE]], operating at the nearby 91.5 FM, the station operates at a relatively modest 1,250 watts. Despite that, it easily covers most of northern New Jersey, with at least grade-B coverage across the Hudson in [[New York City]].<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WFMU-FM Predicted Coverage Area for WFMU 91.1 FM, East Orange, NJ]</ref> WFMU has a repeater station, [[WMFU]] (formerly WXHD), in [[Mount Hope, New York]], broadcasting at 90.1&nbsp;MHz FM in the [[Hudson Valley]], the [[Catskill Mountains|Lower Catskills]], western [[New Jersey]] and eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. WFMU can also be heard on W220EJ, a translator on 91.9 FM licensed to [[Weehawken, New Jersey]] and broadcasting from midtown [[Manhattan]] to serve New York City listeners better.<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=W220EJ-FX Predicted Coverage Area for W220EJ 91.9 FM, Weehawken, NJ]</ref>
 
 
==Philosophy==
 
WFMU has a stated commitment to unstructured-format broadcasting. All programming is created by each individual air personality, and is not restricted by any type of station-wide [[playlist]] or [[Rotation (music)|rotation]] schedule. Experimentation, spontaneity and humor are among the station's most frequently noted distinguishing traits. Unlike most [[commercial broadcasting]] and [[non-commercial educational]] radio stations, WFMU does not offer regularly scheduled news, weather, traffic, sports, or financial information. WFMU does not belong to any existing [[Public broadcasting]] network, and nearly 100% of its programming originates at the radio station.
 
 
"WFMU is a place where [[the Singing Dogs]] are just as important as [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]]; a place where you will, in fact, hear Elvis, but in close proximity to ritual disinterment music from [[Sumatra]], the soundtrack from ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', a [[theremin]] band called the Lothars, and the intergalactic jazz improvisations of the [[Sun Ra]] Arkestra," wrote Jaime Wolf in a 1999 ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' station profile.<ref>[https://www.wfmu.org/times/ Wolf, Jaime, "No Hits, All the Time"], ''The New York Times'', April 11, 1999</ref>
 
WFMU was named "Best Radio Station in the Country" by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine for four consecutive years: 1991 to 1994.<ref name="rolling stone ranking">''[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/13/nyregion/new-jersey-daily-briefing-wfmu-in-fund-raising-drive.html WFMU in Fund-Raising Drive].'', Pristin, Terry. The New York Times. March 13, 1996.</ref> and has also been dubbed the best radio station in either NYC or the US by ''[[The Village Voice]]'',<ref>[http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2013/03/12/wfmu-land-of-the-freeform-radio/ WFMU: Land of the Freeform Radio | The Jersey City Independent<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ''[[New York Press]]'', and ''[[College Media Journal|CMJ]]'', among others. The station also won three awards ("Best Specialty Programming", "Most Eclectic Programming", and "Music Director Most Likely To Never Sell Out") at the 2006 CMJ College Radio Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=27047246 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2007-03-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303102756/http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=27047246 |archive-date=2007-03-03 }}</ref>
 
==Notable history==
==Funding and operations==
In April 1958, WFMU commenced broadcasting as a radio station licensed to [[Upsala College]] in [[East Orange, New Jersey]]. Initially a student-staffed and faculty-administered [[Campus radio|college radio]] operation, by the 1980s most of the station's staff had no affiliation with the college, and the station's management, though hired by the college, had little involvement with the academic community.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
 
In December 1983, [[Ken Freedman]] joined WFMU as a DJ and succeeded Bruce Longstreet as general manager in August 1985.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}
WFMU's annual operating budget is approximately $2,100,000 [[United States dollar|US]], and is funded primarily by its listeners through an annual 15<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wfmu.org/marathon/schedule.shtml |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-07-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124195549/http://www.wfmu.org/marathon/schedule.shtml |archive-date=2014-01-24 }}</ref>-day on-air [[fundraising]] marathon, as well as a spring record fair and other events. WFMU is unusual in its philosophy that on-air fundraising drives only take place once a year, unlike most other public and listener-supported stations that have multiple [[pledge drive]]s throughout the year. WFMU's [[Disc jockey|air staff]] are unpaid [[volunteering|volunteers]], some of whom have been with the station since the 1970s and 1980s. In a 1990 interview, WFMU Station Manager [[Ken Freedman]] stated, "we've always rejected underwriting on principle."<ref>[http://download.2600.com/mediadownload/www.2600.com/offthehook/mp3files/1990/the_fifth_corner__19900315-128.mp3 Interview with WFMU Station Manager Ken Freedman], ''The Fifth Corner'', WBAI 99.5 FM, NYC 3/15/90 (link to mp3 archive)</ref> The station rejects any type of direct underwriting from governmental institutions or from for-profit corporations. Historically, WFMU has occasionally accepted financial support from private foundations, although such support has never funded WFMU's general operations. In 2006 the station accepted a $400,000 grant from the [[Rockefeller Foundation]], which was administering The New York State Music Fund for a special project (see [[#Recognition and cultural influence|below]]).<ref>"$19 Million in Music Grants Awarded by Fund Created by "Payola" Settlement"{{cite web |url=http://rockpa.org/2006/12/19/19-million-in-music-grants-awarded-by-fund-created-by-%E2%80%9Cpayola%E2%80%9D-settlement/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-01-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517005429/http://rockpa.org/2006/12/19/19-million-in-music-grants-awarded-by-fund-created-by-%E2%80%9Cpayola%E2%80%9D-settlement/ |archive-date=2008-05-17 }}</ref>
 
In 1989, WFMU successfully fended off a challenge to the station's license from four rival broadcasters, who claimed that WFMU was broadcasting above its legal power limit.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}
 
A 1990 telephone performance on WFMU by [[Daniel Johnston]] was the primary inspiration for filmmaker [[Jeff Feuerzeig]] to create the documentary film, ''[[The Devil and Daniel Johnston]]''.<ref>[http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/04/from_the_wfmu_a_1.html "Daniel Johnston and Yo La Tengo Collaborate on The Music Faucet, February 4, 1990"], From the WFMU Archives, Beware of the Blog (April 05, 2006)</ref>
==Programming==
 
In late 1991, the late [[Jeff Buckley]] made his radio debut on WFMU and returned numerous times before signing with [[Columbia Records]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog1.html |title=Kingdom for a Kiss - the Jeff Buckley Tourography: 1991 - 1993 |access-date=2008-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509055450/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog1.html |archive-date=2008-05-09 }}</ref>
WFMU hosts a wide range of programming, from all-inclusive music broadcasts (with a focus on [[alternative rock]]) to entertainment programming like radio improv and cooking programs to curiosities like hand-cranked [[Phonograph cylinder|wax cylinders]] and classic [[Aircheck|radio airchecks]]. WFMU's Music Director is Olivia Bradley-Skill.
 
In 1992, the non-profit organization Auricle Communications was founded, which purchased WFMU's license from Upsala in 1994 one year prior to the college's bankruptcy in 1995.<ref name="Wolf2">{{cite web | url = http://www.wfmu.org/times/ | title = No Hits All the Time| author = Wolf, Jaime| work = [[The New York Times]] | date = April 11, 1999 | accessdate = June 10, 2008 }}</ref>
 
In 1993 the station launched its website, and in 1997 it began streaming its broadcasts full-time.<ref name="Applebome">{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/nyregion/24towns.html | title = Looking for Music, but Not 'Celebration,' to Remember Castro? Put the Radio On | author = Applebome, Peter |author-link=Peter Applebome| work = [[The New York Times]] | date = February 24, 2008 | accessdate = June 10, 2008 }}</ref>
==Recognition and cultural influence==
 
In 1995, shortly before Upsala's [[bankruptcy]] filing and closure on May 31, 1995, a group of station executives, personnel, and supporters formed Auricle Communications. It became a fully [[independent radio]] station when Auricle bought the license from the college.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
WFMU was named "Best Radio Station in the Country" by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine for four consecutive years <ref name="rolling stone ranking">''[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/13/nyregion/new-jersey-daily-briefing-wfmu-in-fund-raising-drive.html WFMU in Fund-Raising Drive].'', Pristin, Terry. The New York Times. March 13, 1996.</ref> and has also been dubbed the best radio station in either NYC or the US by ''[[The Village Voice]]'',<ref>[http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2013/03/12/wfmu-land-of-the-freeform-radio/ WFMU: Land of the Freeform Radio | The Jersey City Independent<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ''[[New York Press]]'', and ''[[College Media Journal|CMJ]]'', among others. The station also won three awards ("Best Specialty Programming", "Most Eclectic Programming", and "Music Director Most Likely To Never Sell Out") at the 2006 CMJ College Radio Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=27047246 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2007-03-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303102756/http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=27047246 |archive-date=2007-03-03 }}</ref>
 
In August 1998, listener donations funded a new studio and office in Jersey City.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WFMU|url=https://americanarchive.org/participating-orgs/4857|access-date=2021-07-25|website=americanarchive.org}}</ref>
 
In May 2001, WFMU received worldwide attention when national and international media outlets covered DJ Glen Jones's successful attempt to break the [[Guinness World Record]] for longest consecutive radio broadcast, staying on the air a full 100 hours, 42 seconds.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
A 1999 ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' feature article called WFMU "a station whose name has become like a secret handshake among a certain tastemaking cognoscenti", and cited [[Velvet Underground]] co-founder [[Lou Reed]], ''[[The Simpsons]]'' creator [[Matt Groening]], filmmaker [[Jim Jarmusch]] and playwright [[Eric Bogosian]] as avowed fans of the station.<ref name="ny times magazine article">''[http://wfmu.org/times/ No Hits, All the Time].'' Wolf, Jamie. The New York Times Magazine. April 11, 1999.</ref>
 
In 2005, WFMU expanded its online broadcasting efforts by offering 15 hours a week of Internet-only live programming, as well as an independent 24-hour-a-day webcast of [[Nachum Segal]]'s ''Jewish Moments In The Morning'' program.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
 
In January 2006, WFMU announced the availability of the station's live stream and archives to cellular phones and other [[mobile device]]s running the [[operating system]]s [[Windows Mobile]] ([[Pocket PC]]) and [[Palm OS]].{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
Other notable fans and supporters of WFMU have included [[Neutral Milk Hotel]] frontman [[Jeff Mangum]], [[Kurt Cobain]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNVu55ZyC-Y YouTube clip of Cobain reading WFMU's ''Catalog of Curiosities'', around the 6:02 mark]</ref> screenwriter/director [[Ethan Coen]], [[Make (magazine)|''MAKE'' magazine]] editor-in-chief and [[Boing Boing]] co-founder [[Mark Frauenfelder]], [[Led Zeppelin]] lead singer [[Robert Plant]], musician [[Suzanne Vega]], artist [[Cindy Sherman]], indie rock musician [[Ted Leo]], [[Sonic Youth]] guitarists [[Lee Ranaldo]]<ref>[http://sonicyouth.com/dotsonics/lee/prose/wfmu.html Lee Ranaldo on listening to WFMU, Feb 2000], Official website of Sonic Youth</ref> and [[Thurston Moore]], indie rock band [[Yo La Tengo]], comic book artist and writer [[Evan Dorkin]], film director, producer and actor [[Kevin Smith]], musician [[Moby]], [[The Cars]] vocalist/record producer [[Ric Ocasek]], musician [[Max Tundra]], television talk-show host [[Conan O'Brien]], ''[[Steven Universe]]'' creator [[Rebecca Sugar]],<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/ Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Rebecca Sugar], 2014-08-20</ref> and [[Blixa Bargeld]], singer of the German band [[Einstürzende Neubauten]].<ref>[http://www.radioeins.de/archiv/podcast/hoerbar_rust.html/ as told in an interview on RadioEins]</ref>
 
 
Although WFMU has traditionally eschewed news-oriented programming, the station volunteered its airwaves in September 2001 to become the temporary home in the New York area for [[Amy Goodman]]'s ''[[Democracy Now|Democracy Now!]]'' program (which was renamed ''Democracy Now! In Exile''), after it was "banished" from [[WBAI-FM|WBAI]] and the [[Pacifica Foundation|Pacifica Radio Network]] during one of many attempts to oust WBAI's station management by Pacifica's national Board of Directors. WFMU had previously provided a radio home to WBAI overnight host [[Bob Fass]], whose ''Radio Unnameable'' program closely resembled WFMU's own freeform format, during an earlier dispute between WBAI and Pacifica in the late 1970s.
 
 
In a similar example of its support of community broadcasting, WFMU began voluntarily hosting the [[Webcasting|webcast]] of legendary [[New Orleans]] [[jazz music|jazz]] station, [[WWOZ]], when its studio and transmitter were destroyed in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]] in August 2005. WFMU also took online donations on behalf of WWOZ, raising over $300,000 towards the rebuilding of the station.
 
 
WFMU also received worldwide attention in May 2001, when national and international media outlets covered DJ Glen Jones's successful attempt to break the [[Guinness World Record]] for longest consecutive radio broadcast, staying on the air a full 100 hours, 42 seconds.
 
 
A famous 1990 telephone performance on WFMU by [[Daniel Johnston]] was the primary inspiration for filmmaker [[Jeff Feuerzeig]] to create the documentary film, ''[[The Devil and Daniel Johnston]]''.<ref>[http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/04/from_the_wfmu_a_1.html "Daniel Johnston and Yo La Tengo Collaborate on The Music Faucet, February 4, 1990"], From the WFMU Archives, Beware of the Blog (April 05, 2006)</ref> The film won the award for Best Documentary Director at the 2005 [[Sundance Film Festival]].
 
 
The late [[Jeff Buckley]] made his radio debut on WFMU in late 1991 and returned numerous times before signing with [[Columbia Records]] and achieving international stardom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog1.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509055450/http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/tourography/kfaktourog1.html |archive-date=2008-05-09 }}</ref>
 
 
In 2014-2015, a [[documentary]] on WFMU, produced and directed by Tim K. Smith and titled ''Sex and Broadcasting: A Film About WFMU'', screened at American film festivals and independent cinemas nationwide. The film was funded, in part, by a successful [[Kickstarter]] campaign under the working title ''Freeform or Death: A Documentary About WFMU.''<ref>[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timksmith/freeform-or-death-a-documentary-about-wfmu FREEFORM OR DEATH, a documentary about WFMU by Tim K Smith — Kickstarter<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
 
 
In 2018, WFMU was one of several outlets that participated in a hoax by the band [[Phish]] for their yearly Halloween musical "costume" by publishing a post on their "Beware the Blog" about a fictional Scandinavian band, [[Phish tours#List of musical costumes|Kasvot Vaxt]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/11/phish-hoax-fake-scandinavian-band-las-vegas-halloween-show/|title=Phish's Incredible Hoax About a Fake Scandinavian Band Stretches Across the Internet|date=2018-11-01|work=Spin|access-date=2018-11-01}}</ref>
 
 
==Free Music Archive==
 
{{further|Free Music Archive}}
 
In 2006, WFMU was awarded a grant from the New York State Music Fund, a program created by the Office of the New York State Attorney General [[Eliot Spitzer]] to make contemporary music of all genres more available and accessible to diverse audiences in New York State. The Fund grew out of settlements with major recording companies investigated for violating state and federal laws prohibiting "pay for play" ([[payola]]). Grant winners were chosen on criteria that included, among other things, their record of broadening awareness of artists, genres or styles with limited access to commercial broadcast or other mass distribution vehicles.<ref>Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. "$19 Million in Music Grants Awarded by Fund Created by 'Payola' Settlement."[http://rockpa.org/2006/12/19/19-million-in-music-grants-awarded-by-fund-created-by-%e2%80%9cpayola%e2%80%9d-settlement/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517005429/http://rockpa.org/2006/12/19/19-million-in-music-grants-awarded-by-fund-created-by-%E2%80%9Cpayola%E2%80%9D-settlement/ |date=2008-05-17 }}</ref>
 
 
WFMU's grant included funds to create a [[podsafe]] online music library called The Free Music Archive, which launched on April 10, 2009.<ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10217017-2.html Cnet.com "Webware Radar: Get 5,000 music tracks for free"]</ref> The platform described itself as "a social music website built around a curated library of free, legal audio." It hosted over 45,000 podsafe songs for free for streaming or download, many under [[Creative Commons]] licenses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rhizome.org/editorial/2009/may/01/interview-with-jason-sigal-of-the-free-music-archi/|title=Interview with Jason Sigal of the Free Music Archive|last=Moss|first=Ceci|date=May 1, 2019|publisher=RHIZOME|access-date=January 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://endhits.portlandmercury.com/endhits/archives/2009/04/16/the-free-music-archive-is-incredibly-awesome|title=The Portland Mercury - The Free Music Archive is Incredibly Awesome|access-date=2010-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115000739/http://endhits.portlandmercury.com/endhits/archives/2009/04/16/the-free-music-archive-is-incredibly-awesome|archive-date=2010-01-15|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
 
On November 7, 2018, it was announced that the Free Music Archive would be shutting down permanently on November 16, 2018. Existing files would be moved to the [[Internet Archive]] collection, but it would effectively end as a growing, ongoing project. Director Cheyenne Hohman noted that its funding from the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] had been reduced significantly, and that "material support" for the arts had been "dwindling".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/7/18073346/free-music-archive-closing-wfmu-creative-commons-cheyenne-hohman|title=The Free Music Archive is closing this month|last=Stephen|first=Bijan|date=2018-11-07|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-05-19}}</ref> The closing date was later pushed back to December 1.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freemusicarchive.org/member/cheyenne_h/blog/Update_Closing_Date_Pushed_to_Dec_1 |last=Hohman |first=Cheyenne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117000807/http://freemusicarchive.org/member/cheyenne_h/blog/Update_Closing_Date_Pushed_to_Dec_1 |title=Update: Closing Date Pushed to Dec 1 |publisher=Free Music Archive |url-status=live |date=November 15, 2018 |archive-date=November 17, 2018}}</ref> On December 12, 2018, it was announced that the service had been acquired by equipment rental service KitSplit, who pledged to ensure its continued operation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/12/18137980/free-music-archive-fma-kitsplit-acquired|title=The Free Music Archive will live on|last=Stephen|first=Bijan|date=2018-12-12|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-05-19}}</ref> However, on September 19, 2019, Kitsplit announced that it had sold the FMA to Tribe of Noise - a group also focusing on the distribution and promotion of free content music under Creative Commons licenses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2019/09/tribe-of-noise-acquires-free-music-archive.html|title=Tribe Of Noise Acquires Free Music Archive|website=hypebot|date=19 September 2019|access-date=2019-09-19}}</ref>
 
 
==Online broadcasting and blogging==
 
[[File:Listening to WFMU in a car.jpg|thumb|Listening via internet in a car]]
 
Along with its traditional radio broadcast, WFMU is also broadcast live over the [[internet]] in a wide variety of [[streaming media|streaming]] formats (including [[Ogg Vorbis]]), and all programming is archived on the WFMU website in 128k [[MP3]] format for four weeks, then permanently thereafter in [[RealAudio]] format.
 
 
In 2005, WFMU expanded its online broadcasting efforts by offering 15 hours a week of Internet-only live programming ("free of the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]'s incomprehensible language restrictions", explains WFMU Station Manager Ken Freedman {{citation needed|date=July 2012}}), as well as an independent 24-hour-a-day webcast of [[Nachum Segal]]'s ''Jewish Moments In The Morning'' program.
 
 
In January 2006, WFMU announced the availability of the station's live stream and archives to cellular phones and other [[mobile device]]s running the [[operating system]]s [[Windows Mobile]] ([[Pocket PC]]) and [[Palm OS]].
 
 
[[Podcast]]s of 23 WFMU shows (some exclusive to the podcast itself) are also available.
 
 
The official WFMU [[blog]], ''WFMU's Beware of the Blog'', was launched in 2004, and became very popular even among non-WFMU listeners. Original content for the WFMU blog is contributed by station personalities as well as a variety of listeners and associates such as Otis Fodder and [[Kliph Nesteroff]]. Blog items are regularly featured on the front pages of high-traffic pop-culture sites such as [[Boing Boing]] and [[MetaFilter]]. As of July 30, 2015 Beware of the Blog was announced to be inactive. All content will continue to remain on line.
 
 
In November 2007, WFMU became the first radio station in the world to offer live streaming to the Apple [[iPhone]].<ref>[http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/05/wfmu-streaming-radio.html WFMU streaming radio on iPhone], Boing Boing, 11/5/07</ref>
 
From 2014 to 2015, a [[documentary]] on WFMU, ''Sex and Broadcasting: A Film About WFMU'', screened at American film festivals and independent cinemas nationwide.<ref>[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timksmith/freeform-or-death-a-documentary-about-wfmu FREEFORM OR DEATH, a documentary about WFMU by Tim K Smith — Kickstarter<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
 
WFMU.org offers three internet-only channels of programming separate from the main broadcast channel. By not being subject to FCC regulations, they are able to play tracks not possible on the main channel:
 
* Give The Drummer Radio: jazz, world/ethnic, avant-garde, classical
 
* Sheena's Jungle Room: lounge, rock, bump 'n' grind jazz, dirty blues, thrift-store weirdness, exotica, comedy, vintage radio ads/movie/tv clips ("Bad Sounds For Bad People!")
 
* Rock'n'Soul Radio: garage rock, psychedelic pop, soul, boogaloo, mod, beat, glam, hard rock
 
 
The former Rock and Soul Ichiban was discontinued June 8, 2020 due to an internal dispute. It was revived as Rock'n'Soul Radio with both old and new personnel, including the famed Terre T of the Cherry Blossom Clinic (formerly on WFMU proper) and the Ichi-bunny (a staff created AI). {{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}
 
 
==The Audience Engine==
 
In 2013, station manager Ken Freedman and Assistant General Manager Liz Berg initiated the creation of a suite of software for broadcasters, journalists and online publishers known as [[the Audience Engine]].<ref>[http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6648509/wfmu-wants-to-change-how-media-talks-to-its-audiences-and-raises-money-for Flanagan, Andrew, "WFMU Wants to Change How Media Talks to Its Audiences and Raises Money — For Free,"] [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']], July 29, 2015</ref> The project remains in development and modules have periodically been released.
 
 
== Monty Hall ==
 
In 2014, after a tenant vacated the ground floor of their Jersey City premises, WFMU renovated the space and opened up a live music and performance venue. It was named "Monty Hall," because the building is located on Montgomery Street, the venue is a "hall," and the name is associated with a [[Monty Hall|well-known TV game show host]]. The first show had a line up of [[Doug Gillard]], Pampers, Spectre Folk and Watery Love.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/wfmus-performan/|title=WFMU's performance space in Jersey City is called Monty Hall (upcoming shows & videos)|website=BrooklynVegan|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref> Since a March 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, Monty Hall has been closed for public performance.
 
 
==See also==
 
* [[List of WFMU Radio Hosts]]
 
* [[WMFU]]&nbsp;– 90.1 FM, licensed to [[Mount Hope, New York]]
 
* [[List of community radio stations in the United States]]
* [[List of WFMU hosts]]
 
* [[WMFU]] – 90.1 FM, licensed to [[Mount Hope, New York]]
 
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
 
 
==External links==
 
* {{Official website|https://wfmu.org}}
 
{{FM station data|WFMU}}
 
*{{FMQ|W220EJ}}
 
*{{FXL|W220EJ}}
 
*[https://americanarchive.org/participating-orgs/4857 WFMU in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting]
 
 
{{New York Radio}}
 
{{Other Radio Stations in New Jersey}}
 
{{Authority control}}
 
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wfmu}}
 
[[Category:Radio stations in New Jersey|FMU]]
 
[[Category:Freeform radio stations]]
 
[[Category:Culture of Jersey City, New Jersey]]
 
[[Category:Mass media in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
 
[[Category:Community radio stations in the United States]]
 
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1958]]
 
[[Category:Upsala College]]
 
[[Category:1958 establishments in New Jersey]]
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