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Happy Birthday WNYC
By
Toby von Meistersinger
Published Jul 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Toby von Meistersinger
Published Jul 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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On this date in 1924, WNYC began broadcasting. Things were a lot different then, the station was owned by the city, there was just one station that broadcast on 570 AM, and they were using a second hand transmitter from Brazil. Today, the station is owned by the WNYC Foundation (which took over from the city in 1997), is still non-commercial, produces many public radio programs that are heard nationwide, there are three ways to listen – 820 AM, 93.9 FM and the Internet, and most importantly they still provide a great service to the city.
By this time next year one more thing will be different, the station will be moving its studios from its original home in the Municipal Building to a new space in Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan. The new space will consolidate the stations operations from a sprawl of offices spread out through the top floors of the Municipal Building to two dedicated floors and a street level performance space.
Unlike many commercial radio stations, WNYC has a healthy respect for its history. The station has an archivist, Andy Lanset, who for the past seven years, along with his small staff, looked after the historic recordings, photographs, and assorted ephemera that the station has generated over eight decades. As the station prepares to move, things are being found at the station to add to their vast collection which is still being catalogued. Some of their work is highlighted in a time line of the station, complete with historical audio and images was created for the station's 80th anniversary.
One problem that the new facility for the station will solve is the less than ideal storage conditions in the building. Currently there is no centralized archive space at the station, with materials being spread out through storage areas in the station’s space in the Municipal Building (and no, John Schaefer's infamous messy desk isn't considered archives storage). When the move is completed, the archives will have a dedicated and climate controlled space to house the station’s treasure trove.
The less than ideal conditions aren’t just for the historical documents, but for staff and visitors. To get to the station, you have to wait on line to go through typical city government building security. It doesn’t sound that bad, but when you have wedding parties on their way to get married, it does slow people down. Then if you ask the guard for WNYC they may send you to the floor where the station doesn’t have a reception area.
Some offices have evidence of problems with water leaks and there is just the general city government building feeling of decay, slapdash fixes and differed maintenance throughout. There are reporters separated from the newsroom, since there isn’t enough space for them on the same floor. However, one saving grace is some incredible views of the city out the somewhat dirty windows and you can still feel some of the history in the place.
Tagged
internet
public radio
radio
the city
Toby von Meistersinger
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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