New York Public Radio® Kicks Off Its Month-Long 80th Anniversary Celebration on Monday, September 13

Station Hits Milestone Anniversary As Listenership Reaches All-Time High

(August 19, 2004, New York, NY) - This fall, WNYC, New York Public Radio®, celebrates 80 years of news, music, and New York life on its airwaves. WNYC will mark this milestone anniversary on the air, on its website, and in the community.

Beginning Monday, September 13, WNYC will draw from its impressive audio archives and air some of its most compelling, historically significant, humorous and just plain quirky clips, interspersed among its regular programs and introduced by ABC Correspondent and public radio veteran Robert Krulwich. Highlights will include:

• News of the attack at Pearl Harbor, which WNYC was among the first to report;
• Audio footage of the last ride of the Third Avenue El 1955;
• Mayor La Guardia reading the funnies during a newspaper deliverymen's strike in 1945;
• Eleanor Roosevelt spinning Elvis records from the WNYC studios to benefit children in 1957;
• And from 197l, the controversial "John Hour," a recitation, by order of Mayor Koch, of the names and addresses of men caught patronizing prostitutes.

WNYC will also launch an interactive, multimedia timeline on its website, www.wnyc.org, featuring a rich collection of historical photos, rare audio and video clips, excerpts of famous speeches, and a history of the station.

The anniversary celebration will culminate on Wednesday, October 20 at 8pm, with a special presentation of Selected Shorts at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Peter Norton Symphony Space ( 2537 Broadway at 95th Street ). Series host Isaiah Sheffer will welcome Hollywood and Broadway stars, including Blair Brown, Eli Wallach, and Ivy Austin, who will read literary works about radio and New York City in honor of WNYC's 80 th Anniversary. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling (212) 864-5400. The event is a co-presentation of WNYC Radio and Symphony Space.

WNYC Radio hits this broadcasting landmark at a time when its audience is larger than ever. WNYC's listenership has been steadily rising for years, and has increased 30% in the last three years alone. WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 now reach more than 1.1 million listeners per week.

"The City of New York was impressively forward-looking when it first purchased the broadcasting licenses, and again when turned its fledgling radio station into a distinct city agency, charged with connecting New Yorkers to the city, the world, and each other," said WNYC President Laura Walker. "Decades later, the WNYC Board was equally prescient purchasing those same licenses, ensuring that the WNYC mission would live on. Securing our independence was an inestimable gift that has allowed us to grow, innovate and flourish, and it provides a firm foundation for continued excellence in the future."

WNYC first hit the airwaves on July 8, 1924, and was initially run as part of the City of New York 's Department of Plant and Structures. In 1937, a revised City Charter made WNYC the key component of the newly created Municipal Broadcasting System, which operated under direct Mayoral control for the next 60 years. In 1995, Mayor Rudolph Guiliani announced that the City would be getting out of the broadcasting business and selling its licenses, with an eye towards a commercial buyer. The WNYC Board mounted a vigorous fundraising campaign, and in 1997, succeeded in buying the licenses itself. Since its independence from the City of New York, WNYC has dramatically increased its news and information offerings, developed several programs which air nationally, and become the leading public radio station in the country.

"We look forward finding new ways to touch the hearts and minds of New Yorkers," continued Walker, "and are deeply committed to meeting the challenges and opportunities the next 80 years will bring."

WNYC, New York Public Radio, is New York's premier public radio station, comprising WNYC 93.9 FM and WNYC AM 820. As America's most listened-to public radio stations, reaching more than one million listeners every week, WNYC FM and AM extend New York City's cultural riches to the entire country and air the best national offerings from affiliate networks National Public Radio and Public Radio International. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and classical music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting.