WFMU-FM is the longest running and most renowned freeform radio station in the United States. It broadcasts at 91.1 FM in Jersey City, NJ, right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. Rolling Stone Magazine and The Village Voice have both called WFMU “the best radio station in the country†and the station has been the subject of feature stories in The New York Times and on the BBC. In recent years the station has gained a large international following due its online operations and counts Simpson’s creator Matt Groening, film director Jim Jarmusch and Performance Artist Laurie Anderson, among others, as devoted fans. All of the station’s programming is controlled by individual DJs and is not beholden to any type of station-wide playlist or rotation schedule. Experimentation, spontaneity and humor are among the station’s most frequently noted distinguishing traits. WFMU does not belong to any existing public radio network, and close to 100% of its programming originates at the station. Gaylord Fields, a Jersey City resident, has hosted and programmed his freeform music show on WFMU for more than two decades. He is also a journalist and editor who has written about music and popular culture for Rolling Stone, Spin, AOL Music, and Time Out New York, among other print publications and websites. Therese Mahler has been a WFMU host and programmer since 2008. She once won $1550 in the Cash Cab. She lives in Jersey City. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
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