‘The Voice of Reason in an Often Unreasonable World’

In a nearly five-decade career at CBS, the 1954 Fordham graduate was known for his distinctive voice and style, his intellect and sense of humor, and a warm, measured tone. He had a predilection for bow ties and a penchant for rhyme that earned him a reputation as CBS News’ “poet in residence.”

A master communicator, he was also a bestselling author of several books, a lyricist who scored an improbable hit in 1967, and a talented musician who played banjo with the Boston Pops and piano with the New York Pops. He could cover hard news “as straight as a string,” as he once put it, and deliver poignant human-interest stories with a wit and authenticity that endeared him to generations of listeners and viewers—both on Sunday Morning and on his syndicated radio show, The Osgood File.

“Charles Osgood has been a presence in all of our lives for decades,” said Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham. “His gentle and poetic delivery of the news, the wisdom of his observations—everything about him spoke of steadiness and integrity. He was the voice of reason in an often unreasonable world. We will all miss him terribly.”

‘The Theater of the Mind’

Born in the Bronx in 1933, Charles Osgood Wood III moved to Baltimore with his family in 1939 and grew up in the city’s Liberty Heights neighborhood, an experience he recalled in his 2004 memoir, Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack: A Boyhood Year During World War II. The year was 1942, and it was “the best of times and the worst of times,” he wrote, as he was surrounded by siblings, friends, and baseball—but against the backdrop of the Great Depression and World War II.

“Although memory has a built-in sugarcoater, and childhood is seen through the cotton candy of time, I have always been certain that there was a genuine sweetness to the days when I was nine years old and the country was united in winning the last good war, if there could have been such a thing,” he wrote.

It was also a time when he developed his love for radio, which he called the “Theater of the Mind” and “the greatest show on earth.”

An Education in the ‘Process of Orderly Thinking’

Osgood moved back north in 1946 to attend St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey, before returning to the borough of his birth as a student at Fordham College at Rose Hill. He majored in economics—“not communication arts or journalism, as some might think,” he told Fordham Magazine in 1980.

“In those days at Fordham we also studied such arcane subjects as epistemology, cosmology, and ontology. It didn’t seem possible that I’d even make a living from them, but I swear I am! That’s because they developed in me the process of orderly thinking—the methodology of going from one step to another,” he said.

Osgood honed his broadcasting craft working at WFUV, Fordham’s public media station, during his years at Rose Hill. The station, founded in 1947, was just a few years old when he started. He eventually hosted his own show, No Soap Opera, and worked alongside other future luminaries including Alan Alda, FCRH ’56. “When I wasn’t on duty there I would just stay around because I enjoyed it so much,” he said.

After graduating in 1954 with that radio experience, Osgood was hired as an announcer by WGMS, a classical music station based in Washington, D.C. Soon after, though, he joined the military as an announcer for the United States Army Band, a role that he held until 1957. While serving near the Arlington National Cemetery, Osgood took on jobs at several Washington, D.C.-area radio stations under pseudonyms, and in the book Kilroy Was Here: The Best American Humor from World War II, he tells the story of being tasked with DJing a closed circuit radio broadcast for President Dwight D. Eisenhower while the commander in chief recovered from a heart attack in Colorado in 1955.

“I was put into a studio with a stack of records that had all been chosen as his favorites,” Osgood recalled. “And I spent most of the day playing records for Eisenhower.”

During his stint with the Army Band, he also “got to write some lyrics for the band and chorus,” he said in the 1980 Fordham story. “That’s when I really began versifying.”

From the Army, Osgood returned to WGMS until 1962, when he got his first job in television as the general manager of WHCT in Hartford, Connecticut. When the station ran into budget issues and Osgood was fired in 1963, he got his next break thanks in part to a fellow Fordham graduate, Frank Maguire, FCRH ’56, who was in charge of program development at ABC in New York at the time. Osgood joined ABC Radio as a writer and co-host of Flair Reports, which featured human interest stories.

“It had been years since he had seen me work, but he had enough faith to recommend me for the job,” Osgood said of Maguire. It was at ABC that he decided to change his professional name. “My own name was Charles Wood, but since there was another fellow in broadcasting [at ABC] named Charles Woods, I decided to use my middle name, Osgood.”

Beginning a Long Tenure at CBS

In 1967, he began working for CBS, where he would spend the rest of his career. Starting as a radio reporter for WCBS, he moved to the television news division in 1971, the same year he began hosting what would eventually become The Osgood File, short radio segments broadcast on stations across the country multiple times a day, four days a week.

On television, he started as a reporter and became an anchor of CBS Sunday Night News in 1981, followed by stints as a co-anchor of CBS Morning News, a news reader on CBS This Morning, and an anchor of CBS Afternoon News and CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.

It was his next role at CBS for which Osgood became best known: In 1994, he succeeded Charles Kuralt as host of Sunday Morning, where his trademark style as a calm, upbeat presence gave viewers a relaxing alternative to other Sunday morning programming.

“We accentuate the positive and don’t try to shock,” Osgood once told a reporter. ”I think there’s a growing appetite for that. We’re surrounded by shock.”

He hosted his last episode of the program on September 25, 2016, signing off with his signature “I’ll see you on the radio,” before thanking his viewers and the staff of the show. He continued to host episodes of The Osgood File until December 2017.

Osgood received numerous honors throughout his career. He was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1990, earned a lifetime Emmy Award in 2018, and received many other accolades, including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Radio Television Digital News Association’s Paul White Award, four other Emmy Awards, and three Peabody Awards.

The Patron Saint of WFUV News

In 2008, WFUV honored Osgood alongside Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, FCRH ’49, one of the first student voices on the station, with lifetime achievement awards in news and sports broadcasting, respectively. The awards, subsequently renamed in their honor, are presented annually to journalists who reflect Osgood’s and Scully’s standard of excellence.

“All of us at the station are saddened by Charles Osgood’s passing,” said Chuck Singleton, general manager of WFUV. “He was the patron saint of WFUV News, a mentor to our young journalists, and a distinguished link to the station’s founding generation of news professionals. Charles liked to say, ‘I went to the University of WFUV.’”

Osgood stayed extremely engaged with his alma mater and WFUV throughout his life. He was a Fordham trustee fellow and an emcee at numerous Fordham events, including the annual Fordham Founder’s Dinner, where he was among the honorees in 2005. Fordham also honored him in 2010, when he was inducted into the University’s Hall of Honor. He received an honorary degree from Fordham and delivered the commencement address to the Class of 1988, encouraging them to “stand for the values that shaped you here at Fordham.”

He occasionally returned to WFUV and was a frequent attendee of the station’s annual On the Record gala, at which other broadcasting legends—including Ted Koppel, a friend who started at ABC on the same day as Osgood in 1963, and Jane Pauley, who succeed him as host of Sunday Morning—received the Charles Osgood Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Everything I learned in my career, I learned at FUV,” Osgood said at the station’s 60th anniversary celebration in 2007. And while he thought the station’s new-at-the-time broadcast center on the lower level of Keating Hall was “better than CBS,” he reminded the audience that “it’s not equipment that teaches you. The most important equipment is not in a box, but what goes on in your own brain and your own heart.”

A Mentor to Fordham Students and Alumni

That lesson is one he conveyed to generations of Fordham graduates, including Emmy Award-winning producer Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, who started working at Sunday Morning as a broadcast associate in 2012.

“I grew up watching Sunday Morning, and that was just a routine we had in our household. It was the only show my family really watched together,” she recalled, noting that she was “very much drawn” to Osgood’s warmth, gravitas, and intelligence.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into journalism then, but … once I started looking at Fordham, the fact that WFUV existed on campus, and that it had produced Charles Osgood? You can’t get it better. There’s nothing more inspiring than that.”

Over the years, the two bonded over their shared Fordham connection. Kugel recalls listening to a WFUV livestream of a Fordham football game with him one Saturday afternoon. “Of all the people I’ve met, I would say I found him to be very authentic,” she said. “Who he was on camera, really, it matched who he was in person.”

CBS New York’s Alice Gainer, FCRH ’04, echoed that sentiment. Following her Tuesday evening segment on Osgood’s life and legacy, the award-winning anchor and reporter shared some personal thoughts about Osgood with viewers, noting that in 2013, she “had the privilege of sitting on a journalism panel with him, since we’re both Fordham and WFUV alums.”

“What stood out to me was just how sharp he was—everything about him was so distinctive: his voice, his style. You know, you turn on the TV now, you see a lot of the same. He truly stood out. He leaves quite a legacy. And I have to point out, I’m sitting there thinking, ‘What am I doing on a panel with Charles Osgood?’ But he didn’t treat me that way. He treated me like a peer, and that meant so much. And he, you know, he’s still inspiring so many journalists to this day.”

A Fordham Family

The Fordham connection extended to his family. His wife, Jean Crofton, graduated from Fordham College at Lincoln Center in 2002, and two of their sons, Kenneth Winston Wood, FCLC ’98, and Jamie Wood, FCLC ’05, are Fordham alumni.

Fordham was “the first place where he was given a voice and the ability to tell stories on a platform when there were not as many platforms to be able to captivate an audience,” Jamie Wood said. “I think he always felt a great deal of gratitude and indebtedness to the Fordham community for creating the conditions that allowed that to happen.”

Wood added that his father’s disposition and personality on TV and radio reflected his personality at home.

“There was not really much of a performance element to it just because it’s just who he was,” he said. “He was the single most optimistic person that I’ve ever known. I think that he had an ability to see the inherent goodness of anyone and led with any storytelling or any interaction with that baseline assumption, that there’s fundamental good in every person that he is talking to, that he’s engaging in some way, and I think that that’s one of the things that made him beloved and endeared by so many.”

A Life Filled with Music and Community

While Osgood was known most widely for his talking and writing, many will also remember him as an enthusiastic singer, musician, and composer—who not only loved to perform for friends and family but who wrote the lyrics to two songs that achieved some level of wider success, “Gallant Men” and “Black is Beautiful.”

“I will always treasure being on set when Charlie would play the piano and sing,” Kugel said. “Witnessing Charles Osgood play ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ on the Sunday Morning set was pure magic. Only a few people would be in the studio during those tapings, but it seemed there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. We all knew we had witnessed something very special. It felt like heaven.”

In his final radio segment, broadcast on December 29, 2017, Osgood gave a brief history of Robert Burns’ familiar poem “Auld Lang Syne” and recited a version of his own, over the sound of pensive bagpipes, as a farewell to his listeners:

“The memories of days gone by—old times, old friends, and all—
faces, voices of the past our minds can still recall.
They live still in your memory, as they still live in mine,
as we lift a cup this Sunday eve for Auld Lang Syne.”

Osgood is survived by his wife, Jean Crofton; their five children, Kathleen Wood Griffis, Kenneth Winston Wood, Anne-E. Wood, Emily J. Wood, and Jamie Wood; two siblings; and six grandchildren.

“My dad above all loved other people’s company,” Jamie Wood said. “It wasn’t being a public figure, it wasn’t being a journalist. He just loved being around community, and so thank you for welcoming him into your homes and into your radios to be able to … share stories, to share the better parts of humanity. And he will see you on the radio.”

—Ryan Stellabotte contributed to this story.

In the newsroom, Maya Sargent, a graduate fellow from Fordham’s public media program, sat at a computer editing What’s What, the station’s daily news podcast on current events, cultural news, and issues affecting the New York City area. Down a few seats, Sam Davis, a Fordham College at Rose Hill senior, chatted with Bobby Ciafardini, the station’s sports director, about the guests they’d feature on One on One, the city’s longest-running sports call-in show. A few hours earlier, Jim O’Hara, FCRH ’99, associate director of technical operations, met with several students who would document the next day’s recording session with beabadoobee, a Filipina British artist, in the station’s intimate Studio A setting.

Elsewhere, Rich McLaughlin, FCRH ’01, GABELLI ’10, the station’s program director, met with General Manager Chuck Singleton to review the rundown for the station’s On the Record event, which would take place the following week. And music director Russ Borris was finalizing details for the station’s annual Holiday Cheer concert—a lineup headlined by venerable indie rockers Spoon and featuring Lucius, Grammy-winning blues prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and the Brooklyn-based band Say She She.

But afternoon drive host Dennis Elsas tuned all of that out when he stepped up to the microphone in Studio 1. “That is Beck and ‘Loser’ from 1994. And new before that: Arctic Monkeys, ‘I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am’—here at WFUV,” Elsas said, then quipped “I’m here!” with comic timing and a smile that traveled hundreds of miles across the airwaves. He cued up the next song, and as he hit play, said, “Member-supported and supporting each other, it’s WFUV.”

It’s the kind of scene that has played out, almost hidden from sight, in Keating Hall on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus for more than 75 years. Before Dennis Elsas, there was Pete Fornatale, FCRH ’67, who created the station’s first pop music show as an undergrad in 1964. Before Sam Davis, there was Malcolm Moran, FCRH ’75, who launched One on One as a student and went on to become a Hall of Fame basketball journalist; and there was Vin Scully, FCRH ’49, the late, legendary baseball broadcaster who was among WFUV’s original voices. Before Maya Sargent, there was Alice Gainer, FCRH ’04, the Emmy Award–winning anchor and reporter at WCBS-TV, New York; and Charles Osgood, FCRH ’54, former longtime host of CBS Sunday Morning.

A Unique Beginning

“1947 was quite a year,” Fordham Provost Dennis Jacobs, Ph.D., told the crowd of more than 200 attendees at WFUV’s On the Record event, held November 2 on Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. “Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and the transistor was invented. And at Rose Hill, New York’s first noncommercial, educational FM station signed on the airwaves. The University’s 25th president, Robert Gannon, S.J., remarked that ‘Fordham in her time has seen many beginnings. Today, we mark a beginning that is unique.’”

In mid-October, the University’s recently installed 33rd president, Tania Tetlow—who had her own unique beginning at Fordham as the first woman and first layperson to lead the institution—stood onstage in front of Walsh Family Library. “We’re here to celebrate 75 years of WFUV, the coolest thing about Fordham University,” she said during a station-organized concert that was part of the inauguration festivities. The station still trains “students who are learning journalism and sports broadcasting and everything about the industry,” and now, in addition to serving the city, it reaches “300,000 listeners in all 50 states—Idaho and Hawaii listen to WFUV—and we’re just so proud of what it is.”

Throughout its 75-year history, many things have changed. For starters, in the mid-1980s, the station became a professionally run NPR affiliate, with ample training and broadcast opportunities for students. Darren DeVivo, GABELLI ’87, now the station’s Saturday afternoon and weeknight host, was working at the station as a Fordham undergraduate at that time.

“When I got here, there was a general manager who was a paid Fordham employee. We had a chief engineer who was a paid employee from Fordham, and everyone else was students—program director, news director, music director, all student-run,” he said. “If you had some skills or had some abilities, you worked your way up.”

In 1985, Ralph Jennings, Ph.D., was hired as the station’s general manager. He brought a fresh vision to the station, working to create an authentic sound, filled with more consistent, impactful programming that would attract an audience and help the station receive financial assistance to support its growth.

“You’re bringing change to what had been a college station—there’s a mix of responses to that,” said Singleton, who started as the station’s first professional news director in 1987 and later served as program director before succeeding Jennings as general manager in 2011. “I think for a lot of alums and students at the time, there was a fear that the students would just be swept out.

But Singleton, who expanded WFUV’s coverage of community issues and helped develop its robust news journalism training program, said that WFUV strived to employ a different model. “It’s not the pure student station, it’s not the pure professional public station: It’s a professional, public station with a lot of public service impact, but one where students are a core part of this. And those opportunities [for students] are really core to the station’s mission.”

In the late 1980s, there was also a shift overall in the field of radio, according to Singleton. “You couldn’t offer a little bit of this and a little bit of that—it wouldn’t get you anywhere,” he said. “So there was new understanding that for a public radio station to attract a loyal audience, you had to be consistent in what you were offering.” Jennings and his team studied the market and found “holes that we could fill,” Singleton said, and at the time, that was primarily singer-songwriters in an “acoustic vein.”

“That format—by the early ’90s—I think it was the first sparks of what it is that we have today,” Singleton said. He noted that these efforts, in addition to technological advances like internet streaming, have paid off and allowed the station to expand its reach: WFUV went from having around 30,000 to 50,000 listeners a week in the 1980s to around 325,000 a week today. At times, the station has reached as many as 450,000 listeners.

Today, staff and students at WFUV are using new platforms like TikTok and podcasts to reach audiences beyond the radio dial. The station’s studios have even moved—from the third floor of Keating Hall to bigger, state-of-the-art studios on the lower level of the Rose Hill campus’ signature academic building. But despite all of its iterations and evolutions, WFUV’s mission and goals have remained consistent—to be a home of music discovery in New York; to be a training ground for the next generation of journalists, broadcasters, and behind-the-scenes wizards; and to provide the community with significant public service.

Home of Music Discovery

Throughout its history, WFUV has played a variety of music—from opera and jazz in its early decades to rock in the ’60s and ’70s. But it really found its place more than a quarter century ago, as commercial radio stations began making their playlists “tighter and tighter,” according to Singleton. That left less space for DJs “who had done great creative work”—FM rock pioneers like Dennis Elsas, Vin Scelsa, Pete Fornatale, and Meg Griffin, he said. Elsas, whose legendary career has included a famous two-hour in-depth interview with John Lennon of the Beatles, said that shift came for him after working in commercial radio for more than 25 years. More and more “shock jocks” were coming in and classic rock DJs like himself were being phased out. When he heard about an opening at WFUV in 2000, he jumped at the chance.

“I felt at times challenged because while I was playing a lot of music that I was very familiar with, I was also learning on the job because we were digging way deeper into blues and some more esoteric music,” he said, adding that this allowed him to “expand my musical horizons even further.”

Elsas said that he believes the station’s tagline—Music Discovery Starts Here—fits its work in more ways than one. “You could discover new music, which you couldn’t necessarily find on any other station on the market, and I think it also gave us the opportunity to say you could rediscover old favorites,” he said, adding that he’s had his own discoveries at WFUV, including the pleasure of working with and mentoring students.

DeVivo said that he personally has enjoyed finding new music and sharing it with his audience. “A band like the Jayhawks is a good example, [or] singer–songwriter Freedy Johnston—I remember the day that the album came in, and I put it in and go, ‘Holy smokes! Why don’t we hear this on whatever commercial rock station, because these guys are great,’” he said.

WFUV’s national reputation as a home for music discovery can be traced to Rita Houston, who delighted in introducing listeners to artists from a wide range of genres—folk, blues, indie rock, hip-hop, electronica, and more—and who came to be regarded not only as a tastemaker in the industry but also a trusted mentor and friend to the stars.

For more than 25 years at the station, in her roles as a DJ, music director, and program director—and with her unerring ear for talent—Houston helped elevate the careers of countless artists, including Norah Jones, Brandi Carlile, and Mumford and Sons. When Houston died of ovarian cancer in 2020 at age 59, Carlile recalled how Houston was “the very first person to play my music on the radio.” She also helped Carlile feel accepted and welcome as a fellow LGBTQ woman. Carlile recalled a time when she was showing Houston photos, and a picture of her girlfriend popped up on her phone.

“‘Is that your plus one?’” Houston asked. “‘It’s OK to talk about it.’ She could immediately tell that I was uneasy with people in the music business knowing I was gay,” said Carlile, who was 22 years old at the time.

But Houston, who joined WFUV in the mid-1990s, didn’t stop at artists. She also helped launch the careers of WFUV employees, including McLaughlin, who succeeded her as program director, and Alisa Ali, PCS’14, the station’s midday host, who has helped carry forward Houston’s passion for supporting artists, particularly local musicians.

Houston is the reason Ali came to WFUV—and Fordham—in the first place. She was listening to WFUV, thinking about how she’d love to work there, when she heard Houston say that she was going to give a talk at the Museum of Television & Radio.

“And like any naive person, I was like, ‘I’ll just go see Rita and ask her if I could get a job there and she’ll give it to me,’” she said. So Ali went to Houston’s talk and waited around to chat with her after. “And I’m like, ‘Hi, I love the station. Can I work here?’” she said, smiling at the memory. “She’s like, ‘That’s cute. No, of course you can’t. You have no experience.’”

Ali said that Houston paused and asked her if she was a Fordham student, which was “the only way you could work at FUV” without having any experience in radio.

“I went home and looked up ‘how do you enroll in Fordham University?’” she said. “I was kind of at a crossroads in my life because I didn’t really like what I was doing. And since I never graduated college, I was like, ‘Well if I don’t get a job at WFUV, at least I’ll have a college education.’

“The day after I was accepted, I came back to the station. I was like, ‘Hi, remember me from the talk? I go to school here now. May I have a job now?’” Ali said. “[Houston] was like, ‘All right, kid. I like you. You remind me a lot of myself.’”

At that point, Houston was the midday host and music director, and Ali became a production assistant. She worked her way up to morning show producer and then host of The Alternate Side, which allowed her to discover and play new artists. More recently, as the midday host, she created a segment called “NY Slice,” which features local musicians from the tristate area.

“In New York City, we have so many opportunities to see huge bands, and I think a lot of these little bands get overshadowed,” she said, describing how she came up with the idea for the segment. “Local bands actually have it easier outside of New York City—it’s a disadvantage to be a local, small band in New York City. So I just want to support these people.”

That support has helped artists including Rén with the Mane and Blonde Otter. The two bands were featured on “NY Slice” and later chosen to perform at the October concert following the inauguration of Tania Tetlow. “I love you, Alisa Ali!” Rénee Orshan, the artist behind Rén with the Mane, said from the stage that night, adding that Ali and WFUV are the “only radio station” to play their music.

The concert also featured New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has been celebrating its 60th anniversary with a national tour. The group marched down Old Elm Road with the horn section playing the gospel classic “I’ll Fly Away.” As they reached the stage, Tetlow, who grew up in New Orleans, added her own soaring voice to the mix to the delight of the crowd. She later said she was grateful to WFUV and to all the performers for helping her “feel at home here at Fordham.”

Greater Connection to the Artists

The inauguration concert was a prime example of WFUV tying its penchant for music discovery to its commitment to live music. O’Hara estimated that in a typical year, the station hosts about 200 sessions in Studio A and 20 to 30 live concerts and performances at venues throughout the New York City area.

“Live music really gives you a good insight [into]who the artist is,” O’Hara said. “You really get to understand a lot about them by hearing them perform their songs live,” and then listening to a WFUV host interview them in the studio. “It really presents a greater connection to the artists. I think that’s a great thing that we provide to our listeners.”

One of his most memorable sessions came in 2017, when Gorillaz, the Damon Albarn–led British band that doesn’t do a lot of live appearances, reached out to bring their “huge, full-scale tour” to Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. “When we first took the phone call about this, I was like, ‘Well, there’s no way this is going to happen,’” he said, laughing. “Along the way, I was expecting any one of a number of issues to be the deal breaker.” But those issues, ranging from bringing semi-tractor trailers onto campus to hooking up the band’s equipment to the building’s main power source, didn’t stand in their way. The session was a go.

“It was literally an all-day process—we got here, I think it was 7 a.m., and we didn’t leave until like 8 or 9 p.m.,” O’Hara said. “They took over the entire station. They brought the entire tour, what they would bring into Madison Square Garden. And I had just an assembly line of students, working the elevator out there, bringing stuff in, bringing cases back out. I think there had to be 30 members of their team. Every studio was filled up with something.”

But O’Hara said the takeover was absolutely worth it. “It was unique content—we were the one station that got to do that, so it was affirming as to who we are in the industry that we were offered that and were able to accomplish it,” he said. “It was just a really great source of pride for me.”

While Fordham students Allen Wang and Caitria Demeroto weren’t at WFUV for the Gorillaz performance, they’ve gotten their share of hands-on opportunities. The studio sessions typically range from two to four hours and include up to 10 students working on the production—three to four audio engineers, four to five videographers, and usually a few trainees—while the live performances at city venues also call for a mix of students and external contractors.

“There was a show for Phoebe Bridgers at Forest Hills Stadium, which is actually in the neighborhood I grew up in,” said Wang, a junior in the Gabelli School of Business. “So to go and be part of the backstage team, it was a very fulfilling experience. It was also really insightful to see how larger productions work in terms of production teams and sub crews and what their day is like.”

Demeroto, a Fordham College at Rose Hill junior, said she really enjoys the personal, intimate setting of Studio A, where she shot video of the session featuring Gang of Youths, an Australian alternative rock group.

“I think it’s just really authentic—and you feel very close,” she said. “And it definitely is a different sound than a recording. It’s so cool to see them, without any editing yet, and how they interact in their creative process—actually capturing that on camera is really great.”

Launching Pad for Success

Paul Cavalconte, FCRH ’83, a longtime radio host, got his start as a Fordham undergraduate at WFUV before his career took him to WQXR, WNEW, and Q104.3. He came back to WFUV as a guest host in 2013.

“I owe my radio career to 90.7 FM,” he said from the stage of the inauguration concert last fall. “And this is a very, very proud moment for us. We have a unique training program in sports and journalism—some of the most famous voices in media have come through Keating Hall and out into the airwaves of the world.”

That’s a credit to the hands-on training the students receive at WFUV, which Robin Shannon, the station’s news director, described as “vastly different than a lot of other organizations.” Over the past two decades, Shannon and former news director George Bodarky, FCRH ’93, who now serves as the community partnerships and training editor for WNYC, helped to grow and enhance the training program that Singleton established in the late 1980s. Today, “we have a reputation in the broadcast world of training students in a way that is going to benefit newsrooms all over the country,” Shannon said.

A big reason for that is the work of Bodarky, who was honored at WFUV’s On the Record event in November for his more than 20 years of service to the station. From 2001 until last year, he helped train many Fordham journalists.

“The thing about George is that dozens, maybe hundreds of people could be giving these remarks right now, telling you how George changed their life, how George opened the door to what became their career and their vocation,” said one of his former students, NPR White House correspondent Scott Detrow, FCRH ’07.

Shannon said the journalism program is about giving students ample opportunity to practice their skills in a professional environment. “It’s not just opening a book and reading about microphones or reading about interviews— it’s learning the equipment, going out, and covering stories that people are talking about.” She said students are also “allowed to make mistakes” and, with her guidance, they can “explore and experiment and kind of see what works for them.”

For Liam Dahlborn, a junior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, that opportunity to explore allowed him to develop his own role at the station—running the news department’s social media accounts. “That kind of position wasn’t really something that they were necessarily training for, but I was able to talk to Robin and talk to George, and be like, ‘This is something that I think we need to build on, the digital assets, now that we’re transitioning into a digital world,’” he said. “And they were really supportive of that.”

Dahlborn said that all the skills he’s acquiring at WFUV, which include writing a weekly subscriber newsletter, posting to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and launching the station’s TikTok account, will help him pursue a career in media when he graduates from Fordham.

“Being able to have this professional environment in college is something that’s very unique,” he said. “Being able to work in a newsroom that’s professional, that’s state-of-the-art—that’s something that I think you don’t really get at other universities. And to be in New York City, pretty much everyone who I’ve talked to in New York City knows of WFUV.”

Noah Osborne, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, said that his experience at WFUV opened doors for him, including his most recent internship at BronxNet television.

“That wouldn’t have been possible without WFUV,” he said. “Having WFUV anywhere on a resume seems to be the big talking point. I feel like a lot of my communication skills were honed here—especially as a reporter, as an anchor, even as a podcaster.”

Osborne said that until he worked at WFUV, he hadn’t thought much about podcasting and how it can be a great way to communicate with the audience. “I feel like it’s just made my delivery of certain lines of the news just so much more authentic, a lot more conversational, a lot more relaxed. It definitely did build my confidence as an aspiring media person.”

On the sports side, the WFUV legacy runs back to Vin Scully, the late, legendary voice of the Dodgers, who is considered the patron saint of Fordham-trained sportscasters, an ever-growing group that includes NBA Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Breen, FCRH ’83; Michael Kay, FCRH ’82, the voice of the Yankees; Chris Carrino, GABELLI ’92, radio voice of the Brooklyn Nets; Tony Reali, FCRH ’00, host of ESPN’s Around the Horn; Bob Papa, GABELLI ’86, the radio voice of the New York Giants; and Ryan Ruocco, FCRH ’08, of the YES Network and ESPN.

When WFUV shifted from a student-run station to a professional staff overseeing the students in the late 1980s, Marty Glickman, the former New York Knicks, Jets, and Giants announcer, came on board as a coach, schooling the young sports journalists in the art of play-by-play and other types of broadcasts. He hired a producer named Bob Ahrens, who took the sports department to the next level, helping them gain press access to all 11 of the New York– area professional teams.

It’s that tradition that current sports director Bobby Ciafardini looks to build on. “I like to think that a big part of the legacy that I’m hoping to carve out here is that we have expanded the programming to include a lot more of the video component and the streaming part of what we are doing these days,” he said.

For example, One on One, New York’s longest-running sports call-in show, was founded in the 1970s, but now, in addition to catching it on the radio, viewers can tune in to a livestream and watch video clips on social media.

“The students are … learning more now than ever because they are multimedia sports professionals,” Ciafardini said. “When Sam [Davis] goes to a game now, he’s not just going to get audio; he’s doing a standup and interviewing players in both capacities.”

Davis, whose roles include social media coordinator, Mets beat reporter, and on-air broadcaster for Fordham sports, said that he wouldn’t have gotten the opportunities WFUV offered him anywhere else. “I think that covering the professional New York teams—as far as I know, I don’t think there’s really another college in the country that does that,” he said. “With the fact that everything is video now, we’re getting a lot of hands-on experience … not just being on air … but also video editing and pushing that out on social media, learning what works and what doesn’t.”

Both the news and sports departments have grown more diverse in recent years and provided more opportunities to students, something that is a strategic goal of the station, according to Singleton. For example, the sports department, which has traditionally been mostly male, now has an all-female sports podcast, All In.

Breen, who received the department’s Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting last year, said that he’s proud of the students who are a part of the station’s legacy. “Every Fordham student who decides to join this amazing radio station feels a responsibility, a responsibility to uphold the standards that all the previous students and student broadcasters have set,” he said, noting that he and his peers certainly felt it during the 1980s. “You’ve not only upheld the standards,” he said, “you’ve raised them. And I say bravo.”

Companionship for People

Students who work at WFUV said that they were drawn to the station—and Fordham in general—not only for the chance to hone their technical skills but also to be part of its public media mission. That certainly was the case with Maya Sargent, which is why she applied to Fordham’s master’s degree program in the field. The program led her to a fellowship at WFUV, where she gets to tell the stories of a diverse group of New Yorkers.

“I’ve always kind of had that intrigue to learn more and find out more about communities, and New York feels like the epicenter of cultural engagement,” said Sargent, who came to Fordham from the U.K. “It’s such an eclectic mix, and I think that injects a lot of life into the media that we produce.”

That connection to local communities is something that Thao Matlock, co-chair of the WFUV Advisory Board, has found especially helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a companionship for people, and I think it’s what kept a lot of us sane during the pandemic, especially the first part when it was all doom and gloom,” she said. “A lot of us tuned in to WFUV because it was great music—we just kind of hung out; there was no anxiety. And then, the news part, the COVID news, was very calm, very sane.”

That’s been a hallmark of WFUV for decades—giving its listeners the news and music they need to find community and a reason to believe, especially in trying times. WFUV DJs received responses similar to Matlock’s from listeners in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m a nurse,” read one March 2020 message. “Today I listened in, [and] for the first time all month, danced in my kitchen, relaxed for the first time in ages. Grateful to WFUV for helping us stay safe, stay sane, stay connected in these uncertain times.” Another listener said the station’s DJs kept her company. “Now more than ever, many of us, myself included, are alone, and music means so much in our daily mindset.”

Breen, who went on to become a Hall of Fame basketball broadcaster, recalled his time as a late-night DJ for WFUV. He was on the air on December 8, 1980, the night John Lennon was killed. “The phones rang off the hook, and they were talking about what John Lennon meant to them,” he said. “One gentleman told me how he was about to commit suicide, but John Lennon’s song stopped him. Another told me he had a drinking problem, and John Lennon helped them through that. And it was the first time in my life I realized what music meant to people.”

Chuck Singleton, general manager of WFUV, said September 11, 2001, was another time when the power of music and the strength of the WFUV community were evident to the team at the station. “That day, as we reported on [the terrorist attacks], we were there for people. … I have a whole folder of letters and emails that people sent us that in their own, individual way, said, ‘I don’t know what I would have done without you.’”

Never Stopped Moving

Rich McLaughlin, who got his start at WFUV as an undergraduate just over two decades ago and is now the station’s program director, said putting all the pieces together—the commitment to music discovery, training young journalists, and providing a compelling public service to the community—is what makes WFUV “completely unique and dynamic.” “Not only do we take part in training that next generation of media professionals, but we really rely on our students to help push WFUV forward into the future,” he said. “And that’s one of my favorite things about working here because I find when it comes to social media, when it comes to music, when it comes to just general technology, our students, they know as much or more than some of us.”

One way to make sure the station remains unique and dynamic is to continue to diversify—both the musicians it plays on air and the staff it employs, Singleton said. For example, three years ago, Houston helped spearhead the station’s EQFM initiative to take on the issue of gender disparity in the music industry. It has a goal of 50% representation of women and gender minorities in music programming, events, and online features. Those efforts help the station continue to grow and reach new audiences, McLaughlin said. “Wherever there’s a platform that a WFUV listener is looking to listen to the station, or consume our content—wherever they are, we want to be.”

That spirit of innovation has run through the station since 1947, he said. “It’s really important that we maintain that heritage and the tradition that we have and take that with us as we move forward. I think you can do both—you can change and think about things differently from a content standpoint, from a technology standpoint, and still take into consideration the station’s history and legacy. I think that’s what the station has done all along.

“WFUV is celebrating 75 years—it’s never stopped changing. It’s never stopped moving. And that’s why it’s still as relevant as it is today.”

—Kelly Prinz, FCRH ’15, is an associate editor of this magazine. As a Fordham undergraduate, she was a WFUV sports reporter, host, and producer from 2012 to 2015.

Correction: An earlier version of this story, including the version that appeared in the winter 2023 print edition of Fordham Magazine, mistakenly indicated that Chuck Singleton “initially developed WFUV’s coverage of community issues.” In fact, he expanded coverage that began more than a decade earlier. Thanks to John J. Robb, FCRH ’76, who served as WFUV’s founding public affairs director from 1974 to 1976, for helping us set the record straight. 

“It is hard to imagine a WFUV without Rita Houston,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

“She has expertly shaped the station’s programming and been one of its prominent voices for many years, and of course has been a beloved member of the station on the air and off. Our hearts go out to her wife, Laura, and their families, in their hour of grief. I know you join with me in keeping Rita and all who loved her in your thoughts and prayers.”

Houston joined WFUV in 1994 and rose to the position of program director in 2012. From that perch, she was responsible for driving the ethos of the station that is summed up in the slogan “Music discovery starts here.”

Chuck Singleton, WFUV’s general manager, announced news of Houston’s passing in an on-air message to WFUV’s listeners on Dec. 15.

“Rita was the north star of WFUV’s sound and its public service, guiding the station’s musical direction for decades. She was a New York original, a trailblazing woman of exceptional talent who shaped a unique style behind the microphone—informed and informal, intimate, warm, genuine. But also, one of tremendous joy,” he said.

“You may know that Rita had been fighting cancer for six years. Her courage and resolve were an inspiration. Cancer or no cancer, she gave her all every day to her dear Laura and their family—to her friends and colleagues, to WFUV and our listeners, and to artists and music lovers everywhere.

An Immediate Connection to Radio

A native of Mount Vernon, New York, Houston got her start in radio when a faculty adviser at Westchester Community College gave her an evening slot at the college’s radio station. In March, she recounted the feeling of going on the air for the first time for singer Joseph Arthur’s podcast Come to Where I’m From.

“I was just so happy, and I don’t even know how I knew what to do. Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose, you know?” she said.

“It was the ’80s, so I think I probably played Nu Shooz or something. I don’t think my first song was Velvet Underground or Richard Thompson. I just remember thinking, ‘I like this talking into a mic, I like this feeling.’”

DJing paid very little, so Houston eventually took a job as an engineer for ABC Network News. The mic lured her back though, and in 1988, Paul Cavalconte, FCRH ’83, the program manager at Westchester’s WXPS, hired Houston as a DJ. She would go on to make her name as the host of the evening show Starlight Express, where she showcased new artists such as David Gray, Ani DiFranco, and Dar Williams. That nascent adult album alternative format was, Cavalconte recalls, a very early version of today’s Triple A radio format embraced by WFUV and other stations around the country.

Cavalconte, who worked at WFUV as a student, said that he knew immediately that Houston would be a hit.

“Rita’s voice was rough and ready. It wasn’t the sort of pear-shaped, feminine voice that would expect to do ads for perfume. It’s a real-person kind of voice,” he said.

“She was a full package. The voice had an honesty and directness, and she was able to communicate her larger-than-life personality, which was there from the very first moment.”

When WXPS changed ownership in 1993, it was renamed X107, and playlists swung to the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and other “alternative rock” bands. Cavalconte recalled that he was fired early on, but Houston hung on, albeit under the condition that she, along with all the on-air staff, change her name to include an X. Tongue firmly in cheek, she opted for “Harley Foxx.”

A New Home at Fordham

But Houston would soon depart as well, in 1994, for the place she’d call home for the next 26 years.

“I was driving from the East Village to Westchester every day, listening to FUV, and I was like, ‘I want to work there,’” Houston told Arthur.

“I just called the station and was like, ‘Hey, can I work here, please?’ That was 25 years ago. I’ve never really been the kind of person who thought they’d do anything for 25 years, but I love it as much as ever.”

Hired in 1994 to host WFUV’s midday show, Houston was promoted to music director in 1996 and in 2012 she was promoted to program director, a post that she used to introduce listeners to new artists such as Mumford & Sons, Brandi Carlile, Gomez, Yola, Seratones, and Lake Street Dive.

Outside of the studio, she was instrumental in the “Required Listening” series of shows that showcased new and underappreciated artists at the Greenwich Village club The Bottom Line; she also interviewed songwriters for the club’s “In Their Own Words” series.

She took a hiatus from DJing in the late-’90s but returned to the mic in 2001 with her show The Whole Wide World, where she spun everything from M.I.A. and Marvin Gaye to Ella Fitzgerald and Mark Ronson.

A Trusted Friend to Artists and Listeners

In 2013, Houston brought Cavalconte aboard at WFUV, where he now hosts the freewheeling Sunday night show Cavalcade.

Cavalconte said one of his fondest memories of Houston is from the station’s 2018 Holiday Cheer benefit concert, which was headlined by the late John Prine. Houston’s father died that day, but she still attended, knowing how big a deal the show is to the station.

“At one point, Prine looked out and said, ‘This one goes out to my pal Rita. She had a rough day; she lost her daddy today. But she’ll always have him in here.’ He put his hands on his chest, and then he dedicated Hello in There to Rita’s dad,” Calvalconte said.

In a 2019 Fordham News profile that marked her 25th anniversary at WFUV, Houston said she felt a sense of responsibility to her fans when she chose songs.

“When listeners hear something new at WFUV, there’s an inherent trust it has been selected with their general taste in mind,” Houston said. “You develop trust with the audience, with artists, and with record labels. You become a trusted source.”

Guiding WFUV Forward

Singleton noted that like many WFUV personalities, Houston’s public persona benefited greatly from the digital revolution that made it possible for the station’s 400,000 weekly listeners to stream live on their computers, tablets, or mobile phones.

Thanks in part to Houston, WFUV also established a strong relationship with National Public Radio. Houston anchored NPR’s coverage of the Newport Folk Festival for several years and provided input into the organization’s “best of the year” lists. She also appeared on the national program Morning Edition.

Supporting women artists was a passion of Houston’s at WFUV as well. Just this year, she helped spearhead the station’s EQFM initiative, which is geared toward a goal of 50% representation of women and gender minorities in music programming, events, and online features.

“It’s part of our DNA as open-minded music lovers,” she said when EQFM launched in May. “Good songs come from everywhere, across race, age, and gender. Good radio should celebrate that, without bias.”

Houston was an insatiable student of the art of the DJ, going so far as devoting a series of interviews in 2012 to conversations with fellow hosts from FUV and other public radio stations. One of them was Dennis Elsas, who celebrated his 20th anniversary with the station this year, and who said it’s inconceivable to separate WFUV from Houston.

“Her determination to keep FUV as a defining place of music discovery for the audience and the industry was constant and unrelenting,” he said.

“Rita’s skill at booking and creating assorted shows and events for the station was the ‘secret sauce’ that made FUV sparkle.”

A Stalwart in the Industry

Daniel Glass, the founder/president of Glassnote Music, called her “the definition of soul,” while City Winery founder and CEO Michael Dorf lamented the fact that a tribute concert in Houston’s honor that was planned for this spring had to be canceled after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. For 15 years, Houston had worked as an offstage introducer at the Winery’s annual Carnegie Hall tribute series.

“It was a ritual that cemented a friendship,” Dorf said. “[It felt as if] our roles in the eco-system of independent music and their fans, and the ability to turn them on to something special, made us members of an exclusive limited club. And even if that was a total illusion made up in my head, at least, she made me feel that bond.”

The tribute concert was to have been the latest in a long line of accolades for Houston. She was named non-commercial program director of the year in 2019 and 2020 by FMQB and JBE, was a three-time designate of Gavin’s Music Director of the Year, and received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Broadcast Excellence.

In April 2019, on the occasion of her 25th anniversary at WFUV, she was officially acknowledged by the City of New York and Mayor Bill de Blasio for “bringing joy to listeners throughout the five boroughs, providing a platform for new talent that deserves to be heard, and enriching the cultural vitality of our city.”

Champion of Artists

Artists were no less moved. Her early, loyal support was often a harbinger of a musician or band’s subsequent mega-success—and it was never forgotten by those she championed. When Mumford & Sons won the Steinbeck Award in 2019, the first collective to ever do so, the band asked Rita to deliver their induction speech at Stanford University that September. When Brandi Carlile cast her very personal video for “The Joke,” a single that went on to win two Grammys in 2019, she asked Rita to be in it.

She also remained faithful to artists who experienced a lull in their careers, as David Gray observed on the occasion of Rita’s 20th anniversary at WFUV.

“I will never forget the support you gave me when I needed it most when nothing was really working out,” Gray said. “It was very much me and my acoustic guitar. It’s easy to be someone’s friend when everything’s rosy, but that’s when it mattered and that’s why we’re pals.”

Carlile said that Houston was “the very first person to play my music on the radio,” She recalled that when she met Houston for the first time, she was showing Houston photos of her horse when a shot of her girlfriend popped up on her phone.

“‘Is that your plus one?’ she said to 22-year-old me. ‘It’s ok to talk about it.’ She could immediately tell that I was uneasy with people in the music business knowing I was gay,” Carlile said.

The two became fast friends, she said, calling Houston a “soulful, stabilizing force.”

“She was absolutely packed full of life, up for anything, and the amount of charisma she possessed was just plain criminal. Don’t even get me started on that hair.”

In one of her last public appearances, at Fordham’s annual Women’s Summit in October, Houston reflected on her work, joking that she’d picked up the nickname “The Tank,” since “I go and go and go until I stop going.”

“The tank thing for me is really looking at the things that fill my tank, versus the things that empty my tank, and my job really fills my tank,” she said.

“I’m so lucky to have a job that fills my tank, where working more is almost better for me than working less.”

It was just last week that Houston stepped away from her duties at the station.

In her March podcast conversation with Arthur, she was candid about living with cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2015.

“When I do put my head on the pillow at night, I do feel some sense of comfort, or maybe satisfaction is the right word. Peace, I guess, that I have lived [a good]life, warts and all, mistakes and all.”

Houston is survived by her wife Laura Fedele, new media director at WFUV; her sister Debra Baglio; and her brothers Richard and Robert Houston. She is predeceased by her older brother Bill Houston and her parents William and Rita Houston. A private funeral ceremony will be held for family.

More Tributes for Rita Houston

 

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Really sorry to hear of the death of Rita Houston. She was the best kind of DJ, a passionate fan of the music she played. Always enjoyed heading out to the Bronx to talk to her about life, music and politics. A huge loss to American radio. https://t.co/iFkxKMjJ0c

— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) December 15, 2020

Rita was a maverick in our world, a true leader, a golden ear, a flair with words, always positive in a cynical ecosphere. Brave beyond words and taught me to carry on and be curious regardless of pain or fear. I will miss her, but will call on her spirit often.
Amy https://t.co/yv8htcDP5Y

— Indigo Girls (@Indigo_Girls) December 15, 2020

 

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A post shared by Brandi Carlile (@brandicarlile)

If you’re worried you’ve exhausted all your Netflix options, look no further. Fordham News asked faculty and staff members for updated suggestions on the best things to read, watch, and listen to for the upcoming winter months. (In case you missed it, check out our last list of faculty recommendations here.)

Films

Jennifer Moorman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication & Media Studies

Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020), directed by Osmany Rodriguez
I know Halloween is over, but it’s always horror season for me! This one was actually recommended to me by a student in my Horror Film class, and I found it moving as well as fun. A horror-comedy focused on three boys battling vampires while simultaneously fighting off gentrification in their Bronx neighborhood (an issue that should concern all of us at Fordham), this film has so much heart. It has its share of cheesy moments and clichés, but overall it entertains while reminding us that Black lives matter, our communities are worth saving, and we are stronger together.
Available on Netflix

Bacurau (2019), directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles
This Brazilian riff on The Most Dangerous Game is a thrilling, powerful, anticolonial tour de force. Warning: It gets pretty graphic. But its messages about the dangers of globalization, imperialism, and white supremacy are as urgent as ever, and will hopefully inspire you to organize in your own community to fight the power. Its meditation on the ways that advanced technologies invade our lives and can hurt as much as they help is particularly relevant in this moment of ever-increasing dependency on digital (and specifically remote-learning) tech.
Available on Amazon

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), directed by Céline Sciamma
Arguably the greatest queer love story (or any love story, for that matter) of the 21st century thus far. Exquisitely shot, each frame is a painting. The compositions are breathtaking, the characters written and portrayed with unusual depth, and the story is incredibly moving and all too relatable for anyone who has a “one that got away.”
Available on Hulu

The Lighthouse (2019), directed by Robert Eggers
This is a great companion piece to Robert Eggers’ previous feature, The Witch (which I also highly recommend). It’s darker and more challenging, but also funnier. Its exploration of the horrors of isolation feels all the more relevant now than at the time of its release, and if you look beneath the surface, you’ll find a biting critique of capitalism and toxic masculinity (and some would say, also a homoerotic love story).
Available on Amazon

Beth Knobel, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies

Broadcast News (1987), directed by James L. Brooks
This is one of my favorite films about television news. It’s also filled with classic moments that speak to the nature of friendship, success, and love. I’ve shown it numerous times to my Fordham students to illustrate the power and limitations of broadcast journalism.
Available on Amazon

Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954-1965 (1987)
Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads 1965-1985 (1990)
Produced by Henry Hampton
Everyone who wants to understand the roots of the American civil rights movement should spend the time to watch Henry Hampton’s monumental, prize-winning documentary series Eyes on the Prize. Its 14 parts, produced as two series, explore the major moments of the movement, from school desegregation, to the fight for voting rights, to the elections of Black politicians in major cities like Chicago. It’s engrossing and important.
Available on Amazon

Brandy Monk-Payton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies

Time (2020), directed by Garrett Bradley
This award-winning experimental documentary by Garrett Bradley is a beautiful and intimate portrait of a Black family that follows Sybil “Fox Rich” Richardson as she fights for over 20 years to free her husband from his prison sentence. Using interviews as well as Rich’s own homemade videos, the film is a brilliant love story in an era of mass incarceration.
Available on Amazon

Television Shows

Brandy Monk-Payton

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
Based on a 1983 novel of the same name, this limited series is a coming-of-age story about Beth Harmon, an orphan who also happens to be a chess prodigy. Set during the Cold War, Beth defies the odds as a female player who gains widespread public attention winning in a male-dominated sport, while also privately battling addiction. Watch for the mesmerizing scenes of chess play.
Available on Netflix

Grand Army (2020)
This gritty young adult drama series is set in Brooklyn and follows a multicultural ensemble of teenagers as they confront issues of identity at their prestigious public high school. At times difficult to watch due to its themes, the film has vivid characters and stellar performances by the young cast.
Available on Netflix

Jacqueline Reich, Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies

My Brilliant Friend (2018-present)
There are two seasons available of this amazing adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s four novel series set in Naples beginning in 1945. Most of the actors are non-professional, and there are wonderful echoes to Italian neorealism and other film traditions. It is compelling storytelling at its best, and when we can’t travel to Italy, the series transports us there.
Available on HBO

Borgen (2010-2013)
Borgen is probably one of the most highly praised international television series in recent memory, and Netflix subscribers can now see it for the first time. It revolves around the first Danish female prime minister and her family as she adapts to her new role. You will be riveted. Also along these lines on Netflix is The Crown, with Season 4 having just been released.
Available on Netflix

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
One of the pioneering television series of the 1970s, Mary Tyler Moore plays Mary Richards, a single career woman living in Minneapolis. It was one of the first shows to feature work life and home life (modeled after The Dick Van Dyke Show, also starring Moore), and spawned several spinoffs (Rhoda, Phyllis, Lou Grant). I watched all seven seasons during the worst of the quarantine, and Mary’s sunny disposition and optimism were just what I needed. For a great companion read, I recommend the book Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted by Jennifer Kieshin Armstrong, which tells the background story behind the scenes.
Available on Hulu

Clint Ramos, Assistant Professor of Design and Head of Design and Production

Alone (2015-present)I love it because it shows you how we really need socialization.
Available on Netflix

Street Food (2019)
It’s set both in Asia and Latin America. I love it because it’s not about the food, it’s about the people who make the food.
Available on Netflix: Asia and Latin America

Beth Knobel

Occupied (2015-2017)
This multilingual Norwegian three-season television series revolves around a Russian invasion of Norway over energy resources. As someone who spent 14 years living in Moscow, working as a journalist, I was glued to the edge of my seat by the portrayal of the Russians and the twists and turns in this biting political thriller.
Available on Netflix

Books

Heather Dubrow, Professor of English; John D. Boyd, S.J. Chair in the Poetic Imagination; and Director, Reading Series, Poets Out Loud

Detective fiction and crime fiction in general! Long-standing favorites include Sherlock Holmes and Ed McBain, especially the ones about the 87th precinct, which I enjoy not least because they are set in New York. 

Michael Connelly has been another favorite for some years—partly because of how the values of the detective are represented (he repeatedly evokes police work as a “mission”) and also because of how the relationship with his daughter has developed in the course of the series. But OK, I’ll let the cat out of the bag: I’m writing a critical article on Connelly, which demonstrates that I need to try harder to follow the advice I give my students about getting away completely from academic work occasionally. 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
What an extraordinary eye and ear he has for English culture.

Seamus Heaney
Not surprisingly, I keep returning to Heaney, virtually any of his poetry books and prose too. 

Why I Am Not a Toddler by Cooper Bennett Burt
Given our troubled times I’d recommend for light reading, especially to people who enjoy some of the originals, the parodies of golden oldie poems Stephanie Burt claims were written by her infant son. One of my favorites there is in fact a riff on the Bishop poem that is itself one of my favorites, “One Art.” [Bishop’s compelling lament, “The art of losing isn’t hard to master” becomes the kid’s “The art of mouthing isn’t hard to master . . . And look! my last, or / next to last, of three big crayons…”] 

Art Deco Chicago: Designing Modern America by Robert Bruegmann (Editor)
I love reopening and flipping through art books, including catalogues of exhibits to which I’ve gone. Art deco means a lot to me, and right now that bedside table also includes a book on deco mailboxes, a sub-sub genre of art deco design no doubt. And I often revisit a couple of books I have on the lacquer creations and other work of Zeshin—wow.

Music

Chuck Singleton, General Manager, WFUV

WFUV’s The Joni Project, which features artists covering songs by iconic singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell

Our Stress-Free Soundtrack pandemic playlist

The EQFM “Album ReCue” series, on landmark albums from women, which includes Spotify playlists of every album and Alisa Ali’s conversation with WFUV DJs

George Bodarky, News Director, WFUV

Everyone should have Nina Simone’s “O-o-h Child” on their playlist, especially now.

But really tapping into ’70s R&B has been uplifting, including “Shining Star” from Earth, Wind & Fire. 

Anne Fernald, Professor of English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Every summer, my family and I make a summer playlist. The rule is that it has to be brief enough to fit on a CD (so 100 minutes or so) and that it should capture the mood of the summer. We spend our summers up on the New York side of the Canadian border, listening to a lot of CBC 2. Their smooth-voiced nighttime DJ is a musician called Odario Williams, and his “Low Light (In This Space)” is a song that captures the hopes and aspirations coming out of #BlackLivesMatter.

Also on that playlist was Phoebe Bridgers’ “Kyoto,” which is both heart-breaking and inspiring and just grows and grows on me. 

And I am always charmed by the Swedish song “Snooza” by Säkert! It’s (apparently) about urging your lover to hang out and snooze a little longer. It’s a very cheerful pop song in a language I don’t speak and one of those gifts from the algorithm: a “you might like” song that I love. 

Those are just some of the ways colleagues and friends remembered Richard Hake, who died of natural causes on Friday at his home in Manhattan at the age of 51.

Hake, a 1991 Fordham College at Rose Hill graduate and a member of the advisory board for Fordham’s master’s degree program in public media, worked at WNYC for nearly 30 years. He was the host of WNYC’s Morning Edition, as well as a reporter and producer, and his work was featured on both national and local NPR programs such as Weekend Edition and All Things Considered.

“This is a hard punch in the gut,” said Chuck Singleton, general manager of WFUV, Fordham’s public media station. “Rich was one of my early students in my first role as FUV news director [in the late 1980s]. … He walked in the door and instantly decided what he wanted to do with his life—become a public radio journalist.”

Hake did just that. A New Yorker through and through, he was born in the Bronx, where his father, Richard James Hake, was a New York City police detective; his mother, Joy Mekeland, was a clerical worker and secretary. He began working at WNYC even before he graduated from Fordham in 1991.

Once at WNYC, Hake became known for “neighborhood and people portraits” and taking “listeners to the places they normally wouldn’t visit,” according to his bio.

He received multiple awards from the Associated Press Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the New York Press Club, particularly for his feature and documentary work, including his 1997 piece Coney Island Cyclone Anniversary, which he recorded while riding the world-famous roller coaster, describing the panorama for listeners during the ascent—the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Manhattan skyline, the Atlantic Ocean and the D train—before letting out a joyful scream during the ride’s 85-foot drop.

John Schaefer, FCRH ’80, host of the WNYC shows Soundcheck and New Sounds, remembered Hake’s love of the theater by replaying a piece Hake recorded in 2012 with actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein during a cab ride to the opening night performance of Fierstein’s musical Newsies.

But arts and culture features weren’t Hake’s only specialty. He also excelled at bringing breaking news stories to listeners with accuracy, clarity, and equanimity—from the September 11 attacks to Superstorm Sandy to the coronavirus pandemic. He was known for putting reporters and others at ease to create easy-to-understand, in-depth interviews. And as morning show host, he liked to say that he “woke up New York.”

“In his bones and in his heart, Richard cared about serving the public good. … He cared about getting it right, and he loved what he did,” WNYC reporter Jim O’Grady, FCRH ’82, said in his radio obituary for Hake.

As recently as last Wednesday, Hake had been hosting Morning Edition from his apartment near Mount Sinai Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He was no stranger to broadcasting in difficult times—when the WNYC generator failed during the 2003 blackout, he shared the news by telephone receiver and flashlight. But colleagues said he missed the camaraderie of the newsroom in recent weeks, as the coronavirus crisis has kept staff from their office.

“He was 28 years at the station and had the highest profile job in the building, but he talked to every newsroom intern, gave advice to new hires, and greeted guards in the lobby by name,” O’Grady said in the obituary, noting that Hake also served as a negotiator for the union representing WNYC employees. “His fellow workers often said, ‘He wanted you to know your worth.’”

The Humble Mentor

Julianne Welby, FCRH ’93, senior editor at WNYC, said that she attributes her career to Hake. She first crossed paths with him when she started working in the WFUV newsroom as a Fordham undergraduate. Chuck Singleton told her, “‘Go hang out with that guy, he’ll show you what to do,’ and it was Richard Hake,” she said, smiling. “[Hake] showed me how to write a newscast and he had to run back and forth because he was on the air.”

A few months after she started writing Hake’s newscasts, she got a call that changed her career path. Hake was sick, and she was asked to fill in for him on the air. “That was kind of an epiphany for me—I could be on the air. And so I say that Richard launched my career, because not only was he teaching me newscasting from that first day I was at WFUV, but he kind of inadvertently stepped aside and showed me the path for being a public media broadcaster,” Welby said.

Years later, Hake would help her launch the next phase in her career. “Richard was the one who opened the door for me at WNYC” when she joined the station in 2008, she said. “He lobbied really hard for me. I would not be in my job at WNYC without his advocacy.”

Annmarie Fertoli, FCRH ’06, now a digital audio journalist at The Wall Street Journal, worked alongside Hake during her time at WNYC from 2010 to 2017, and said he was always willing to help young journalists.

“Richard definitely was an enormous talent, but he didn’t come off that way,” she said. “He was an approachable person, he made himself accessible. … There were a lot of young producers who work on the Morning Edition team that he really looked out for.”

Welby said that Hake, with his humility, was the perfect mentor for young journalists.

“I’ve seen interns and young producers who just speak the world of Richard for making them feel so welcome,” she said.

A Man for Others

Beth Knobel, Ph.D., professor of communication and media studies at Fordham, recalled meeting Hake for the first time soon after she joined the Fordham faculty in 2007.

“If you were a public radio junkie, the way I am, and you get to meet someone like Richard Hake, it’s almost like a rock and roll fan getting to meet Mick Jagger,” she said.

Knobel said that Hake was a huge part of the Fordham community and “never said no” to volunteering to come speak to students or serve on a scholarship committee.

“When I saw the news about Richard on Saturday … I just burst out into tears because Richard was such a meaningful person for our journalism community at Fordham and for the New York, tri-state area,” she said.

George Bodarky, FCRH ’93, the news director at WFUV, remembered Hake as someone always willing to help out and mentor Fordham students.

“Richard was a consummate journalist and a kind and generous person. He never hesitated when asked to serve as a guest speaker in my journalism classes or to talk with the young journalists at WFUV,” Bodarky said. “I will sorely miss him and his trusted voice on the airwaves of WNYC.”

Jacqueline Reich, Ph.D., chair of the communication and media studies department, said that she’ll always think of him when she’s having her morning coffee and listening to the news.

“I’m going to miss him every morning, I’m going to miss him—sometimes he would inject these wry little comments when he would [read the news at]the top of the hour, and I would sometimes say to myself, ‘Oh Richard,’” she said with a smile.

A Voice for New Yorkers

Knobel said that Hake was someone who had a special connection with listeners.

“When people hear people on the radio and see people on television, they kind of feel like they know them,” she said. “Richard was someone who millions of New Yorkers felt that they knew, felt that he was a part of their daily routine, and he was so good at what he did—and I don’t think he understood how good he was. It came so naturally to him. He was just an incredible journalist.”

Singleton said that Hake was able to develop that relationship with listeners because he excelled both in narrative storytelling and breaking news.

“Rich had a huge appetite for the kind of sound-rich, narrative storytelling NPR is known for, and he was also fearless in front of a live mic,” he said. “Those two talents aren’t always found in the same body—honing a carefully produced piece and flying by the seat of your pants when the clock says you need to go back to network programming in three seconds.”

In a message to the WFUV team on Saturday, Singleton recalled a time when he invited Hake and other young journalists over for dinner, and Hake, who had an “enormous appetite for New York City history and culture,” parked himself “next to a bookcase full of New York classics” by Joseph Mitchell, Robert Caro, Jim Dwyer, FCRH ’79, and others.

“He said, ‘I want to move in and just live next to this bookcase for a while,’” Singleton said. “I think Rich climbed inside those covers and is still in there somewhere.”

Hake is survived by his parents and his stepfather; his brothers, Ryan and Jack; and a sister, Christine Hake.

“I’m a nurse,” read the message sent to Rita Houston, WFUV’s program director. “Today I listened in [and]  for the first time all month, [I] danced in my kitchen, relaxed for the first time in ages. Grateful to WFUV community resources for helping us stay well, stay safe, stay sane, stay connected in these uncertain times.”

Another message to Houston from a woman from New York said that the station was keeping her company during this isolating time.

“Please know we appreciate the continued joy we have always received from FUV. Now more than ever, many of us, myself included, are alone and music means so much in our daily mindset,” the message read.

For Houston, the messages are a reminder of why it’s important that she and other staff members at WFUV, 90.7 FM, continue to work hard each day, even under their own set of difficult circumstances.

“We are hearing from so many listeners about the comfort, entertainment, community, and meaning that WFUV is bringing in these tough times,” she said. “And that means so much to all of us at WFUV. The authenticity that WFUV has always represented with our music and our DJs is what listeners are responding to. Our DJs are doing a great job keeping that going under the difficult circumstances of working remotely.”

It’s been over a week since any show was broadcast live from the WFUV studios at the Rose Hill campus of Fordham, according to WFUV’s General Manager Chuck Singleton.

“Our administrative team had followed most of the work world and the rest of the University, to remote work in mid-March,” he said. “Until last week, a small crew of essential air staffers including Corny O’Connell, Delphine Blue and others, as well as George Evans, our director of technical operations, stuck it out on site at FUV’s studios. But with expanding social distancing and Governor Cuomo’s executive order, we knew the clock was running out on that.”

Evans said that the team had been putting things in place since early March to get ready for a fully remote set-up.

DJ Dennis Elsas was the first to go remote due to his experience with working from home for his other work with Sirius XM satellite radio.

“I know how to do it,” he said. “I was already set up and we figured if it works for me, we can roll it out for everyone.”

That meant making sure that on-air hosts had the recording equipment they needed set up at home, and engineers were able to make sure their shows hit their airwaves while they all were in different locations.

“Our Bronx studios are currently off-limits, but the music plays on,” Kathleen Allard, membership director, wrote in a letter to listeners. “Our hosts are broadcasting remotely from their homes, as our programmers and engineers work from theirs, performing an intricate and complicated series of processes that keeps the music going strong for you.”

Elsas said the experience isn’t that different than broadcasting from the studio, but he and others try to focus on keeping their connection to the listeners, even while remote.

“I can stay in touch with the world as I would in the studio,” he said. “With the internet, I can stay in touch with my listeners through their emails, tweets, social media, Facebook, and the music is the music.”

Evans estimated that programming has been able to stay about 95 percent the same, with just a few small items that had to go away for the time being as the staff logistically adjusted.

“There are some things that we used to do like ‘Question of the Day’ in the morning and some other things and we took that away for now—once we get a good flow and get settled then we’re going to bring what we can bring back,” he said.

Singleton said that’s a credit to the staff working quickly and learning their new remote processes.

“Our music team, newscasters, engineers, and producers rallied to get all the pieces in place, and last week our air staff began hosting their shows from home,” he said. “It was all a kind of radio moon shot, and thanks to many people, we’re now 100% remote and continue to bring you radio without interruption.”

Elsas said the biggest struggle for him and other on-air personalities is striking the right mix between entertaining the listeners and being aware of what’s going on in the world.

“I think that the biggest challenge for anyone, certainly for me or my fellow FUV DJs, but the biggest challenge is to maintain the balance between doing what we do on any given day, which is to entertain, share the music, be part of a community…[and]the seriousness of the situation that we’re in,” he said.

The station is still continuing to record its daily morning and afternoon newscasts, and the news team has created a live blog for wfuv.org to keep track of the latest coronavirus happenings. The station’s goal is to strike that balance between being a place people can go to “get away” from the constant news, but also stay a little bit informed, Evans said.

“We have a mission statement for times like this… that basically says: WFUV is here to provide a place of respite from the news cycle. We’re here to entertain, but not put you in a bubble,” he said. “We’re here to entertain you, but also give you a dose of news as well to keep you informed, but just enough that keeps you in the loop.”

“Thank you for all your energy, your passion, your vision,” said station manager Chuck Singleton, who hired her in 1994 to host FUV’s midday show. “Thanks for piloting FUV’s musical direction for two-and-a-half decades.”

As WFUV’s program director since 2012, Houston has developed a national reputation as a tastemaker for new music and a champion for emerging artists—both on the air and in live music settings. Along with her administrative duties, Houston still hosts her Friday night show, The Whole Wide World, where the anniversary celebration was heard live.

With her co-workers celebrating around her, Houston proceeded to play her signature eclectic blend of tunes. The Friday evening program, which airs from 6 to 9 p.m., welcomes listeners to the weekend with music she says will get you dancing in the kitchen. It showcases artists from the ’60s and ’70s, like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, as well as singer-songwriters and indie bands from today’s scene, like Andrew Bird and the Mavericks.

Houston knows fans have come to depend on her to introduce them to new music they’ll love.

“When listeners hear something new at WFUV, there’s an inherent trust it has been selected with their general taste in mind,” Houston said. “You develop trust with the audience, with artists, and with record labels. You become a trusted source.”

The music that Friday was interspersed with recorded messages from artists such as famed rhythm and blues singer Mavis Staples and the Indigo Girls.

“I love you girl,” cooed Staples. “You keep on keeping on.”

There were also appeals for donations in the station’s spring fund drive, with one of Houston’s fans pledging a matching gift of $25,000 in honor of her anniversary.

Dressed in a flowing white- and blue-striped blouse, with her mop of curly blond hair falling on her forehead, Houston went live after spending the afternoon preparing for an upcoming interview with singer-songwriter Patty Griffin. Her voice that night was vintage Rita: upbeat, conversational, informed, and at times, personal.

Upon reflection, Houston said she was a bit surprised it had been so long since she began working at WFUV on April 5, 1994. But, she said, for all the changes in the radio and music industries, the essential element of her work remains the same.

“I have the same passion for the work that I had 25 years ago,” she told listeners. “There’s no coasting. There’s always new stuff to learn. And like any creative work, there are always new layers to peel.”

Houston has held many roles over a quarter-century at WFUV, Fordham’s public media station. After starting as the station’s midday host, she became FUV’s music director, and since 2012, has served as the station’s program director. Her current post includes involvement in radio programming and content for WFUV’s website, as well as fundraising, membership programs, and WFUV’s live concert series.  She also produces and sometimes emcees live shows for WFUV’s Marquee members—those who contribute $125 or more a month—at small venues like Rockwood Music Hall and City Winery in lower Manhattan. Performers have included Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle, and Richard Thompson.

The digital revolution in the music industry has broadened Houston’s work—and changed how music lovers hear the songs they grow to love. Many of WFUV’s 400,000 weekly listeners access the station, as they always have, on the radio dial at 90.7 FM. Others also stream WFUV live on their desktop computers, tablets, or mobile phones. Others, still, listen to archived shows online at WFUV.org and attend WFUV events in the New York metropolitan area.

“We have dreams at WFUV, and we work to make them happen,” she said.  “But the competition has never been greater, with Spotify and other streaming services. When I started here, if you wanted to hear Joni Mitchell or Dar Williams, we were the only place to hear them. It’s a crowded field today.”

Houston’s national reputation has been developed partly through the station’s relationship with National Public Radio. WFUV is a member of the NPR Music partnership, a group of stations that collaborate with NPR on content. Houston has anchored NPR Music’s coverage of the Newport Folk Festival for several years, providing input into its “best music of the year” lists, appearing on NPR’s Morning Edition, and contributing to a project that spotlights women in music.

“Rita is an irrepressible force,” said Anya Grundman, NPR’s senior vice president of programming and audience development. “She has a great relationship with artists that shines through every time you hear her.”

Her friendships with recording executives like indie record label executive Daniel Glass, founder/president of Glassnote Music,  also keep her informed about new talent on the rise.

Glass calls Houston “the definition of soul.”

“She is a deeply soulful person, the music she plays has soul, and the artists she discovers, nurtures, and champions all have soul, regardless of the genre of music they fit into,” he said. “We are all enriched by Rita Houston’s ability to escape to a blissful aural theater.”

Houston, a Westchester native, moved to Nyack, New York, in 2002 to a home she shares with her wife, WFUV new media director Laura Fedele, and her Boston terriers Banjo and Emmy Lou, rescues from Tennessee.

The music Houston enjoys at home—like the music she plays on the air—spans more than a half-century – from Frank Sinatra and the Grateful Dead to Lucinda Williams and the Hot Sardines. When she goes to what she calls her personal “music church,” she listens to ’60s rocker Van Morrison, who Houston heard play in Chicago in April. And though she didn’t listen to the Grateful Dead during that band’s heyday in the 1970s, when she was deep into disco, punk, and new wave, she has since gained an enduring appreciation for the group.

“The Dead was so rooted into American roots music, and they brought it somewhere nobody else had taken it,” she said.

As much passion as she has for classic artists like those, Houston’s love of talented emerging musicians has been a large part of her success—and that of the station. In addition to playing their tunes, she often engages these artists in live studio interviews for the WFUV audience.

“Rita is hugely respected for her ears, and her ability to discover rising talent,” said Singleton. “She has smart, informed conversations with them about their work. She champions them and maintains a relationship with them throughout their careers.”

Marcus Mumford, leader of British folk-rock band Mumford & Sons, recalls meeting Houston at WFUV’s home in Keating Hall on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus during the band’s first tour in the U.S. several years ago.

“Fundamentally, her importance is rooted in the fact that she cares so much about her job and the team around her and the music she is passionate about,” he said. “It’s pure and untainted, and by no means naïve. Quite the opposite. She has the rare quality of a wealth of experience without being at all jaded. Rita is a real legend, and we feel, as many artists and non-musicians do, grateful to know her. We’ve deeply appreciated her support over the years.”

That passion for the music is one of the things that kept Houston’s spirits up during her recovery from ovarian cancer in 2014, after surgery and several months of chemotherapy. She remains in treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering in an immunotherapy clinical trial, which has kept her healthy almost five years after her initial diagnosis.

“It has been quite a roller coaster,” she said. “Getting healthy is a full-time job in itself. I’m still in treatment, have a job I love, and surround myself with beauty and the healing power of music to keep me going.”

–David McKay Wilson

“Fordham, and New York, has lost a distinctive voice today,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University. “Our hearts go out to Rich’s loved ones, his colleagues, and his family of listeners.”

“Rich is gone far too soon, at just 62,” said Chuck Singleton, WFUV’s general manager, in a post on the WFUV site. “Like all his fans, we’ll miss his energy, enthusiasm and good nature. He did everything with high standards and an open heart.”

Conaty began at WFUV as a Fordham student and continued his work with the radio station for over four decades. He took over an existing Sunday night program in early 1973, renamed it “The Big Broadcast,” and was the host for more than 2200 shows. Each was filled with meticulous salutes to composers, singers, and bandleaders, along with listener requests, all drawn from his voluminous record collection and leavened by his encyclopedic knowledge.

“Even though Rich hardly ever played a post-World War II recording, the show never felt like a dated museum piece, because of his passion for the music,” said Rita Houston, program director of WFUV Radio. “That passion was infectious, attracting a devoted audience that ranged from 8 to 80 and included a number of well-known writers and musicians.”

He lived in Hudson, N.Y., and has kept his favorite era of music alive throughout the years. During his career at WFUV, he was able to meet some of his favorite musical acts, including the Boswell Sisters, Bing and the Mills Brothers, Mitchell Parish and Cab Calloway.

“If there’s any consolation,” said Singleton, “it’s the thought that this host of a show ‘for the old, and the old at heart’ might be sharing a ‘Hi De Ho’ with Cab Calloway on some bandstand in the sky.”

“We have in Chuck Singleton an extraordinary eye for talent, a long track record of pleasing audiences, and a highly capable and collegial manager,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. “I expect great things from Chuck, and with his appointment, believe WFUV’s best days lie ahead of us.”

Singleton joined WFUV in 1987 as its first director of news and public affairs. He developed WFUV’s coverage of community issues and its student training programs, and created and hosted the program Cityscape. As interim director, he has presided over a highly successful annual gala, chaired WFUV’s strategic planning committee, and has helped guide the staff toward a unified vision for the station and increased audience and revenue.

“With this appointment, WFUV looks to the future,” said Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost, and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Fordham. “Chuck is highly respected in radio broadcasting and exceptionally well qualified to lead WFUV as it navigates a rapidly evolving broadcast environment. His experience and his judgment will prove critical in maintaining the station at the industry’s cutting edge.”

“I’m hugely honored to be asked to lead WFUV, and excited about what’s ahead for this one-of-a-kind public station,” Singleton said. “WFUV is a trusted source for musical discovery and a world-class training facility. These are unique and powerful strengths. With the station’s rich content and respected brand, and its setting in this exceptional city and as part of Fordham University, WFUV is well positioned to be an even more significant public media service.”

Singleton has more than 30 years of experience in public radio as a programmer, host, producer and contributor to stations and national programs. He has directed WFUV’s programming since 1992, including recruiting its on-air staff and expanding its schedule of Adult Album Alternative (or “Triple A”) music programming. He led the development of WFUV’s indie music service, “The Alternate Side.” Singleton began his radio career in 1980 at Philadelphia’s WXPN, hosting and producing music shows, interviews, news and cultural features. Singleton lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Nancy, a family physician, their son and daughter, and a dog named after singer-songwriter Nellie McKay.

In announcing the appointment, Freedman thanked the search committee, chaired by William F. Baker, Ph.D., the Claudio Acquaviva S.J. Chair and Journalist-in-Residence in the Graduate School of Education. “You have made a vital contribution in ensuring a vibrant future for WFUV in the years ahead,” Freedman said. “Chuck will work to advance the standards of excellence, innovation, and service that WFUV represents within Fordham, in New York City, its surrounding communities, and beyond. Thank you again for your dedicated service to WFUV and to Fordham.”

About WFUV
New York’s Rock and Roots station WFUV (90.7 FM, www.wfuv.org) is a noncommercial, member-supported radio station, licensed to Fordham University for more than 60 years, serving nearly 300,000 weekly listeners throughout the New York metropolitan area and thousands more worldwide on the Web. WFUV has received national recognition for its award-winning weekday format of adult album alternative music, news from NPR, and a diverse weekend lineup.  WFUV’s own robust website has extensive audio archives, videos, song playlists, an events calendar, blog and other resources.

“These past 25 years at WFUV have allowed me to realize a dream.” Jennings said. “From the time I was a boy I’ve believed in the power of radio to entertain and inform. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and grateful to all the staff, students, and colleagues, at Fordham and in the public radio system, who have contributed to our achievements.”

He took over WFUV (90.7 FM, www.wfuv.org) in 1985, and turned the student-run operation into the thriving public radio station it is today. Licensed to Fordham University for over 60 years, the station now mixes a professional staff of 27 with more than 90 paid interns. On Jennings’ watch, the station has grown from a weekly audience of 80,000 to more than 300,000 listeners and more than 20,000 members. Jennings also saw WFUV’s physical plant updated to include state-of-the-art studio facilities, and upgraded WFUV’s transmission facilities, so that its signal is heard much more widely throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Singleton likewise has a long history with WFUV, having joined the station in 1987 as its first director of news and public affairs. He developed WFUV’s coverage of community issues and its student training programs, and created and hosted the programCityscape. In the past year, Singleton has served on WFUV’s strategic planning committee, and was recently named its chair. The process has already resulted in a unified vision for the station, and will serve in further moving WFUV towards its goals, including increased listeners and membership.

“I’m honored and humbled to be asked to step in as interim general manager,” Singleton said. “It’s been a real privilege to work with Ralph in charting the direction of the station. I have great faith in the future of WFUV as it reshapes itself as a public media organization for the 21st century.”

Jennings, who holds a Ph.D. in communications from New York University, began his radio career as a high school student in Connecticut, working as a broadcast engineer, and went on to become a station manager in college. After college, he was named operations manager at WRVR in New York, and later served for 13 years in the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ as its deputy director, where he monitored TV stations nationwide, and helped communities challenge the licenses of stations discriminating against minorities and women. Jennings also served as an advisor on legislative and regulatory communications policy for the United States Catholic Conference. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Paula, a development director, and their two children.

“It is hard to overstate Ralph Jennings’ role in the evolution of WFUV,” said Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost of the University. “He has professionalized the station and increased its audience, range, donations, and not least of all, its place in musical culture. I am deeply grateful for Ralph’s steady leadership. The station he leaves in Chuck Singleton’s very capable hands is one of the jewels of public broadcasting, for which the University and WFUV’s many fans are eternally grateful. I have every confidence that Chuck will continue to build on the legacy entrusted to him.”

Singleton steps up to the station’s top job with 30 years of experience in public radio as a programmer, host, producer and contributor to stations and national programs. He has directed WFUV’s programming since 1992, including recruiting its on-air staff and expanding its schedule of Adult Album Alternative (or “Triple A”) music programming. He led the development of WFUV’s indie music service, “The Alternate Side,” with startup support from the New York State Music Fund. Singleton began his radio career in 1980 at Philadelphia’s WXPN, hosting and producing music shows, interviews, news and cultural features. Singleton lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Nancy, a family physician in Manhattan, their son and daughter, and a dog named after singer-songwriter Nellie McKay.

About WFUV
New York’s Rock and Roots station WFUV (90.7 FM, www.wfuv.org) is a noncommercial, member-supported radio station, licensed to Fordham University for more than 60 years, serving more than 300,000 weekly listeners throughout the New York metropolitan area and thousands more worldwide on the Web. WFUV has received national recognition for its award-winning weekday format of adult album alternative music, news from NPR, and a diverse weekend lineup.  WFUV’s own robust website has extensive audio archives, videos, song playlists, an events calendar, blog and other resources.