Historical Note

WNYU was formed in 1949 on the University Heights campus of New York University by a group of engineers. Initially, the station only broadcast to the University Heights' cafeteria. Well established by 1956, WNYU became a member of the Inter-Collegiate Broadcasting System (IBS). In 1955 the radio division of the Television, Motion Picture and Radio Department of the Communications Arts Group started a closed circuit station WCAG at the Washington Square Campus. In 1963 WNYU (Heights Station) and WCAG (Washington Square Station) merged into one closed circuit radio station through the use of a telephone cable. It was decided that WCAG would broadcast to both campuses during the day while WNYU would take over in the evenings. This continued until 1973 when NYU sold the Heights campus. At that time the equipment was brought to Loeb Student Center on Washington Square. During the period of 1965-1973 the station worked to acquire an FM frequency. In 1965 NYU made an agreement with the United Nations to use their channel, "206." NYU submitted their first application to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in 1965. After three years the FCC decided that channel "206" should be shared by NYU and Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey. WNYU broadcast from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays.

Scope and Content Note

The records include correspondence of Joseph Steinberg, the station's manager during the 1960s with University offices; the Inter-Colligiate Broadcasting System; and Miller, Montgomery & Spanding concerning construction for WNYU facilities. Also correspondence of Larry J. Hollander, the faculty advisor to the WYNU staff, with Steinberg; correspondence of the staff with fellow radio stations including the Columbia University station, concerning such topics as the election of 1964, Ray Nelson, and a Senator Claiborne Pell interview about youth legislation; letters from The New York Times to Arnold Rosner, Director of Classical Music at NYU; letters from the Police Department of New York City; and letters from United Press International. Also included are minutes of meetings of the WNYU Board of Directors, budget reports and operating expense estimates of WNYU members, log forms, schedules, applications, architectural drawings, certificates from Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, advertising brochures, programs, newsletters, and printed promotional material.

Related Material at the New York University Archives

Sidney Borowitz Papers, Box 58, Folder 17 (July 1972 - August 1975)

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Administrative Information

Provenance

The records of WNYU Radio Station were transferred to the New York University Archives when the radio station was moved from Gould Memorial library at University Heights, to Loeb Student Center on Washington Square in June 1973. The records, 16 linear inches of material, cover the years 1949-1969 and deal with the activities of WNYU radio station and the efforts and persistence of WNYU's staff to build up an AM-FM radio station and maintain its broadcasting as one of the best educational radio stations in the New York metropolitan area. The collection is predominately composed of correspondence between WNYU's staff and other constituent parts of the University. Other correspondence relates to the broader media and metropolitan community.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); WNYU (Radio Station: New York, N.Y.) Records; collection number; box number; folder number; New York University Archives , New York University Libraries.

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