TEANECK—Nearly 100 WFDU-FM listeners gathered on Aug. 11 at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Teaneck campus for a fundraiser and BBQ, celebrating the end of summer. Attendees mingled with the station’s popular volunteer DJs and received a denim or blue baseball cap featuring the station’s logo.
Baseball caps with the WFDU 89.1 FM Retro Radio logo might still be available for a donation through the station’s website.
The loyal listeners provided tax-deductible donations to support the non-profit university radio station, which operates at 89.1 FM and features “retro” hits from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. WFDU offers an eclectic lineup of DJs who help span four decades of musical memories, highlighting artists and songs not generally heard on commercial radio.
BBQ attendees enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, pulled pork, various salads, cold drinks, and desserts. Some gathered inside the university’s student union building to enjoy the air conditioning and conversation, while others stayed outdoors at portable tables to talk, listen to WFDU, and share station memories. Dozens of pictures of the event are posted on WFDU’s Facebook page.
WFDU-FM features two DJs who are Northern Valley residents: “Mayor Pete,” former Tenafly mayor Peter Rustin, hosts the Mayor Pete Show on Tuesdays, 6 to 9 a.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. We featured these “local” DJs in Pascack Press in late March and Northern Valley Press in April.
Another DJ, Mikey B. of Englewood, hosts Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. While some DJs, like Mayor Pete, had prior college or professional radio experience, others, such as Mikey B., started as volunteers and eventually became on-air personalities.
Another WFDU fundraiser is planned for October, featuring a popular Fleetwood Mac cover band at BergenPAC in Englewood. WFDU DJs encourage listeners to stay tuned to 89.1 FM for details.
According to the WFDU website, “RetroRadio on WFDU was a collaborative effort of the programming department of the station. Drawing upon his 45 years in professional radio, Duff (Sheffield) wanted to provide an exciting familiar broad-based radio format that would appeal to WFDU’s larger NYC Metro listening area. Duff, Mike Phillips, Ghosty, & Kenny O’Boyle put their collective musical heads together to determine which songs would ignite enthusiasm in the Baby Boomers AND the later generations who are hearing these terrific songs in stores, movies, and commercials.”
The site continues, “What they came up with forms the basis of WFDU’s RetroRadio format: a core period of 1960–1975 with occasional forays earlier and later. These are the lost tunes that the commercial stations have dropped in search of advertising revenue. The RetroRadio DJ hosts present their music in a style reminiscent of the NYC top 40 stations of yore: WABC, WMCA, WOR-FM, WINS, WMGM, & WWDJ.”
89.1 FM Broadcast History
The station’s website notes, “WFDU(FM) began broadcasting to the New York Metropolitan area in August of 1971 as a result of a concerted effort for its establishment by the administration of Fairleigh Dickinson University and enthusiastic FDU students. Following negotiations with New York University and the Federal Communications Commission, an agreement was reached for the two universities to share the 89.1 dial position on the FM band.”
The site adds, “The station’s broadcast signal has a 50-mile radius from its transmitter, located within the historic Armstrong Field Lab in Alpine, New Jersey. The AFL is the site of the world’s first FM station, W2XMN, built by the creator of FM technology, Major Edwin Howard Armstrong. WFDU-FM’s range covers the New York City metropolitan area, including Long Island and Southern Connecticut. With an increase in antenna height and the power rise to 3,000 watts, WFDU-FM will have a potential reach to 8.2 million people.”
The website also notes, “While WFDU(FM) and WNYU share the 89.1 location on the dial, each station maintains separate transmitter and studio facilities as well as discrete programming and personnel.”
Editor’s note: Staff writer Michael Olohan was a guest DJ on Opie the DJ Girl’s former Friday afternoon show in June 2023. DJ Opie, who was recently promoted to WFDU general manager, now helms Monday afternoons from 1 to 4 and Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. Check out WFDU-FM online for the schedule, show archive, and more.