History
WFMU is a non-commercial, educational radio station run by Auricle Communications, a non-profit group. It is a licensed station by the FCC. The station strives for a diverse audience, diverse programming and educational programming. They do this by providing programs of educational interest along with stressing diversity in its program scheduling and within specific programs. They aim to promote radio as a creative medium and address community issues. They educate the community about private, non-profit and governmental services available to them. Their goal with these techniques is for the listeners to overcome biases and broaden their horizons. Visit them on the web at www.wfmu.org. Hear them on the web at www.wfmu.org/ssaudionet.shtml.
Organization
WFMU is mainly funded through listener contributions. The Auricle board makes all of the final decisions about the station. There is a General Manager (GM) appointed by the board to supervise the station's day-to-day operations. The GM is an employee of the Auricle board. There are four other full time employees from the Auricle board; the Office Manager, the Catalog Director, the Music Director and the Volunteer Director. There are two part-time employees from the Auricle board; the producer of Jewish Music in the morning, and a Music Director Assistant. The Auricle is also in charge of hiring contractors for broadcast engineering, legal matters and computer services.
There is a staff advisory committee of seven people elected annually, by the staff. The objective of this committee is to incorporate the concerns of the staff into the station's decision making. They also handle programming and volunteer grievances when they occur. They meet four times a year, with five members representing a quorum. The meetings are facilitated by a chair person who is a member of the SAC. They can not serve longer than six months. The chair person is responsible for: rescheduling meetings if needed, preparing and posting an agenda, facilitating the meeting, and getting typewritten minutes of each meeting posted on the staff bulletin board within one week.
Each member of the SAC is responsible for; attending a minimum of six meetings a year, being prepared to serve on the budget sub-committee, having a significant influence on station policy, listening to the station more often and more critically then they might have previously, and responding to and seeking out the input of other staff members. Staff members may nominate themselves for the SAC. Any person with a station duty on or off air for one fiscal year is eligible to run for the SAC. Nominations start at the second to last meeting of the fiscal year and run until the last staff meeting of the year with one additional week. Any person with a regular station duty for a minimum of six months is defined as a "staff" member and can vote in elections.
Everyone with a regular air slot must involve themselves with some aspect of the station outside of their air slot. To acquire an air slot, one must also do the following; put in a minimum of three hours either pre or post marathon volunteer work in addition to any time working on premiums for their own programs, put in extra time volunteering during the marathon, read everything listed in the station business section of the staff bulletin board, be aware of any station policy changes, attend staff meetings, and do at least 80% of their programs each scheduled period. DJs are not allowed to promote or feature anything they have a personal interest in. They can not single out a particular artist, label, item or event from other elements in a program for special mention.
The budget committee is made up of the GM and the OM. All full-time, paid staff members will be encouraged to attend all budget committee meetings. The budget committee makes suggestions to the Auricle Board regarding the station's budgetary needs for the following year by May 15th. If expenses are not agreed upon by June 1st, they are considered recommendations to the Auricle board. The GM and the budget committee make their best attempts to resolve any disputed budget lines by June 15th with the hope to agree upon a plan for the following year, beginning July 1st. The Auricle must approve the plan at their next meeting. The GM is hired by Auricle Communications.
The General Manager directs and manages all the paid personnel of the station. The GM may delegate other hierarchical relationships between full and part time employees. The GM manages the technical, financial and programming aspects of the station. On a day-to-day basis, the GM's responsibilities include: development, membership and fulfillment services, broadcasting operations, employee management, publications and incentives production, training and scheduling of producers and programmers, maintenance of station facilities, contracts and other business dealings in the average course of business and management of the station's programming, finances and fundraising efforts.
The Program Director supervises the station's day-to-day programming and reports to the GM. The PD is also responsible for auditioning prospective programmers, implementation of the programming schedule, and keeping the programs flowing on the air.
The Chief Operator is required to maintain the station's public file, ownership reports, all filings required by the FCC. They are also responsible for abiding by all of the FCC's rules, especially regarding airtime for political candidates. The CO also works with engineers and contractors for care of the station's facilities. They are responsible for the compliance of all of the producers, announcers and programmers with rules and regulations.
The Office Manager calculates the station's budget exclusively using all fundraising plans and expenditures.
Address
WFMU
PO Box 5101
Hoboken, NJ 07030
PHONE:
On air: 201-200-9368
Office: 201-521-1416
Wrap Up
WFMU is a radio station striving to provide an alternative service to the approach commercial radio along with other non-commercial stations provide. They oppose special interest programs and stress diversity. They have two main goals behind their station. They are educational and do not support the narrow classifications of style and genre that mainly exist in the marketing of music found in most American college and community stations.
