A popular New York City fixture is celebrating a historic anniversary. It’s hard to believe, but WNYC radio turned 100 years old on Monday and is recognizing the milestone with special announcements for NYC subway riders to enjoy.
As part of an “MTA Takeover,” from Monday, July 8, to Wednesday, July 10, NYC transit riders will hear announcements by popular WNYC radio hosts Brian Lehrer, Brooke Gladstone and Michael Hill on the L train and more than 350 subway platforms throughout the Big Apple.
As one of the oldest public radio stations in the country, WNYC will reintroduce New York straphangers to some vintage stories from the station’s past. The hosts will share fun tid-bits from New York’s history, including what it was like covering the Yankees’ 1927 World Series win.
“We’re all about telling New York stories, and what better platform is there than the subway? That’s where all of us converge,” Kristina Newman-Scott, co-chair of the WNYC centennial, said.
Newman-Scott, who is also the executive director of The Green Space, a performance arts and discussion venue at the Lower Manhattan-based station, added that doing an audio takeover “made sense” to celebrate the centennial of a radio station that aims to connect its stories with New Yorkers throughout the city.
“We are all together intimately on subways, and I think, in many ways with radio, you have an intimate experience when you listen to Brian [host of “The Brian Lehrer Show”], you feel that he’s talking to you,” she said. ‘And so we wanted to bring that sensibility that we have from radio into the subway, and it just made a lot of sense.”
In addition to sharing historic gems from eras gone by — including a 1940 radio interview with a fish from the Staten Island Zoo — city transit riders will hear WNYC radio hosts put their own spin on subway safety announcements.
This is one from Michael Hill, host of WNYC’s “Morning Edition:”
“Hello. This is Michael Hill, host of Morning Edition on WNYC Radio, reporting the news of New York for 100 years. Speaking of reporting, if you see something suspicious during your trip, tell a police officer or an MTA employee. And keep up with all the news on WNYC — 93.9 FM and wnyc.org.”
WNYC was founded as a municipal radio station by NYC in 1924. It has covered an array of local news, as well as major world events, from World War ll to September 11, the COVID-19 pandemic and more in between.
Other ways WNYC is marking its anniversary
Other activities taking place on Monday to mark the July 8 anniversary include an on-air birthday party hosted by Brian Lehrer at 7 p.m., followed by a reenactment of WNYC’s first-ever broadcast performed live in The Greene Space. At 8:54pm, the exact time WNYC went on the air July 8, 1924, Lehrer’s special will segue into a radio theater re-imagining of WNYC’s inaugural broadcast, performed live in The Greene Space.
The Empire State Building will be illuminated in the station’s signature red at around 8:30 p.m.
A new art installation was also unveiled. Public Art for Public Radio: A Katie Merz Art Installation, is a public art piece on the street-facing windows of The Greene Space at 44 Charlton St.
“Katie is such a public radio fan,” Newman-scott said. “For this moment, we brought her in residence to do an installation across our street-front studio windows, reflecting back again, very much echoing how we believe we are as a station, the voice of the people.”
Broadcast news has evolved dramatically since WNYC flipped the “on switch” in 1924, but Newman-Scott said one thing has not changed: her station’s commitment to being a “trusted source” of news.
“We’re a trusted source of news,” she said. “The care not only from the folks in our newsroom, but our CEO, the way they are so thoughtful about the city that we exist in and the way we want to make sure we are bringing balanced, fair and credible information to all people. We are the place folks go because they know they’re going to get honest, balanced and credible information.”
For more information about WNYC’s centennial celebration, visit nycpublicradio.org.
