WNYC FM 93.9

Broadcasting at 93.9 MHz, this non-commercial public radio station is one of the primary outlets for programming provided by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a non-profit organization. It is paired with a sister AM station and together they form the core of NYPR's broadcast infrastructure. The FM station began regularly scheduled broadcasts on March 13, 1943, initially operating at 43.9 MHz under the call letters W39NY before adopting its current call letters later that year. It moved to 95.3 MHz in 1946 before settling at its current frequency assignment in 1947. Originally part of the Municipal Broadcasting System — renamed the WNYC Communications Group in 1989 — the station was among the 90 founding stations that carried the inaugural broadcast of NPR's All Things Considered in 1971. For much of its history, the station was owned by the City of New York, a situation that occasionally exposed it to political pressures. A notable episode occurred in 1979 when Mayor Ed Koch attempted to use the station to broadcast the names of men arrested for soliciting prostitution; announcers threatened a walkout, management refused to comply, and the initiative was abandoned after a single broadcast. In 1994, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced plans to sell the AM and FM stations, arguing broadcasting was no longer an essential municipal service. The city ultimately opted to sell the stations to the WNYC Foundation for $20 million over six years in 1995 — far below open-market value — transitioning the stations to independent non-profit operation. This sale insulated the stations from further political interference. Today, programming includes public affairs journalism, news analysis, and a range of nationally distributed public radio content, with shows such as On the Media and The New Yorker Radio Hour among the offerings.