WPFW (89.3 FM) is a
talk and
jazz music community radio station serving the greater
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by the
Pacifica Foundation
Pacifica Foundation is an American non-profit organization that owns five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations known for their progressive/liberal political orientation. Its national headquarters adjoins st ...
, and its studios are located on K Street Northwest.
History
WPFW launched at 8 p.m. on February 28, 1977, with
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
and
Billy Strayhorn
William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...
's "
Take the 'A' Train."
The fifth station in the San Francisco-based Pacific Network, WPFW was different from the other Pacific stations in that it was established as a Black-staffed and -formatted station with a mission to serve as a community radio station for the largely African-American population of Washington, D.C.
The Pacifica Foundation began seeking an FM license in Washington, D.C., as early as 1968, but it was not until 1977 that WPFW won a temporary license.
From its launch, WPFW was aggressive in promoting progressive voices and opinions. The station was accused of violating the
Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to provide time to opposing opinions, and the conservative American Legal Foundation (ALF) worked to block the station's license renewal in 1981. After a two-year delay, the
Federal Communications Commission rejected the ALF's request and renewed the station's license in 1983.
Soon after it launched, the station began building out a studio facility in
D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood, which served as its home until 1996 when the station moved to
Adams Morgan
Adams Morgan is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., centered at the intersection of 18th Street NW and Columbia Road, about 1.5 miles (2.54 km) north of the White House. Notable establishments in the neighborhood include the ...
. In 2013, the building the station shared with the
Washington City Paper was slated for demolition, necessitating another move. After a controversial attempt to relocate the station to
Silver Spring, Maryland, WPFW relocated to a temporary facility on L Street NW before establishing new studios on
K Street NW.
Programming
Aside from syndicated Pacifica programs such as ''
Democracy Now!'', much of its programming is locally produced and dedicated to
jazz,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, classic
soul music and international or
world music.
As a public station, WPFW is commercial-free and listener-sponsored.
References
External links
WPFW website (web broadcast included)*
*
*
PFW
Pacifica Foundation stations
Jazz radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1977
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