WPFW (89.3 FM) is a

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

music community radio station, serving the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

. It is owned by the

Pacifica Foundation Pacifica Foundation is an American nonprofit organization that owns five independently operated, Non-commercial educational, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations known for their Contemporary progressivism, progressive/liberal polit ...

, wit studios located on K Street, NW,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The station's slogan is "Jazz and Justice."

History

WPFW launched at 8 pm on February 28, 1977, with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

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 the ...

'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 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

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 (abbreviated as AdMo) is a Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in the city’s Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest quadrant. Adams Morgan is noted as a historic hub for Counterculture of ...

. In 2013, the building the station shared with the

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1981. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial ...

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! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...

'', much of its programming is locally produced and dedicated to jazz,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, classic

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

and international or

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

. As a public station, WPFW is commercial-free and listener-sponsored.

References

External links

* * * ( Guide to reading History Cards) PFW Pacifica Foundation stations Jazz radio stations in the United States K Street Radio stations established in 1977 {{WashingtonDC-radio-station-stub