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WNYC to Celebrate Centennial Anniversary in NYC Subways

Starting on Monday, July 8, NYC transit riders will hear announcements by beloved WNYC hosts Brian Lehrer, Brooke Gladstone, and Michael Hill on the L train and on subway platforms throughout the City

Additional birthday activities include a re-imagining of WNYC’s first broadcast in 1924 and the lighting of the Empire State Building

(New York, NY – July 3, 2024) – WNYC today announced a campaign in New York City’s subways to celebrate the City’s public radio station as it turns 100.

Starting on July 8 – WNYC’s centennial anniversary – and running for three days, transit riders across the City will hear subway announcements voiced by three WNYC personalities: public affairs host Brian Lehrer, Morning Edition anchor Michael Hill, and Brooke Gladstone, host of On the Media.  The hosts will be heard on the L train, as well as on station platforms in more than 350 subway stations.

Riders will hear tidbits of New York and WNYC history, including:

  • WNYC’s live carriage of the Yankees’ 1927 World Series win
  • A 1940 radio interview with a fish from Staten Island’s Barrett Park Zoo
  • A story about the connection between WNYC and The Twilight Zone
  • Comments in 1948 from the founder of the Society to Prevent Disparaging Remarks about Brooklyn 
  • A piece about how in 1963, WNYC helped the city set noise levels for ice-cream truck bells. 

“We are thrilled to mark this milestone anniversary by having the voices of our beloved hosts heard across the city in a new and unexpected place,“ said Jake Dobkin, Vice President of Sponsorship, New York Public Radio. “As a radio station, a leader in podcasting, and an NYC cultural institution, we bring news, information, culture and conversation to New Yorkers wherever they get their media: on-air, online, on their social feeds, in the community, and now – on the subway! We hope this campaign brings a bit of joy to New Yorkers’ commutes.”

“WNYC’s centennial celebration is an opportunity to highlight our deep connection to the fabric of New York City,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, WNYC Centennial Co-Chair and Executive Director of The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR.  “By bringing the voices of Brian Lehrer, Michael Hill, and Brooke Gladstone to subway riders, we’re not only sharing fascinating stories from our rich history but also celebrating the vibrant spirit of our city. It’s a tribute to the enduring bond between WNYC and the New Yorkers we serve every day.”

Also on July 8, the Mayor’s Office will issue a City Proclamation commemorating WNYC’s 100th anniversary. WNYC was originally founded asthe city’s firstmunicipal radio station in 1924before becoming an independent, listener-supported media organization in 1997. The proclamation will be presented at 8pm at The Greene Space at WNYC, ahead of a re-imagining of WNYC’s inaugural broadcast on-air and on stage before a live audience.

Other activities taking place on the July 8 anniversary include:

  • An on-air birthday party hosted by Brian Lehrer (7-8:54pm)
  • A re-imagining  of WNYC first ever-broadcast performed live in The Greene Space (available on WNYC 93.9 FM, AM 820, with video at www.thegreenespace.org). At 8:54pm, the exact time WNYC went on the air in 1924, Lehrer’s special will segue into a radio theater re-imagining of WNYC’s inaugural broadcast, performed live in The Greene Space. While the original audio no longer exists, WNYC’s re-creation of the 1924 run of show through archival scripts and press clippings, will serve as source material for this contemporary staging. The roles of then-Mayor John Hylan, City Commissioner Grover Whalen, borough presidents, and various city officials and well-wishers will be performed by Tony-winning performer and host of the upcoming podcast America, Who Hurt You? Sarah Jones, Brooke Gladstone (Host, On the Media), John Schaefer (Host, New Sounds), with a cameo by NYPR President and CEO LaFontaine E. Oliver. Eight-time Grammy winner and founder of The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Arturo O’Farrill, will be joined by an ensemble of musicians and singer Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso performing his new arrangements of musical selections from the 1924 broadcast. Two-time Grammy Award winning mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges will perform the national anthem.
  • Lighting of the Empire State Building. New York City’s iconic Empire State Building will be illuminated in WNYC’s signature red at approximately 8:30pm. To view the lighting live, visit the Empire State Building’s Earth Cam here. 
  • “From the Archives” Audio Spots: Past and present WNYC staff Sara Fishko, Latif Nasser, and Stevan Smith will take listeners on a tour of key moments from the WNYC and NYC Municipal archives, including press conferences, events, and interviews with Jack Kerouac (1958), Bob Dylan (1961), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964), Martin Scorsese (1970), Gloria Steinem (1982), and Barack Obama (2007). Listeners will also hear key historic news reports that aired on WNYC, including the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor (1941), a broadcast of a town hall meeting on the Atom Bomb (1951), and WNYC journalists running toward the Twin Towers to report on 9/11 (2001).
  • All of It’s “Public Song Project” Centennial Album
    All of It will release a special Centennial digital collection featuring performances of 1920s songs by artists including Rosanne Cash, The Lemon Twigs, They Might Be Giants, Rhiannon Giddens, Valerie June, Arturo O’Farrill, Nellie McKay, and Joanna Sternberg, as well as standout public submissions. The album will be available for streaming on www.wnyc.org.
  • Public Art for Public Radio: A Katie Merz Art Installation
    Acclaimed multidisciplinary artist, lifelong New Yorker, and Artist in Residence at The Greene Space Katie Merz is best known for her contemporary large-scale murals on urban building exteriors and in public spaces. A passionate public radio fan whose work also includes NPR and WNYC host portraits, Merz is creating a public art piece on the street-facing windows of The Greene Space, inspired by a century of stories that define our city and listeners’ contributions of what is iconically New York. The work is in progress now and will be officially unveiled on July 8. 

WNYC’s Centennial Celebration runs through the fall. For additional events and an interactive timeline of WNYC history, please visit www.wnyc.org/100.

WNYC was founded as a municipal radio station by the City of New York in 1924. From WWII to 9/11, Hurricane Sandy to the COVID-19 pandemic, WNYC has been a vital source of news and information for the city.  In 1997, the City sold WNYC to the people of New York, and WNYC has since operated as an independent, non-profit, listener-supported public media organization.  It has been the home of many “firsts,” including: the broadcast home of the City’s first free outdoor opera concert, radio’s first quiz show, radio’s first regularly scheduled broadcast of recorded classical music, The Masterwork Hour; radio’s first broadcasts of legislative sessions ever; and the first public radio station to podcast a (then) NPR-distributed show, On the Media. Today WNYC shares a home at New York Public Radio with WQXR, the city’s sole classical music station, which was acquired from the New York Times in 2009. 

About WNYC
With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, WNYC is New York’s public radio station, broadcasting and streaming award-winning journalism, groundbreaking audio programming and essential talk radio to the city and beyond. WNYC is a leading member station of NPR and broadcasts programs from the BBC World Service, along with a roster of WNYC-produced local programs that champion the stories and spirit of New York City and the surrounding region, including The Brian Lehrer Show and All of It with Alison Stewart. From its state-of-the-art studios, WNYC is reshaping audio for a new generation of listeners, producing some of the most beloved nationally-syndicated public radio programs including Radiolab, On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, and Notes from America with Kai Wright. WNYC broadcasts on 93.9 FM and AM 820 to listeners in New York and the tri-state area, and is available to audiences everywhere at WNYC.org, the WNYC app and through major digital radio services, all made possible through the generous support of our members, donors and sponsors.