East Village Radio

East Village Radio
Programming
FormatEclectic
Ownership
OwnerEast Village Radio
History
Founded2003; 21 years ago (2003)
Links
Websiteeastvillageradio.com

East Village Radio (EVR), begun in August 2003,[1] is an Internet radio station which broadcasts from a storefront studio in the East Village of Manhattan. Originally a pirate radio station broadcasting at 88.1 MHz, the station shut down on May 23, 2014[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] and briefly relaunched in 2015 in conjunction with Dash Radio before once again shuttering in 2016.[10][11]

East Village Radio relaunched again in July 2024.[12]

EVR's street-level studio is on 21 First Avenue at East 1st Street. According to an MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) study of pedestrian traffic in New York City, almost 1,800 (1,000 during off-peak travel times) pedestrians passed by the sound booth per hour.

Over 60 DJs and hosts provide 16 hours of free live programming a day, in two-hour show blocks, seven days a week. Programming features a mix of music, news, comedy and commentary. Music ranges from indie to new wave to coldwave to hip hop and post punk to vintage jazz, funk and soul to house, techno and ambient electronic.

EVR supports the free radio movement.[citation needed]

History

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The East Village Radio storefront studio back in 2010
The East Village Radio storefront studio in 2010.

We started out as a pirate FM station, broadcasting from an apartment above Lil' Frankie's, which was essentially the office for L.F. plus a tiny adjacent room. We'd broadcast live from there, on 88.1 FM every day from 4pm-12am. We actually put the antenna on the roof of 19 1st Avenue ourselves! It was a intensely creative time, when Frank Prisinzano, myself, Jorge Docouto,[13] and Donielle McCarry came together and formed the beginnings...— Veronica Vasicka – EVR Co-Founder, Host of Minimal Wave[5]

"He had some extra space in one of his restaurants and he and a friend came up with the idea for a radio station based off, I think, Free Radio Austin,[14][15][16]... They went out and bought the equipment, climbed up on the roof of the building that houses Lil' Frankie's, and started broadcasting." — Peter Ferraro, manager of East Village Radio.[17]

EVR first aired in August 2003, broadcasting from a small room in a walk-up building at 19 First Ave. (next door to the current location) to provide commercial-free music and a voice for the East Village community. EVR was transmitting at twenty watts and began broadcasting online in September 2003. During transmission, EVR was broadcasting as a pirate station on 88.1FM and reached as far west as Varick Street (which also happened to be the location of one of the FCC headquarters!). About two weeks after a New York Times article on the station, EVR received a cease and desist order from the FCC.[1]

East Village Radio was established in June 2003,[18] initially funded by the restaurants of Frank Prisinzano,[1] and broadcast on the airwaves at 88.1 FM. After an article in The New York Times described the station, the FCC sent a cease-and-desist letter as the station was not licensed to use the airwaves.[19] Due to the difficulty of obtaining new FM licenses, the decision was made to make EVR an internet radio station.[20]

Some time after this, it was decided to move the studio from its original location above a restaurant to a storefront booth on First Avenue in Manhattan. This was seen as a way of reconnecting EVR with the East Village community since the station was no longer literally on-the-air.

East Village Radio Festival 2008-09-06 South Street Seaport, New York City.[21][22][23]

East Village Radio's DJ line-up included British multi-platinum artist and producer Mark Ronson.[24]

Every Friday around 7:30 pm, I'd leave the studio in a mad scramble to make it to EVR by 8 pm. Often times, whoever I was working with in the studio would come along too, just to hang out. I remember Amy Winehouse joining me a few times,[25] with the sweet intention of keeping me company. Then she'd eventually get bored after ten minutes and go to the tattoo parlor right next door. I think she got two or three tattoos before I decided I should stop inviting her along, for her own sake. — Mark Ronson – Host of Authentic Shit[5]

One of its final guests before closing and relaunching was artist and Vector Gallery creator/curator JJ Brine on the AndrewAndrew show.[26]

East Village radio briefly relaunched on Dash Radio in 2015.[11][27][28]

East Village Radio relaunched again in July 2024.[12]

Shows/DJs

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References

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  1. ^ a b c D'Amico, Randy. "East Village Radio: Because the regular radio just sucks". Prefix Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  2. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (May 19, 2014). "Station That Mirrors East Village's Spirit Is Signing Off". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Reagan, Gillian (October 19, 2007). "Podcast Picks: Mark Ronson's 'Authentic Shit'". The New York Observer.
  4. ^ Ronson, Mark (May 23, 2014). "Mark Ronson on East Village Radio's End: 'I'm Shocked It's Closing' (Guest Post)". Billboard.
  5. ^ a b c Trammell, Matthew (May 21, 2014). "The Stories of East Village Radio from the People Who Made It". The FADER.
  6. ^ Carlson, Jen (May 14, 2014). "East Village Radio Is Shutting Down This Month". Gothamist. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  7. ^ Okell, Georgie (May 16, 2014). "EVR 4EVR: East Village Radio is Going Off Air". Vice (magazine).
  8. ^ "Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23". EV Grieve. May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014.
  9. ^ Pearis, Bill (May 14, 2014). "East Village Radio shutting down for good next week". Brooklyn Vegan. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014.
  10. ^ Linton, Caroline (April 22, 2015). "East Village Radio to return this month | amNewYork". amny.com.
  11. ^ a b "East Village Radio returning on Dash Radio (!!), renovated 1st Ave studio included; Brooklyn Radio coming soon too". Brooklyn Vegan. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Kaplan, Ilana (September 29, 2024). "A Scrappy Downtown Radio Station Returns From the Dead, Again". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Carlson, Jen (September 5, 2008). "Steve Cohen, East Village Radio". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021.
  14. ^ Roberts, Michael (October 4, 2001). "The Making of a Pirate". Westword.
  15. ^ Pyle, Emily (June 22, 2001). "The Death and Life of Free Radio". The Austin Chronicle.
  16. ^ Bromwich, Jonah (March 27, 2014). "After More Than 10 Years, East Village Radio Is Just Getting Started". The Village Voice.
  17. ^ Locker, Melissa (September 28, 2015). "East Village Radio: a one-time pirate station's road to redemption". The Guardian.
  18. ^ Hughes, C.J. (September 28, 2003). "In a Small Walk-Up, A Radio Signal Is Born. But Mum's the Word". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  19. ^ Katz, David (December 17, 2004). "Internet radio takes to the street after F.C.C. clampdown". Downtown Express. Archived from the original on March 3, 2006. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  20. ^ Blessinger, Brian. "Think Local, Act Global: East Village Radio Circumvents the FCC". BPM Magazine. No. February/March 2006. p. 78.
  21. ^ "09/07/2008: East Village Radio Festival 2008 @ South Street Seaport | Concert Archives". concertarchives.org.
  22. ^ "EVR Fest set times, now w/ Mark Ronson, 2nd stage & film". BrooklynVegan. August 29, 2008.
  23. ^ "The East Village Radio Music Festival". Stereophile. August 22, 2008.
  24. ^ a b "East Village Radio". September 28, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  25. ^ "Fresh Music: Mark Ronson". Freshness Mag. November 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010.
  26. ^ Brine, JJ (July 16, 2014). "An Interview with JJ Brine". AndrewAndrew Sound Sound (Interview). Interviewed by AndrewAndrew. New York City: East Village Radio.
  27. ^ Arino, Lisha (April 27, 2015). "East Village Radio Relaunching With New Shows and Old Favorites". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  28. ^ Tanz, Jason (April 1, 2015). "Radio Is Soulless. Can These Radicals Make It Great Again?". Wired.
  29. ^ "Mark Ronson Authentic Shit East Village Radio 2005". Archived from the original on December 4, 2023 – via SoundCloud.
  30. ^ "Mark Ronson, Authentic Shit, East Village Radio, New York, 2010". Mixcloud. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021.
  31. ^ "Mark Ronson, Authentic Shit, East Village Radio Live Mix, New York, 2013". Mixcloud. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021.
  32. ^ "Duran Duran With Mark Ronson on East Village Radio". December 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ Gonik, Michael (January 3, 2014). "Francis And The Lights Live On Mark Ronson's 'Authentic Sh*t'". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023.
  34. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (June 10, 2007). "Pop Quiz: Mark Ronson". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021.
  35. ^ Diehl, Matt (April 9, 2013). "Mark Ronson Pushes Back Against 'Retro Guy' Tag". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022.
  36. ^ "60 Degrees with Brian Ferrari" – via Facebook.
  37. ^ "Industry Insiders: Harley and Cassie, The Inseperable DJ Duo". BlackBook. July 21, 2009. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021.
  38. ^ "Shows". East Village Radio. May 18, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014.
  39. ^ "Daily Schedule". East Village Radio. Archived from the original on December 10, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
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40°43′25″N 73°59′18.3″W / 40.72361°N 73.988417°W / 40.72361; -73.988417

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