He transformed WFUV from “a sandbox” into a professional operation, increasing its listenership nearly tenfold.

Ralph Jennings, who gave stature, stability, prosperity and influence to WFUV, Fordham University’s radio station, died on Oct. 9 in Manhattan. He was 86.

His death, at a hospital, was caused by normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain condition, and multiple infections, his wife, Paula (Tadlock) Jennings, said.

Dr. Jennings, a lover of the radio since he was a little boy with severe nearsightedness, took over at WFUV in 1985. At the time, the station played rock shows with shout-outs to the disc jockey’s dorm buddies and cultural programs that targeted niche audiences. At the office, Dr. Jennings discovered matching grant forms for $10,000 that were lying around unnoticed and had never been processed.

“You had a 50,000-watt radio station in New York City that covers 13 million people, acting as a sandbox,” Dr. Jennings recalled to The New York

Keep reading this article on The New York Times Media & Advertising.

Leave a Reply