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Ralph Jennings, recognized for transforming Fordham University’s WFUV New York (90.7) into a prominent and professionally staffed radio outlet, has died at the age of 86.
On the stations website Chuck Singleton, Jennings successor stated, “Ralph laid the groundwork for a public radio service that is known and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of weekly listeners in New York and beyond.”
Under Jennings’ leadership, WFUV enhanced its commitment to music discovery and broadened its student training program while also forming both its advisory board and community advisory board.
He launched the award-winning “Strike A Chord” public service initiative and introduced live streaming capabilities. Jennings also managed the 2006 upgrade of WFUV to modern studios and oversaw the construction of a new broadcast transmission facility.
“Ralph also hired many of us who currently staff the station,” stated Singleton.
Jennings, a historian of public broadcasting, thrived in the academic setting at Fordham University. “What’s more,” noted Singleton, “Ralph probably had two full careers before stepping up to lead WFUV.”
In the 1960s, Jennings was engaged with WRVR, then affiliated with Riverside Church, where he produced radio features and documentaries, including significant coverage of the civil rights movement. Subsequently, he held the position of deputy director under Everett C. Parker at the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, playing a key role in the landmark case that successfully challenged the license of WLBT, a television station in Jackson, Mississippi, known for its biased reporting.
Jennings continued his commitment to social justice by working with the UCC and various nonprofits, organizing and training community groups nationwide to combat discriminatory hiring and programming practices in the broadcasting industry, and playing a crucial role in establishing WMPR-FM (90.1), Mississippi’s first public radio station.
Ralph was a fighter – against injustice in society and within the media, and for financial support of public broadcasting stations,” said Singleton. “All of us who love WFUV owe Ralph our gratitude.”
