Ken Freedman

Ken Freedman (born February 18, 1959) is general manager of WFMU, a freeform and independent radio station. He co-hosts the comedy program Seven Second Delay with Andy Breckman, as well as hosting his own freeform radio program. Freedman is a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey.[1]

Ken Freedman
In 2008
Born (1959-02-18) February 18, 1959
NationalityAmerican
OccupationGeneral manager of WFMU
Years active1976—present
Known forSeven Second Delay

He has served on the board of public science and technology company New Brunswick Scientific Company and was a board member and technology advisor to National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB).

He hosted his first radio program in 1976 as a DJ at Highland Park High School station WVHP. He served as station manager of WCBN-FM, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor's freeform outlet, where he marked the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan by playing Lesley Gore's "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To)" for eighteen consecutive hours.[2]

History

In December 1983, he joined WFMU as a DJ and succeeded Bruce Longstreet as general manager in August 1985. At the time, WFMU was licensed to and owned by Upsala College, and based in East Orange, New Jersey.

In February 1986, he launched a program guide/zine called LCD (Lowest Common Denominator). A compilation book entitled The Best of LCD: The Art and Writing of WFMU, was published by Princeton Architectural Press was compiled and edited by longtime WFMU radio host Dave "The Spazz" Abramson and was published in November 2007.

In 1989, he successfully fended off a challenge to the station's license from four rival broadcasters, who claimed that WFMU was broadcasting above its legal power limit.

In 1992, he founded the non-profit organization Auricle Communications, which purchased WFMU's license from Upsala in 1994 one year prior to the college's bankruptcy in 1995.[3]

In 1993 the station launched its website, and in 1997 it began streaming its broadcasts full-time.[4]

Freedman pioneered the use of direct licensing for broadcasters, obtaining alternative copyrights and waivers to address restrictions placed on broadcasters by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In 2007, Freedman built on these direct licensing activities and founded WFMU's Free Music Archive, an open source library of copyright-cleared music and audio which launched in April 2009.[5]

In 2013, Freedman initiated the creation of a suite of software for broadcasters, journalists and online publishers known as the Audience Engine.[6]

References
  1. Gialanella, Donna. "Ken Freedman", The Star-Ledger, October 14, 2007, last updated November 9, 2007. Accessed February 6, 2013. "He brings the garbage cans in from the curb of the station's Jersey City brownstone. He carts the mail from the post office box near his home in neighboring Hoboken."
  2. "CBN History: Radio/Broadcasting Timeline". WCBN Online. May 10, 2005. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  3. Wolf, Jaime (April 11, 1999). "No Hits All the Time". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  4. Applebome, Peter (February 24, 2008). "Looking for Music, but Not 'Celebration,' to Remember Castro? Put the Radio On". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  5. Freedman, Ken (2007-05-09). "Ken Freedman's Open Source Marriage of Audio, Music & Radio". Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  6. Flanagan, Andrew, "WFMU Wants to Change How Media Talks to Its Audiences and Raises Money — For Free," Billboard, July 29, 2015
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