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WFUV is a public radio
station, broadcasting from Fordham University in the Bronx in New York City. They
run 10 hours of Celtic programming on the weekends - an excellent source of information
on new (or "new-to-the-listener") artists and recordings.
Don't live anywhere
near New York? Can't catch their radio broadcasts? All it takes is an Internet
connection. WFUV is one of the foremost presenters of Web-based radio,
offering live streaming broadcasts and archived shows through their website at
www.wfuv.org. Their webcasts are accessible worldwide . . . for the moment. But
recent changes in US broadcasting regulations have threatened the entire future
of Web-based radio. Cait Reinold spoke recently with WFUV hosts Kathleen
Biggins, Frank McCaughey and Corny O'Connell about this Internet connection. Kathleen
hosts WFUV's "A Thousand Welcomes" every Saturday morning, while Frank was (prior
to his recent graduation) co-host of "Ceol na nGael" on Sunday afternoon. Corny
O'Connell is one of WFUV's weekday hosts. The Interview: We
are doing a piece on Celtic radio available on the Web. Do you have any take on
this - good, bad, indifferent? Frank: It's great. We get email
from places like Germany and from states like Iowa or Oregon. It's a great opportunity
for people to hear this. There's so many places in this country where people don't
have the opportunity to have Irish programming available on a regular basis. So
for them to be able to go into the web and pick it up for four hours on Saturday
and four hours on Sunday, it's great. Do you think it's going to
mean a lot of growth for the station? Frank: Yes, anytime you
can expand yourself, put your product out there and have more people become aware
of it, it's a good thing. I think a lot of stuff we offer, people will enjoy -
stuff that a lot of people haven't heard anywhere before. Kathleen,
how did you come to be the host of "A Thousand Welcomes"? Kathleen:
Well, I've always loved Irish music first of all, and I've always loved the radio
second of all. And when I was a student here at Fordham, the first thing I did
during orientation week was just knock on the door and say "I want to work at
the radio station." I worked in the news department first, and when I was
a sophomore the hosts of "Ceol na nGael" were leaving and I stepped in and took
that position along with Patty Ann Brown. The two of us did that till we graduated.
While I was still a student, the woman who did "A Thousand Welcomes" was leaving.
At the time it was only an hour on a Monday night. In October of 1987 they moved
it from Monday nights to Saturday morning and expanded to three hours. So I did
that while I was a student and there I've been ever since. Do you
see a continuing place in radio for Celtic music? Kathleen: Certainly,
here at the station I do, and on non-commercial radio. We do have a great market
in New York. There are several other Irish music programs at various non-commercial
and a couple of commercial stations as well. I think as long as the Irish stay
in New York, there'll always be Irish music on the radio. Do you
think the musicians consider it important to get on a program like this? I know
that you have the opportunity to do what you're doing right now -- introducing
new groups and performers. Kathleen: Yes, they do, because, well,
it's New York City, and "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." And
it is important for them. Whenever someone comes to the New York area, this is
usually their first stop, because they know that it's got a great listenership
and they're reaching the broadest base of traditional music fans. Do
you see your message being any different for the international community as opposed
to the local New York community? Kathleen: I don't think so. When
I program my show, I don't think that people are listening to it in Senegal, or
something like that. We're still local, and that's something WFUV prides itself
on. We're a New York station and I guess we're locally based but with a global
outlook. How much (or how little) of the international interest in
Celtic music do you think comes from Riverdance and the shows that are touring
the world? Kathleen: I think that Riverdance certainly created
a huge interest in it, but some interest was always there. I've been doing my
show here since 1986 and we've grown every year - because it's just great music.
Riverdance certainly had an impact; I think it brought in a lot of people
who wouldn't normally have listened to the music, other than perhaps a casual
glance on St Patrick's Day. I think more people have paid attention to it as a
result of Riverdance, but I like to say that it's just great music and
people, through the internet and through the shows, are finding it's not just
for St. Patrick's Day anymore - it goes well beyond Riverdance. Do
you think Riverdance is more important to the international audience than say,
in New York, where Irish music has been around forever? Kathleen:
In some places perhaps, but say like in Germany - Germany has always been a great
supporter of Irish music. The bands always went there first, before they came
to the states, like the Bothy Band, and Planxty, and the like. It's
been my opinion that there was already an upswing of interest in Irish music even
before Riverdance, but now there's more people interested and more opportunities
to hear it. Kathleen: Oh yeah, I agree. It exploded at Riverdance
but it was definitely on an upswing before that. And it's going up ever since! Do
you think that in the New York market you have hit your peak audience? Or are
you still out there trying to 'grab some more ears'? Kathleen:
We're always trying to 'grab some more ears' and I'd hate to say that it's peaked
- rather say it's a continuous peak! Every day, every week I run into listeners,
I get email from people who've just discover the station (like Bernadette). We
like it when that happens. People are discovering us everyday. I'd like to think
that we're not losing listeners. The web broadcasts are a pretty
recent addition. You now get to reach even to other countries, beyond the normal
range of the station.What do you see coming from that? Kathleen:
We DO get a lot more attention; I think we're within the Top 10, aren't we? Corny:
We have been ranked in the Top 10 of all web broadcasts. Kathleen: Yeah,
depending on which poll you look at, we're within the Top 10 of radio stations
that are listened to on the internet, so our listenership is way out there now.
So a lot of people who never heard of "A Thousand Welcomes" before, or WFUV as
a whole, have been tuning in. We're in the middle of our fundraiser, and this
morning we got a pledge on the web from a guy from Ohio! So that's something.
They don't have a lot of Irish music out there on the radio, so it's opening up
a different world to people who wouldn't normally have it. As more
and more people get computers and start tuning in this will be more the case?
Kathleen: Yes. Frank, I understand your family listens
on the internet? So you have a personal connection to this service? Frank:
Yeah, it's not just an abstract idea. Is there any sign of it showing
its worth yet? Corny: Well, we're not making a profit on it, if
that's what you mean. Is there any question about continuing the
web broadcasting? Kathleen: It's a service we certainly do want
to continue. We're hoping that our listeners will come out for us during our fundraisers
and support us that way. If you do listen on the web, it would be nice to make
a contribution in that way. You can't get something for nothing. But it is something
we are interested in continuing now that we've started it. Is the
streaming audio more expensive than the archives? Corny: Yes,
very much. We've had to put a message up on the site, that it's almost cost-prohibitive.
But is there a light down the road that this will prove to be a good
thing? Kathleen: I think the fact that we've only been streaming
for about a year and we've already bumped up to within the top 10, shows that
definitely our message is out there. So, yeah. Besides the live streaming,
there are now program archives. Is your program archived? Frank:
Yes, which is another great thing. We have a month's worth of shows right there.
It's good because our show has the news from Dublin and the community announcements,
so if anyone misses those they can just go right into the website and pick up
the info. Or if they want to hear a song, they can get the set list off the website
and go back and find it in the archives. The Irish shows on this station
have a lot of community involvement -- the community bulletin boards and announcements.
With the addition of the web broadcasts, do you see yourself expanding that in
any way, to national or international announcements? Kathleen:
That's a possibility; we have thought of that. I have gotten some announcements
from the Boston or Philadelphia area or Washington [DC], but that's about as far
away as I get information. That's about as far as people are willing to drive.
We're a local show that just happens to have a web listenership. So if
we know that there is a huge web audience, from all corners, that's something
we'd have to take a look at. Couldn't that be added to your website?
Kathleen: It could, but it's time-consuming, and we just don't
have the manpower for that right now. How about something in the
form of a message board, where someone could post the information themselves?
Kathleen: We have a bulletin board service, and we encourage people to
share ideas there. We have a calendar listing on the website too. Do
you think that being able to provide this kind of service (both streaming and
archives) gets more interest from the musicians - that you can get people to come
into the studio or get more guests on your program? Frank: There's
great Irish musicians all throughout the country - if you can get a band from
DC or a band from Boston, and they're able to hear the show on the web and then
they can contact us. They can actually hear the show and 'see' what we do, so
it's good. I imagine that at some point they can point people who
are interested in them to your website and say, if you want to hear what we've
done, go here, click this… Yes, it keeps getting passed along to
more people and it becomes mutually beneficial. Have you had a look
at the Celtic Cafe website? Kathleen: Yes, I've seen it - it's
got a good bunch of information, like a magazine format. It's very nice - we're
all in this together, promoting the music. I think it's fantastic, y'know? How
much longer do you think you want to do this - is this the love of your life?
Kathleen: There's no limit: as long as I'm breathing, or as long
as they'll have me. As long as it keeps bringing money into the station - it's
something I love to do. I've been doing this my entire adult life; I don't know
what it's like NOT to do it. Does this take a lot of your own time?
Kathleen: Yeah, it does; it's a three-hour show, and to prepare
for it on the day itself takes about another two hours. So that's five hours on
the day of the show. And if I have a guest who can't be here live, I tape them,
so that's more time. So a lot of time goes into it. But it's a labor of love. What
do you get back from it? Kathleen: (laughing) The adoration of
the throngs of listeners. It's very satisfying to me, knowing that I'm touching
a chord in people. The music touches me in such a way that I want to share it,
and there are people out there who feel the same way I do about the music. So
I like when I get a lot of positive feedback. And negative feedback, too…people
tell me they didn't like this or that. They're very vocal - they're New
Yorkers and they're Irish, so by nature they're opinionated! It's good
to know that there's a kind of give-and-take with the listeners. I'm very active
in the community too, so I'm always "out there", I'm always meeting the people
as well, at concerts or ceilis or the like. I've made lots of friends, and probably
a few enemies as well, but I've learned a lot about the music. Every new
album is something brand-new to me, so it's a constant learning and growing experience.
Just knowing that the listeners are enjoying it is pretty satisfying. Ever
have strangers recognize your voice? Kathleen: Yes, and it freaks
me out. It happens more than I even care to think about it. Recently it happened
at an event, it wasn't even an Irish thing, it was a rock concert - "You're Kathleen
Biggins!!" I can't distinguish between voices, so I didn't think that anyone
else would have the ability to do it, but I guess since it's such a specialized
show - obviously they're listening closely. It's fun, but I've got to do a double-take
… "You really listen HARD!" Any pitch you want to make to our web-buddies
out there? Kathleen: Well if you're listening to us on the web,
you can go to www.WFUV.org and become a member any time. Check us out! If you
like Irish music, there's probably a lot of other things you'd like on the station
as well. WFUV Celtic programming schedule:
(All
times are Eastern) MILE
FAILTE Saturdays 8-9 AM
Irish Gaelic language and culture with Dr. Seamus Blake. You can hear the Irish
language being spoken and sung -- a good thing, no? A
THOUSAND WELCOMES Saturday 9 AM-Noon
Celtic traditional music with Kathleen Biggins.
Kathleen does a
really great show, frequently with a theme, sometimes with live guests. CEOL
na nGAEL Sunday Noon-4 PM
"The Music of the Irish", plus community information, news
and sports from Ireland from Dublin.
This program has been on the air for
28 years and is traditionally hosted by Fordham University students; currently
Deirdre McGuinness and Liz Noonan. Saturday, Noon-1 PM, and Sunday, 4-5
PM, these shows are followed by THE
THISTLE & SHAMROCK HOUR, except when the time slot is needed for Fordham
University sports broadcasts.
This show, an NPR program well-known throughout
the US as a source for Celtic music on the radio, is carried on many stations
and may be available in your area. It is not archived on the WFUV website.
Interview and Photos:
Cait Reinold
Header Design and Editing: Louise Owen
Original
Web Design: Alexander Servas
Submit
Web Radio Ideas/Suggestions to: Bernadette | 
