Three years pass and Mary Perot Nichols returns to helm of WNYC. John Beck's efforts to emphasize new music over traditional classical music and Black-oriented programming on WNYC TV, among other things, did not go over well with the Koch Administration. City Hall had made a major commitment to WNYC by undertaking the renovation of its WPA-era facilities before Nichols' departure, and that work was well under way by her return. The WNYC Foundation she jumpstarted in her first term was now bringing in a significant amount of money for a variety of special projects and programming. Here too Nichols was able to hit the ground running, with key staff and procedures in place for expanded programming.  But first, there was some old business to address.

Small Things Considered

One of the first things Nichols did when she came to WNYC in 1978 was take Ireene Wicker, 'The Singing Lady', off the air. She felt the show was antiquated and not reaching New York's kids. "When I was a child I listened to The Singing Lady, and I hated her!" she said.[1] It's true, Wicker had been doing a children's radio broadcast since the 1930s, first on the networks and then on WNYC from the late 1950s, receiving a Peabody Award in 1961. Her approach could be considered a bit dated and Nichols had other ideas about what constituted award-winning children's programming. Shortly after her return in 1984, she launched, Small Things Considered with just $1,500 in discretionary funds. With additional funding and development, the kids program quickly turned into a popular, fast-paced aural potpourri of games, music, call-ins, and banter between jovial hosts Cathy O'Connell and Larry Orfaly. The duo was complemented by frequent visits from characters like the Duke of Words, Z-Know the Alien, and Dr. Rita Book -- all with their own peripatetic definitions, geography lessons and reading recommendations.

Small Things Considered won a Peabody and other major awards after its first year on the air but generated some heat between WNYC and NPR, prompting the show to change its name to Kids America. Distributed nationally by American Public Radio, the show was a success as the nation's only live daily radio program for children. It ended after nearly four years on the air. Replacement funding failed to materialize, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was no longer willing to underwrite half of the show's budget in an increasingly competitive public radio marketplace.[2]

The Fiorello H. La Guardia Telecommunications Center

Fortunately for Nichols, the bulk of the studio renovations took place while she was in Philadelphia, sparing her the headache of ad hoc operations in the midst of major construction. What was state-of-the-art for radio in 1937 was replaced with state-of-the-art in 1985; a real sea-change going from tubes to solid state and transistors. With significant planning and support from Chuck Corcoran, Chief of Operations, and Nichols' dedicated staff, the ribbon cutting ceremony (below) of December 11, 1985 was made possible.

WNYC Director Mary Perot Nichols at the opening of WNYC's new studios, December 11, 1985.

(WNYC Archive Collections)

Nichols oversaw the revamping of the FM schedule to emphasize live series like the "Mostly Mozart" concerts from Lincoln Center and New York Cabaret Nights, as well as existing broadcasts from the Frick Collection, the BAM Chamber Music Series, New Sounds at Merkin Hall, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Collaborations with a variety of cultural institutions resulted in special programs like "Censorship," based on the New York Public Library's major exhibition in 1984. Nichols brought Leonard Lopate on board in 1985. Her programming for women gained a brief funding foothold with Speaking for Ourselves, and then New Sounds began national distribution. Radio listenership spiked for both AM and FM. The FM and TV transmitters were moved to the World Trade Center by the end of 1986. The following year David Garland launched Spinning on Air.

During this period, major changes came to WNYC-TV as well, bringing it into its own, rather than being a shadow of WNET. About 18 months after Nichols' return, Channel 31's viewership had increased more than seven-fold from 90,000 to 698,000. By July of 1986, much of WNYC TV's daytime air was being leased out to independent Japanese, Italian and Chinese producers aiming shows at those particular foreign language communities in the city. To be sure, it was an unusual arrangement for a public television station, but doable since Channel 31 was a commercial license.  Along with the non-for-profit WNYC Foundation, this was welcome change for the WNYC Communications Group cash flow.

WNYC's 65th Anniversary

The station's 65th anniversary year in 1989 provided an opportunity to really highlight some gems from the past while also revitalizing the seemingly quaint medium of radio drama. The Radio Stage debuted in April of that year, the result of a two year collaboration between WNYC and many of the city's finest theaters. The eleven-part series featured new works by Elizabeth Swados, Wendy Wasserstein, Thomas Babe, Len Jenkin and Eric Overmyer and included Joan Allen, Victor Garber, Carol Kane and ensembles like Mambou Mines and John Houseman's The Acting Company. 1989 also saw the hiring of Brian Lehrer as host of On The Line.

On the legal and technical side, Nichols worked closely with Execuitive Officer Evelyn Junge and Operations Chief Chuck Corcoran to get WNYC-AM to a place where it no longer had to sign off at sundown, a vestige of the longest running frequency dispute in FCC history. This included moving the transmitter to New Jersey and a frequency shift from 830 to 820 kilocycles. But perhaps more radical was the brief jolt she sent through the listening audience shortly before she left in 1990 by announcing the firing of Morning Music host Steve Post during a station fundraiser in late March. She claimed the dismissal was based on a variety of crimes, including allegations of "financial and military ties between myself and various fascist dictators." The announcement was soon revealed to be an early April Fools Day prank, as she said Post would be restored to the air if enough listeners pledged to become members.[3]

____________________________________

[1]  Reminiscences of Mary Perot Nichols, Columbia University Center for Oral History Collection (hereafter CUCOHC), pg. 6.

[2] Yarrow, Andrew, "Children's Radio Show is Canceled," The New York Times, January 2, 1988, pg. 17.

[3] Andersen, Susan Heller, "Chronicle," The New York Times, March 29, 1990, pg. B24.

Special thanks to Eliza Nichols, Evelyn Junge, Mary Daly and B.J. Kowalski.