The 20th anniversary of WJFF

By FRITZ MAYER

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — If not for the dam on Lake Jeffersonville, the public radio station WJFF might never have come into existence.

The dam was built in the 1920s with the intended purpose of providing hydroelectric power to the surrounding area. Economics being what there were at the time, however, the owners of the dam decided it would be better to generate electricity with coal rather than water. Thus the dam was built, but the hydroelectric plant was not.

At least not until Malcolm Brown and his wife Anne Larson bought the dam and the generating site 57 years later in 1984. According to information on the WJFF web site, Brown, a former philosophy professor, opened a three-foot hole in the dam in order to bring water to a pair of turbines to create a small power plant. According to the entry on Wikipedia regarding the station, the plant produced enough power to supply electricity to about 20 to 25 homes.

Today, the dam and the station are inextricably linked in the minds of WJFF listeners, but in the beginning, Brown was more interested in the power side of the picture. In the early days of the station, a story about the station from Associated Press had this to say: “‘I’m more of a wind-power, waterpower guy than I am a radio guy,’ said Brown, 70, a wiry man with a fringe of white hair and beard. ‘The radio station, you might say, was an afterthought.’”

It was an afterthought that the community took to heart. The power plant went on line in 1988, and two years later, through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, WJFF Radio began broadcasting on February 12, 1990, powered by the hydroelectric plant at the dam. Within a decade, it had become a 24-hour community radio station with a staff of three employees and over 60 volunteers, 1,400 paying members and an annual budget of nearly $250,000.

The station has gained a reputation for providing “eclectic” locally produced programming spanning a wide variety of tastes and genres. From “Out Loud and Queer” to “Two Guys Talking Sports” to “Folk Plus”, “Connections” and everything in between, the station gives voice to people and ideas that might not otherwise be heard in the rural Catskill Mountains and Upper Delaware Valley.

And while the station also air programs from such outlets as National Public Radio and Pacifica, it is the locally produced programs and local volunteer power that give the station its unique voice.

20th Anniversary

WJFF 90.5 FM, Sullivan County’s only public radio station, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Saturday, February 13, with a special three-hour live broadcast and open house. Current and former radio personalities, local celebrities, listeners and supporters will gather at the station’s studios on Route 52 in Jeffersonville to reminisce about and acknowledge the many contributions WJFF has made to the quality of life in the region over the last two decades.

The celebratory broadcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning and will continue until 1:00 p.m. Featured will be voices of past WJFF personalities, clips from former shows, excerpts from past musical and cultural events, and stories and testimonials from staff members and supporters. In addition, phone lines will be open for listeners to call in with their own recollections. The public is also invited to come to the studios and join the celebration in person. Refreshments, including baked goods, coffee and tea and birthday cake, will be offered.

For more information go to wjffradio.org or call 845/482-4141.