The second independent commercial FM station in the city, WAIV went on the air in 1961 from studios in the Dearborn Hotel on East Michigan Street. It operated at 105.7 FM. What made WAIV unique was its classical format and its owners, all Ph.D.s and M.D.s from . Microbiologist Carl W. Godzeski was president and program director, while another Ph.D., , oversaw classical music.
With its limited commercial appeal, WAIV never made money for its owners. In 1966 the station solicited donations from its listeners, a forerunner of the fund drives now common on public radio and television stations. WAIV was sold in 1967 to a local group of prominent Democratic politicians, led by Marion County party chair James Beatty and the president of the Metropolitan Plan Commission, Dr. . That group changed the station to .
Neuss continued his support of classical music by founding the Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis in 1968. Using the records from the old WAIV library, he created the classical Second Programme, which the Society made available to (later renamed WFYI-FM).
The Second Programme was moved to the University of Indianapolis station, , at the end of 1982. The Fine Arts Society became known as in 2013 and reincorporated with that name in 2017.
Help improve this entry
Contribute information, offer corrections, suggest images.
You can also recommend new entries related to this topic.
