WFUV GM Singleton Announces Retirement
• After nearly four decades of service to Fordham University’s influential WFUV/New York, General Manager Chuck Singleton announced his impending retirement, effective June 30.
“This is an intentional transition; I believe strongly in succession planning, pushing the next generation forward, and fresh perspectives,” says Singleton, who started as WFUV’s first full-time News Director in 1987. “We were just transitioning from a student to a professional station… really interesting times,” he tells RAMP. “The opportunities kept coming, so I followed them.” Indeed, Singleton’s journey progressed from News Director, to Program Director, and ultimately, to General Manager in 2011.
“WFUV has never been just a workplace for me — it’s a community and a shared purpose,” Singleton said. “I’ve been enormously blessed to work alongside this talented team, and play a role in shaping the station’s direction over the past several decades. Wherever life takes me after July 1, I’ll always remain one of WFUV and public media’s biggest believers.”
In closing, Singleton graciously remarked, “Thanks for all your great coverage over the many years. You’re our main source for industry news.” Until June 30, Singleton can be reached at csingleton@wfuv.org. The University will soon begin a national search for Singleton’s successor. [Photo Credit: Gus Philippas]
• The news of Singleton’s retirement was broken to the staff in a memo from Ellen Fahey-Smith, Fordham’s Vice Provost for Administration. The full text of that memo is below:
“Dear Colleagues,
After nearly four decades of dedicated service to WFUV and Fordham University, General Manager Chuck Singleton will retire on June 30.
Chuck’s stewardship has transformed WFUV into one of Fordham’s most visible and distinctive contributions to the cultural life of New York. Under his leadership, WFUV has received numerous industry awards at the local, state and national level, including being regularly recognized by The Princeton Review as being one of the top twenty college radio stations in the country.
Across the University, Chuck is known as a passionate advocate for the station’s one-of-a-kind mission of music discovery and student learning. Few people have shaped WFUV as deeply or across as many chapters of its nearly 80-year history, and we’re particularly proud of the countless careers that have been launched at WFUV.
Throughout his career, Chuck championed the expansion of WFUV’s partnerships with Bronx music organizations, and served the public media field as a board member and officer of national organizations including Eastern Region Public Media, the University Station Alliance, and the VuHaus Group.
Chuck has served the station in three leadership roles — News Director, Program Director, and General Manager. As WFUV’s first full-time News Director, he helped guide the station’s transition to public radio and secure federal funding and NPR membership. As Program Director, he built the station’s on-air staff, and refined its programming, leading to the expansion of its audience and listener support, and he led the way among public radio stations in live streaming its programming. As General Manager, Chuck secured three fundraising firsts: seven-figure gifts including a capital grant, a leadership gift supporting studio upgrades, and an endowment gift.
Chuck has led WFUV with steadiness and compassion through challenging moments — including the pandemic, periods of staff loss, and uncertainty around federal support for public broadcasting — while continually strengthening the ties between the station and the University, one personal relationship at a time.
As Chuck begins this next chapter, I invite you to join me in expressing our deepest gratitude for his remarkable contributions to Fordham and public radio, wishing him every success in his future endeavors.”
