History
We started out as a pirate FM station, broadcasting from an apartment above Lil' Frankie's, which was essentially the office for L.F. plus a tiny adjacent room. We'd broadcast live from there, on 88.1 FM every day from 4pm-12am. We actually put the antenna on the roof of 19 1st Avenue ourselves! It was a intensely creative time, when Frank Prisinzano, myself, Jorge Docouto,[12] and Donielle McCarry came together and formed the beginnings...— Veronica Vasicka — EVR Co-Founder, Host of Minimal Wave [5]
"He had some extra space in one of his restaurants and he and a friend came up with the idea for a radio station based off, I think, Free Radio Austin,[13][14][15]... They went out and bought the equipment, climbed up on the roof of the building that houses Lil' Frankie's, and started broadcasting." — Peter Ferraro, manager of East Village Radio.[16]
EVR first aired in August 2003, broadcasting from a small room in a walk-up building at 19 First Ave. (next door to the current location) in order to provide commercial-free music and a voice for the East Village community. EVR was transmitting at twenty watts and began broadcasting online in September 2003. During transmission, EVR was broadcasting as a pirate station on 88.1FM and reached as far west as Varick Street (which also happened to be the location of one of the FCC headquarters!). About two weeks after a New York Times article on the station, EVR received a cease and desist order from the FCC.[1]
East Village Radio was established in June 2003,[17] initially funded by the restaurants of Frank Prisinzano,[1] and broadcast on the airwaves at 88.1 FM. After an article in The New York Times described the station, the FCC sent a cease-and-desist letter as the station was unlicensed to use the airwaves.[18] Due to the difficulty of obtaining new FM licenses, the decision was made to make EVR an internet radio station.[19]
Some time after this, it was decided to move the studio from its original location above a restaurant to a storefront booth on First Avenue in Manhattan. This was seen as a way of reconnecting EVR with the East Village community since the station was no longer literally on-the-air.
East Village Radio Festival 2008-09-06 South Street Seaport, New York, New York.[20][21][22]
East Village Radio's DJ line-up included British multi-platinum artist and producer Mark Ronson.[23]
Every Friday around 7:30pm, I'd leave the studio in a mad scramble to make it to EVR by 8pm. Often times, whoever I was working with in the studio would come along too, just to hang out. I remember Amy Winehouse joining me a few times,[24] with the sweet intention of keeping me company. Then she'd eventually get bored after ten minutes and go to the tattoo parlor right next door. I think she got two or three tattoos before I decided I should stop inviting her along, for her own sake. — Mark Ronson — Host of Authentic Shit[5]
One of its final guests before closing and relaunching was artist and Vector Gallery creator/curator JJ Brine on the AndrewAndrew show.[25]
East Village radio briefly relaunched on Dash Radio in 2015.[11][26][27]