Among Long Island’s most influential cultural exports, WLIR wasn’t just a radio station — it was a movement. Long before “alternative” became a marketing term, WLIR was quietly (and sometimes loudly) rewriting the rules of American radio.
From its unlikely beginnings to moments that changed music history, here’s why WLIR still looms large in Long Island lore.
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WLIR was founded in 1959 by John Rieger as an AM station and originally programmed classical music.
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The station later added FM and broadcast from studios located at the Garden City Hotel.
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By 1970, WLIR-FM made a risky pivot from “beautiful music” to rock at a time when most progressive rock stations were playing it safe with album-oriented rock.
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According to one historical account, WLIR’s shift happened when “the station wasn’t making money and no one was listening anyway.”
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Adelphi University student and part-time announcer Michael Harrison convinced Rieger to take that gamble.
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DJs were given almost complete freedom, playing whatever they wanted without playlists, corporate oversight, sponsors, or Arbitron pressure.
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Early program director Ken Kohl famously said, “LIR was about the music and the alienation of being 20 years old on Long Island in the ’70s.”
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As other stations leaned into mainstream rock, WLIR went the opposite direction — embracing punk rock and the emerging new wave scene ignored by most U.S. radio.
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The station’s tagline said it all: “Dare to Be Different.”
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WLIR helped introduce American audiences to British and European bands including The Cure, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths.
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It also championed local New York acts like The Ramones.
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According to Newsday, WLIR became “the nation’s first and for years only U.S. radio station” to air U2, The Cure, The Smiths, and Duran Duran.
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The station also introduced American listeners to Billy Idol.
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WLIR played a major role in popularizing the term “new music,” which later became known nationwide as “new wave.”
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In the 1980s, the station launched “Screamers of the Week,” featuring the best new song as voted on by listeners.
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Fan-favorite DJs included Malibu Sue, Larry “The Duck” Dunn, and Donna Donna.
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On December 8, 1980, WLIR DJ Steve North became the first broadcaster to report the death of John Lennon.
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A police sergeant confirmed to North by phone that Lennon had been shot and killed, and North immediately went on air with the news.
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North later said, “I repeated what the cop had just told me, thereby becoming the first…to confirm the death of John Lennon.”
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In 1987, WLIR officially changed its call letters to WDRE.
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After leaving the traditional airwaves, WLIR found new life as an internet radio station, continuing its alternative legacy for a global audience.
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The station’s influence is chronicled in the documentary Dare to Be Different, which explores WLIR’s cultural impact and rebellious spirit.
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Today, fans can still follow everything old and new from WLIR/WDRE online.
WLIR didn’t just play music — it gave a voice to a generation of Long Islanders who felt out of step with the mainstream. And decades later, that signal is still echoing.
