From which unusual programming choices did WFMU build its identity?

Freeform DJs picking their own music without a playlist, that's the backbone. We let hosts play everything from outsider folk to obscure 78s, and we never caved to commercial formatting. No pre-recorded shows, no repeated songs for months, and we encouraged live in-studio chaos like phone calls from listeners and weird sound collages. That's how you get a cult following, by trusting the weirdos in the booth.