Rita Houston wfuv Obituary: Rita Houston, a consistent presence on New York radio — and a significant melodic tastemaker in her function as program head of Fordham University’s WFUV — kicked the bucket Tuesday after a fight with malignant growth, the station said in an articulation Tuesday. She was 59 years of age.

“Rita was the north star of WFUV’s sound and its public assistance, controlling the station’s melodic heading for quite a long time,” said Chuck Singleton, WFUV’s senior supervisor, in an explanation. “She was a New York unique, an exploring lady of excellent ability who molded an exceptional style behind the receiver — educated and casual, cozy, warm, certified. Yet additionally, one of huge delight.” Her voice, imposing and eager, commonly waxed excited over another sound, craftsman or delivery being included in the station’s arrangement.

WFUV said recently that Houston was venturing endlessly to watch out for medical problems and her family. She had been fighting malignant growth for a very long time.

As program chief, Houston directed WFUV’s long walk from a station that at first centered to a great extent around society and Americana craftsmen going from Dar Williams and John Gorka to Steve Earle and Michelle Shocked, and afterward developed to incorporate current sounds from Moby, David Byrne, Lake Street Dive and The Head and The Heart. The undertaking has been something of a difficult exercise throughout the long term, because of a dedicated fan base that at first tuned in for rock and nation sounds they couldn’t jump on other New York sources like the previous WXRK or the previous WNEW.

Houston was known for an unquenchable hunger for everything music, regularly going to live shows numerous days every week, and showing up at WFUV supported shows around New York.