Highlighting: “1.8 Million Minutes and Counting” by Nachum Segal and Yafa Storch. NSN Publishing. 234 Pages. 2024. ISBN-10: 0988805723.
When Nachum Segal started at Yeshiva University in the 1980s, his late mother encouraged him to join the college radio station. “You’ll enjoy it,” she promised. How right she was. What began as a fun extracurricular activity turned into a remarkable 40+-year journey in Jewish broadcasting.
Nachum recently sat down with The Jewish Link to reflect on the first 40 years of his career and his new book, 1.8 Million Minutes and Counting. The book’s subhead captures its essence: “Celebrating & Contemplating My First 40 Years in Jewish Broadcasting.”
So how does working on a college radio station translate into a full-time career? “I started off with a radio show on WYUR, YU’s radio station, playing Jewish music,” Nachum recalled. “I didn’t know much about Jewish music back then, but my odds of getting a time slot were better if I said I wanted to host a Jewish music show rather than a rock and roll show. From being a weekly DJ, I moved up the ranks until I became general manager.”
Just before his senior year (1983), Larry Wachsman, YU’s dean of students at the time, got a call from the late Norman Laster on behalf of the Upsala College radio station in East Orange. They were looking for someone to take over the Jewish morning show at WFMU. Larry immediately thought of Nachum. “He knew not only that I’d be perfect for the job but also that I’d absolutely love it. That’s really how it all began.”
David Kufeld, the outgoing WFMU host and a YU basketball legend, trained Nachum before handing over the reins. At first, the show ran for two hours, then expanded to three in 1992. Initially, it was broadcast only in the New York metropolitan area, then extended to a station in the Catskills. As technology evolved, JM in the AM expanded its reach. In 1996, WFMU began streaming the show live on jmintheam.org.
“JM in the AM grew steadily, launching nachumsegal.com and eventually the ‘beloved’ NSN app,” Nachum explained. By 2012, the programming had expanded to 24/6. “We had gone from a fledgling local radio show to a global entity.”
Over the years, Nachum has hosted countless Jewish singers and prominent influencers on his show. “Back in the early years, we were an essential source of information people couldn’t get anywhere else,” Nachum said. “When Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach passed away on a Thursday night, people knew by Friday morning because we announced it. Today, people can get news instantly, but back then, JM in the AM was their source.”
For 40 years, Nachum has served as the voice of the Jewish world, providing a platform for community leaders, government officials, Jewish music stars and others to speak directly to the Jewish community.
The idea of writing a book first came to Nachum in 2007, as he neared his 25th year on the air. “I thought it would be a good review of the impact of the show and the things I’d done,” he shared. He envisioned a format showcasing letters and comments from listeners, which helped shape the book’s chapters. He also thought listeners would enjoy a “behind the microphone” view.
The project faced several delays. During the 2008 fundraising marathon, just after appearing on the show, Nachum’s father disappeared. After an intense search by hundreds of volunteers, his father’s car was found in the Hackensack River. Nachum shares this deeply personal story in a chapter titled “Family.”
What finally pushed Nachum to finish the book was a fire in his Lower East Side studio in March 2022. By then, Nachum was broadcasting from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the hub of the all-digital Nachum Segal Network. The fast-moving fire destroyed equipment and years of memorabilia.
“Unbelievably, the collection of emails and scrapbooks survived the fire. They were damaged, but they survived,” Nachum said. “When I say scrapbook, I mean a 20-volume collection of memorable moments from the show. They were housed in the studio on shelves that were as far from the source of the fire as they could have been. Miraculously, my tefillin survived too. Every Sunday morning, I’d bring them to the studio after shul. That Sunday, my foot was hurting, and I tried to take an Uber, but due to street closures, the driver couldn’t pass through. I ended up davening at home—saving my tefillin from being destroyed.”
After the fire, Teaneck’s former mayor and current council member, Elie Y. Katz, offered Nachum space in an office building on West Englewood Avenue. Nachum accepted and now splits his time between the Teaneck studio and his rebuilt Lower East Side studio. He also has a third studio at the Nefesh b’Nefesh offices in Jerusalem.
How does he like Teaneck? “Teaneck is a young, vibrant, energetic Jewish community. There’s great Jewish creativity here that I feed off of,” Nachum said.
“Bergen County listeners have been with me since the very beginning, over 40 years ago,” Nachum continued. “They—and now listeners from around the world—have come to expect and appreciate the special programming we’ve added as the shows have evolved. The daily divrei Torah, community information and special programming have always been highlights listeners enjoy and appreciate.” The chapter “JM in the AM Traditions” discusses some of those highlights and how they came to be.
Despite all the delays, Nachum and his co-author, Yafa Storch, were finally happy with the book when the war in Israel broke out. “We agreed it wasn’t the right time to release it until I could include my feelings about the war,” Nachum said. With his 40th anniversary approaching, they knew it was time. The book was released on December 19—“my Chanukah gift to my listeners.”
Earlier this month, Nachum spoke at the YU Seforim Sale, just half a block from WYUR’s former home. “It was a full-circle moment, talking about the book so close to where my journey began.”
1.8 Million Minutes and Counting is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Judaica House, Maayan Judaica, and at the YU Seforim Sale.
