Who are the 'Friends of B.A.I.'?

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

In Dean Friedman’s 1977 classic 45 “Ariel,” he meets the young lass “. . . standin’ by the waterfall at Paramus Park. . . working for the Friends of B.A.I. . . collectin’ quarters in a paper cup.”

Every time I hear this song I wonder just what did that mean. Is it some Jersey thing?

[Ice_Wolf]

From this site’s FAQs:

In the song Ariel, who are the “Friends of BAI”?
A: No BAI is not some strange religious cult. BAI are the call letters of a non-profit radio station in New York, WBAI-FM. My brother, Aram, once worked as a volunteer fundraiser “collecting quarters” for the listener association which called themselves the “Friends of BAI”. WBAI is still on the air playing strange stuff.