Happy New Year!
I’m always reluctant to give shout outs to specific people because I inevitably and unintentionally leave out people. However, it’s important, so PLEASE forgive me if you or some other awesome person is not specifically mentioned.
I want to take the time to say thank you to the staff and volunteers at WMNF. All staff members can be found at wmnf.org/about-wmnf/staff/, and other leaders at WMNF, including the Board of Directors and the Volunteer Committee members, can be found at wmnf.org/about-wmnf/board-of-directors/. On air volunteers are listed at wmnf.org/hosts. Plus, there are some regular substitutes who need a special mention, including Doug Renck, Jim Coley, Izzy Kolodner, Patty Metz, Bev Capshaw, and Tim Schroyer.
Each week, there is a regular crew of dedicated volunteers who we rely on. The support provided by the midday public affairs board operators is priceless. Thank you to Bill, John, Frank, Charlie, Skip, and Jessica. Also, a big shout out goes to our phone answerers Christine, Pura, Loran, and Lisa, as well as studio call screeners Irene, Barbara, and Joe. People like Joanna, Charles, Lisa, Pam, Ed, and Marcie keep everything from Accounts Payable to cameras in the Live Music Studio running. Barbara, Patti, and Carole keep the music library up to date, and I love hanging out with the dozens of people who answer phones during our fund drives. WMNF must have this fine conglomeration of staff and volunteers to produce the most eclectic and unique community sounds of the whole Tampa Bay and beyond.
I also want to say thank you to those who have generously donated to WMNF over the years. Whether you are a new donor or someone who put coins in the coffee can in 1978, your support has been invaluable. It is because of you that WMNF can grow in ways that amplify your values around the world. Each month, thousands of people listen to WMNF in Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, and Sarasota. We also have hundreds of dedicated listeners in Miami, Orlando, New York, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Los Angeles. We even have hundreds of people listening in Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, and Mexico, and it all adds up to tens of thousands of people each month. Our equipment has been updated; and WMNF started an endowment only two years ago that now tops $600,000 thanks to this amazing, dedicated listenership and donors like you.
Community partners at restaurants around the bay area continue to feed staff and volunteers during fund drives and when we place orders for special events. Thanks especially to those community partners who sponsor radio shows or underwriting announcements. Speaking of announcements, we have multiple non-profits keeping us up to date on how we can do more to help our community with PSAs about voting, donating items for those in need, and where folks in need can obtain those items. This, in turn, spreads the good we want to see in our world.
Because of all of you, community radio is not just surviving. When we all participate to the best of our ability, we at WMNF continue to thrive, now, into 2025, and beyond.
Regards,
Randi M. Zimmerman
General Manager, WMNF 88.5FM
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