Tag Archives: public radio
Zimmerman Named GM of WMNF – Tampa
Randi M. Zimmerman has been named General Manager of WMNF-FM in Tampa.
Zimmerman, who previously worked for WMNF as a headline news anchor between 1998 and 2005, will assume her role on February 21, 2022.
“Randi is a seasoned professional and we are proud to welcome her back to WMNF and our Tampa Bay community,” said WMNF Board President Isha Del Valle.
Zimmerman co-created and anchored the WMNF Evening News with Mitch Perry, winning the “Exceptional News and Public Affairs Programming” award for her work.
She also developed and taught a practicum in broadcast management at the University of Tampa, teaching students to run their radio station from a non-commercial perspective.
WMNF if a member of Florida Public Media.
Smelser Named President, GM of WMFE – Orlando
Veteran journalist and broadcaster Judith Smelser has been named President and General Manager of WMFE-FM in Orlando.
Smelser had been serving as WMFE/WMFV’s interim President and General Manager since September 2021.
She has a long history with the station as an award-winning reporter and news director, according to an announcement by the station’s board.
“After a nationwide search and interviewing a number of well qualified candidates, we have selected Judith as the person to lead the station on a permanent basis,” said Donna Mackenzie, Chair of WMFE/WMFV’s Board of Trustees.
“Judith embodies the qualities and experience we believe will allow the station to reach its full potential, enhancing and building the focus on journalism and service to our community.”
Mackenzie announced Smelser’s permanent position to station staff on February 8.
“My ambition was never to lead a station,” Smelser said. “But for me, WMFE is not just any station. My career has taken me all over the country and given me a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing public media and journalism; now I get to put that experience to work for an organization and a community I love and consider my home.”
WMFE broadcasts throughout the greater Orlando area. WMFV broadcasts in The Villages and surrounding communities.
WMFE is a member of Florida Public Media, the professional association of public broadcasters in the state.
The King of the Waves: WJCT’s David McGowan
He [McGowan] repeatedly mentions the need to increase WJCT’s metabolism, especially in the digital landscape.
“We must work to apply the resources that will allow us to continue to do more of the work and make us more valuable to all of the different communities in our footprint.”
“Whether we want it or not, we have a greater control today over how we consume media,” McGowan says. “One of my biggest jobs [at WJCT] is to make sure that we are as available, relevant and innovative today and tomorrow as we were yesterday.”
You can read the entire (Josue Cruz) profile of WCJT’s new president and CEO in Folio Weekly Magazine here.
