Happy New Year to the WMNF community!
It is almost my two-year anniversary as your General Manager, and I wanted to take this time to reflect and share some gratitude.
When I arrived at WMNF, I gave my undivided attention to the staff, meeting with each person; learning about their professional roles and their personal passions. I knew that the people who come to work each day at the service of the WMNF mission were the people who would support and enact any initiatives that I dreamed up. The staff are the folks who have experiences and expertise that help me to succeed. At this time, I would like to name the folks who work hard each day on behalf of the WMNF mission. Think of this as the end of year credits for full and part timers. In no particular order: Shane Linkous, Director of Finance & Administration; Shari Akram, Director of Development, Linda Reisinger, Events Coordinator; Ian Debarry, Membership Coordinator; Julie Scheid, Manager of Volunteers, Outreach, & Engagement; Samantha Hval, Program Director; Sean Kinane, Director of News & Public Affairs; Dwaine Terry, Chief of Operations; Greg Bowers, Operations Assistant; Christopher Young, Reporter; Josh Holton, News Anchor; Lee (Flea) Courtney, Music Director; Mike Bagley, Alternative Music Director; Lynn Partridge, Bookkeeper; and Erika Flaskamp, Social Media Coordinator. We are also blessed with some folks who are practically staff: Max Anduze, Engineer; Robert Fitzpatrick, Web/IT; and Robin Milkowitz, Graphic Design.
Some unsung heroes around the station whose name may not be known but whose voice and work can always be relied upon: Tom Collins, Bill Grace, John Dunne, Jessica Green, Frank Knox, Skip Sasse, and Joanna Kellogg.
There is no way to express my gratitude for all the hard work and dedication of these people who elevate the sound and amplify the message of the best community radio station there is.
When I speak about WMNF, I always say our uniqueness stems from the fact that WMNF programmers speak from their hearts to the listeners’ hearts. Programmers are usually listeners’ first introduction to our station at the far-left end of the dial. And now, programmers are often the first introduction to WMNF for people who start their Monday morning searching for “free radio.” Yeah, it really is a thing.
A special thank you to the 100’s of other regular volunteers, the volunteers who attend their favorite annual event, our community partners, local businesses, and people who send kind text messages during shows, and the activists who share their stories. Our diverse community is far more informed and stronger because all these people make WMNF part of their lives. Thank you.
I’m full of gratitude and looking forward to what’s in store for WMNF this year.
Regards,
Randi M. Zimmerman
General Manager, WMNF 88.5FM
