WMNF Program Director Randy Wynne. Credit: Photo by Ray Roa

UPDATED 6/21 2:47 p.m.

It’s been almost three years since the cancelation of WMNF’s beloved, long-running Tropical Heatwave music festival, but the party might be coming back for one night only.

In an email to CL, Program Director Randy Wynne said that plans aren’t quite final, but that the community radio station has visions of bringing Tropical Heatwave back to Ybor City on May 2, 2020.

“It’s not quite 100%. It is still being discussed… but we are looking at doing Tropical Heatwave as part of the WMNF 40th Anniversary Celebration on May 2 in Ybor City,” Wynne said. He added that there are a few venues “tentatively lined up” for the one-night-only celebration.

“Cuban Club, Ritz and Crowbar… if it does happen it will be five stages.” Wynne said. “It could still get derailed but it looks likely to happen.”

He thinks the station could book 25 bands, and hopes to see as many people as possible out to the show.

In its 35-year history, Tropical Heatwave established itself as an eclectic, homegrown music festival that not only introduced the community to new bands, but provided an event that live music lovers around the Bay area could galvanize around.

After the Heatwave cancelation, Kopp said that the festival cost the station about $100,000 and described $40,000 losses — and profits that would be "enough to buy a crappy used car."

In new comments to CL, Wynne disputes Kopp's $40,000 comment ("One year, Kopp said, the station lost $40,000," is what the Tampa Bay Times wrote in 2016). Wynne said that he hadn't seen that $40,000 figure before.

"That kind of loss never happened! The last three years were basically break even. The previous 32 all made substantial money," Wynne said in a message. "I don’t know is Craig was misquoted or misunderstood or confused. It’s possible one year we budgeted $40,000 profit and it broke even. It never lost more than a few thousand dollars."

"The part of his statement that the recent profits could not buy a crappy used car is accurate and sounds more like CK," Wynne added.

The festival’s cancelation was also a point of contention during public comment surrounding a recent WMNF staff shakeup that ultimately saw station co-founder and News Director Rob Lorei fired and then rehired before General Manager Craig Kopp resigned.

In station meetings after Kopp’s decision to fire Lorei, some wondered why the general manager of a station that was purportedly having branding and recognition issues would cancel Heatwave, the station’s signature event.

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