Community radio may have started out with a vision of serving the common folk, hippie style, with representation and participation for all.But a lot has changed since then.
Though Tampa community station WMNF-88.5 FM is still largely run by volunteers and funded with listener donations, the notion that it can serve all comers has given way to the notion that the station can't be all things to all people.
That was the gist of a public meeting last month at the Jan Platt library where more than 50 station volunteers and staffers discussed upcoming program changes.
Theoretically, the station tweaks its programming every two years, said WMNF Program Director Randy Wynne, and there's always some that aren't pleased with the final outcome. However, this time around the changes will likely spark more than a little whining.
'some people are going to be losing their shows, let me say that right off the bat," Wynne said at the beginning of the meeting.
An outsider may believe that community radio offers a chance for everyone to have a turn behind the mic, but that's not how WMNF has operated in the past. Many at the station have hosted their own shows for years and, in some cases, decades. New volunteers at the station had as much a chance of getting a show as winning the lottery, some insiders have observed.
If Wynne's suggestions for new programming become reality, the station could see a shake-up of large proportion.
One of the primary reasons the station is looking to revamp its programming is to attract more African-American listeners, Wynne said.
Though the station has attracted black listeners on the weekends with gospel, hip-hop and jazz, their numbers have steadily declined since the mid-1990s, said Wynne. Currently, about 10 percent of the WMNF audience is black and they listen very little, he said.
It will take more than just a couple of new shows targeting blacks to increase their numbers, said Wynne. It will take a concerted effort and large blocks of programming aimed specifically at them.
One option floated at the meeting was the addition on weekday afternoons of one hour of call-in public affairs on black issues hosted by black volunteers. Specifics of the talk shows weren't discussed in detail. But it's possible that public housing activist Connie Burton's show, Straight Talk, would move from Sunday mornings into the afternoon lineup.
The talk segment would be followed by an "urban mix" between 2 and 5 p.m., essentially doing away with Traffic Jam, a popular drive-time music show aimed at the station's mostly white core audience.
Reggae, jazz, R&B and hip-hop would still air later on Saturdays, but Sunday morning gospel would be replaced by the blues in an effort to counter the programming of WTMP-1150 AM, a local black-owned station that also broadcasts gospel on Sunday mornings.
Another option Wynne presented was to create a kind of "black day" by featuring programming targeted to blacks on Sundays from 6 a.m. to midnight. In the black day model, new shows featuring political hip-hop and old school R&B would air along with the traditional morning gospel and jazz. Burton's show would move from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to make room for talk shows hosted by other blacks in the community.
None of the volunteers present at the meeting openly objected to the idea of trying to gain more black listeners, but many were irked by the proposed details. Some worried that the station's core listeners, who provide the bulk of the financial support, would not tune in as frequently. Others, like Burton, were more focused on the fates of their individual shows.
Responding to a comment that the station should encourage more "well spoken" blacks to host programs, Burton became angry. "I think what would attract more African-Americans to the station is to see that WMNF is true to its mission statement," she said. "I don't think having well-spoken Africans heading the shows is going to earn you a faithful audience."
Burton ended by stating that she would be "highly offended" by having her show moved to what she called the "wee hours" of Sunday night.
Wynne understands Burton's response, he told Weekly Planet in an interview after the meeting. Burton's Straight Talk is one show that the station has long been proud of, he said. However, it's not one that he feels all or even most blacks strongly identify with.
Burton is active in the International Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement and often has the group's founder, Omali Yeshitela, and other members on her show as guests. Their beliefs and the issues they discuss should be heard, said Wynne, but they should not be the sole voice of blacks on the air. Just like any other ethnic group, the black community is diverse economically, politically and ideologically and the station would like to make room for a larger range of voices to be heard, he said.
Whatever the time slot, it's likely that Burton's show will continue to air. That may not be the case for Oye Latino.
The Latin music show has been on the air for about eight years and, though it is targeted at a Hispanic audience, Wynne's not sure it's actually reaching that group. The show doesn't do as well during the station's fundraising drives as others, he said, and he hasn't seen numbers from the Arbitron radio ratings service to indicate the show has significant listenership.
Still, with the Latino population in the Tampa Bay area on the rise, emotions run high about the importance of representing them on WMNF. Supporters of the show are mobilizing, and a flurry of e-mails about the show's possible demise were exchanged after the meeting.
Some personally blamed Wynne for not supporting true diversity at the station. Most felt that the station didn't do enough to support shows like Oye Latino and that lack of support was reflected in the show's fundraising efforts.
Latinos shouldn't count on getting a whole lot more support in the future.
"I will admit the Latino is not one of our target audiences. It's hard to say that as community radio," said Wynne.
WMNF's mission statement says that the station "celebrates" the diversity in the community, he pointed out. It doesn't say that it serves every group in the community that should be served. There was a realization long ago that it would simply not be possible.
Oye Latino is a good show, he said, but some good shows are going to fall by the wayside as programming adjustments are made. Others, like the Latin jazz and salsa show, may be expanded, he said.
Although the bulk of the changes have to do with targeting more programs to blacks, the station is also looking to attract younger listeners, said Wynne.
The idea of a new college program, featuring programmers under 30 years of age, drew criticism from the thirty- and fortysomethings hosting cutting edge and alternative music shows. It's not necessary to live in a dorm to be on the music scene and know what's what, they said.
Amid the controversy was one change few seemed to have a problem with: increased time for local news. Currently, the local news runs for five minutes in the evening. Beginning in January, it will grow to a half-hour.
The new segment will likely follow the popular Free Speech Radio News, a half-hour national news show that WMNF has had a hand in producing since controversy at the Pacifica network caused a boycott of its national news segment.
While Wynne doesn't think complete diversity is possible in music programming, WMNF Assistant News Director Mitch Perry plans to give it his best shot with local news.
"Do we do enough for the Latino community? Probably not," Perry said. That will change with the expansion of local news. With a slew of new volunteers enrolled in an eight-week training course, the news will become increasingly inclusive.
'there's so much more out there that can be covered with more time," Perry said.
No final programming decisions have been made. Another public meeting is scheduled in about two weeks, though no date had been set at press time. Call WMNF at 813-238-8001 to find out more.
Staff Writer Rochelle Renford is a commitment-phobic, on-again/off-again WMNF volunteer. Contact her at 813-248-8888, ext. 163, or
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2002.