WMNF is excited to announce that educator and journalist Randi M. Zimmerman will lead the station as its new General Manager. 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. “Her experience practicing and training others in quality, community-centric journalism will be invaluable as she oversees our continued commitment to promote equality, peace and economic justice.”
Zimmerman co-created and anchored the WMNF Evening News with Mitch Perry, winning the “Exceptional News and Public Affairs Programming” award for her work. While there, 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.
While with WMNF, Zimmerman produced a documentary about The Angelus, a nonprofit that provides residential care to adults and children with severe disabilities. Moved by their mission and work, Zimmerman joined the Board of Directors, where she continues to serve.
Zimmerman has advocacy journalism experience outside of WMNF, becoming headline editor of Free Speech Radio News, an internationally syndicated news program that sprang from the striking Pacifica Reporters Against Censorship.
After leaving Tampa and the broadcast sphere, Zimmerman turned her focus to education as a tool for justice. Under the auspices of the New York Department of Education and Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, she helped coach young science teachers in Title I schools, giving them the skills to communicate effectively with a diverse student body. Her recent research examines how exposure to multiple perspectives deepens understanding.
“I could not be happier that my journey has led me back to WMNF,” said Zimmerman. “It has earned its place as a bastion of the community through its unwavering pursuit of justice, and I’m excited to again be a part of that vital mission.”
