FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 31, 2022    View the original press release

Beloved radio host returns to bring evening jazz back to Tampa airwaves

Former WUSF Jazz Director Bob Seymour will host “Jazz in the Night,” Monday evenings on WMNF 88.5

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay jazz fans, rejoice! Jazz aficionado and listener-favorite radio host Bob Seymour will return to the Tampa airwaves on Monday, Nov. 7., with a new broadcast show, “Jazz in the Night,” on WMNF 88.5 FM. 

The announcement comes somewhat serendipitously after WUSF 89.7 FM announced that it would move its longstanding evening jazz broadcast to a digital-only platform. 

“Suddenly, it seems there’s a need for jazz on the airwaves, and it brings me back together with 88.5. I’ve been happy maintaining a presence in the area’s music scene in recent years, but I’ve missed the immediacy that comes with radio,” said Seymour, who retired in 2016 as jazz director after 35 years with WUSF 89.7. “I can’t wait to connect with listeners at 88.5, and to join the lineup of dedicated volunteers making great radio. I really appreciate the opportunity.”

WMNF Program Director Samantha Hval said plans to bring Seymour to WMNF have been in the works. 

“The timing is fortunate for the Tampa Bay community,” Hval said. “WMNF will now air back-to-back evening jazz shows, with ‘Colors of Jazz’ airing from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sundays and ‘Jazz in the Night’ at 9 p.m. on Mondays. With his expertise, Bob will provide the music that our community is craving, not only by playing jazz in its many iterations, but also to champion the local artists and bands that keep Tampa Bay vibrant. We are thrilled that he is joining our on-air team!”

Tampa jazz enthusiasts will remember Seymour as the long-time host of WUSF’s “All Night Jazz,” who often anchored local NPR news and hosted classical music programs. During his tenure, WUSF’s nightly jazz programming grew to 60 hours weekly, and received national recognition in the jazz community. 

Seymour said his return to broadcast radio on WMNF feels as much like a homecoming as a new adventure. In 1979-80, he was one of the station’s first on-air programmers sharing his in-depth knowledge of jazz and blues with listeners on Sunday evenings. He worked previously at several radio stations in Illinois and Florida “at a time when creative freedom was allowed to music hosts,” he said.

After a few months, Seymour left his WMNF volunteer position to accept a full-time news job in 1980, but he continued to be a fan and supporter of the non-profit radio station. In 1981 he made the move to Tampa and WUSF. 

“I’ve always been a fan, a member, always felt like part of the WMNF family,” Seymour said. “In fact, when I met my wife Marian (Martin) in the early ’80s, she was volunteering as host and producer of ‘The Women’s Show.’” Seymour and his wife are founding members of the Tampa Jazz Club, a non-profit that produces concerts and provides scholarships to jazz students. 

“Jazz in the Night” will replace “The Beauty Salon and Barbershop Blues Show with Frankie Grover,” which will air its last show on WMNF 88.5 tonight at 9 p.m. EDT.

For more information about “Jazz in the Night” or other WMNF programming, please contact Samantha Hval at sam@wmnf.org or call (813) 238-8001.

ABOUT WMNF 88.5 FM COMMUNITY RADIO: WMNF 88.5 FM is a listener-supported, volunteer-powered, commercial-free community radio station based in Tampa, Fla. Founded in 1979, WMNF celebrates cultural diversity and is committed to equality, peace, and social and economic justice by providing listener-inspired broadcasts (and other forums with a grassroots, local emphasis) to promote creative, musical, and political vitality. WMNF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization governed by the Nathan B. Stubblefield Foundation. For more information about WMNF 88.5 FM, visit WMNF.org.