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At a time when other news outlets are making deep cuts, Central Florida Public Media is expanding and adding engaging local programs.
After nearly 44 years of service to Central Florida, WMFE radio is now Central Florida Public Media. Our rebrand goes beyond the cosmetic. It clearly communicates who we are and our commitment to the region we serve; and it reflects the growth and evolution of our mission.
Since signing on the air in 1980, we have grown from a single radio station into a multimedia news organization, with our public service available wherever and whenever our community needs it. Our journalism is still available on our two radio frequencies, 90.7 and 89.5 FM, as well as online at cfpublic.org, on our podcasts, social media channels, the Central Florida Public Media app and engaging community events throughout the year.
We are the only local, nonprofit news organization serving our entire nine-county region, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. At a time when other news outlets are making deep cuts, Central Florida Public Media is expanding our robust local newsroom and adding engaging local programs, like our new weekday show “Engage” and our weekly news podcast “The Wrap.” We are fully committed to empowering our region with trustworthy, independent journalism that amplifies the voices of our community.
We are making these investments because communities with strong local news are more connected and civically active, with higher participation in down-ballot elections and in groups like the PTA and the neighborhood watch. Government and corporate corruption are lower in these communities, and so is the cost of municipal borrowing. But the business model that supported a vibrant local journalism ecosystem in this country has collapsed over the past 20 years; 1,800 towns have lost their only local news source. Fewer than half as many reporters are covering their communities compared to a few decades ago. Our region has not been immune to this trend.
Central Florida Public Media is also proud to be Central Florida’s primary provider of NPR programming, but we are not owned or funded by NPR. Almost 90% of our funding comes from right here in Central Florida, through individual donations and local business sponsorships. We are governed exclusively by a local Board of Trustees, which is particularly important because local news should be locally owned. That is becoming increasingly rare, with local outlets being snatched up by profit-driven companies with no local connection and no interest in supporting and protecting a free press.
Central Florida Public Media is committed to rebuilding and preserving independent local journalism for this region, but we cannot do it alone. Future-proofing access to trustworthy news and information requires our community to invest in local journalism like it invests in education, healthcare, the arts and social services. Central Florida’s local news organizations must work together, along with our local philanthropic and business leaders, to build and support the strong, sustainable local journalism ecosystem our region deserves.
Judith Smelser is the President and General Manager of Central Florida Public Media, previously known by its radio call letters WMFE, with local, national and international news and conversation on cfpublic.org, 90.7 WMFE, 89.5 WMFV.
