06/02/2026
Why Free Radio Still Matters — And Why WMNF Community Radio Must Stay Fiercely Independent
In an era when corporate consolidation has swallowed newsrooms whole and algorithms decide what you see before you ever ask, free community radio isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a lifeline.
WMNF 88.5 FM exists because the airwaves belong to the public. Not to shareholders. Not to political donors. Not to the highest bidder. That means the voices you hear on this station, the reporters, the advocates, the community members telling their own stories, answer to you, not to a quarterly earnings report.
Today, that independence has never been more critical. Local news deserts are spreading across Florida and the country. Decisions that shape your neighborhood, your school board, your district lines, your rights — those decisions are being made with less scrutiny, less transparency, and less accountability than ever before. When the press goes quiet, power fills the silence.
WMNF doesn’t go quiet.
Shows like Making Connections exist because this station makes room for exactly that connecting real people to the issues, the leaders, and the movements shaping our community. From Florida redistricting to voting rights to the fights defining our collective future, Making Connections brings those conversations to you unfiltered, unsponsored, and unapologetically community-focused.
Free press isn’t free. It costs equipment, staff, time, and the stubborn commitment to stay independent when independence is inconvenient.
Your contribution to the WMNF Summer Fund Drive is a vote for the kind of media our democracy depends on. It keeps Making Connections on the air and this station community-funded, community-driven, and fiercely independent — exactly the way it should be.
Please give today!
Click on this link: https://giving.wmnf.org/-/NHJJTPMG
Patricia A. Alonzo Beulah Baptist Institutional Church Lisa Demmi Lisa Baker McLean Aileen Rodriguez For Hillsborough County Commission Kell Cameron for Florida State House District 65 Kell Cameron Fentrice Driskell Grace Hutchinson Mary Frances Leto Granell Betsy Braden Elizabeth Santeramo Michelle Mastrototaro Daniela Simic Kim N Deb Kimberly Overman Kimberly DeFalco Neil Manimala Dee Jones Tonia Nathan Jessica Vaughn Unitas Luis Viera Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera - District 7Will Atkins Jane Gibbons John Masters Cynthia Greenberger Weiss Fred Weiss Joshua Willis Caswell Bill CarlsonLaura LawsonKyandra Darling David Jolly Magnified Voices CAIRSara Peacock Bartos Sara Peacock for Circuit Court Judge Sara Kilker Ronald Weaver Karen M. Clay Benn Banneker Nila Pisciotto Benito Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida Tampa Bay Criminal Justice Summit Chris Taylor for Hillsborough County School Board District 2 Hillsborough Education Foundation Hillsborough County Democratic Public Education Caucus Vanessa Phillips Drew Vaughn
Free radio is DEMOCRACY in ACTION. WMNF 88.5FM stays fiercely independent, no corporate owners, no donors calling the shots. Shows like Making Connections bring YOU the truth.
