90.7 WMFE WINS GOLDEN DRAGON AWARD
Asian American Chamber award acknowledges outstanding service to community
ORLANDO – The Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida awarded the prestigious 2016 Golden Dragon Award to 90.7 WMFE, acknowledging the Central Florida-based non-profit for its outstanding service, leadership and commitment to community.
90.7 WMFE, recipient of the Asian Chamber’s highest honor, was recognized at the Seventh Annual Golden Dragon Awards gala on October 1, 2016, along with the recipients in other categories, including Tupperware Brands, local writer Ricky Ly, Pearl White Events and Sus Hi Eatstation.
LaFontaine E. Oliver, president and general manager of 90.7 WMFE, accepted the Golden Dragon Award on behalf of the station.
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WMFE president LaFontaine Oliver accepts the Golden Dragon award.[/caption]
“I am grateful for the recognition bestowed upon 90.7 WMFE from the Asian American Chamber of Commerce with their Golden Dragon Award,” Oliver said. “It was an honor to accept the award acknowledging the significant positive impact that 90.7 WMFE public radio for Central Florida provides our community. We take seriously our charge to inform and engage Central Floridians.”
90.7 WMFE is a non-profit, member-supported, community-based public broadcasting company that operates 90.7 WMFE-FM, metro Orlando’s primary provider of NPR programming; and 90.7-2 Classical. Part of the community since 1985, 90.7 WMFE, educates, inspires entertains and reflects the Central Florida community by presenting high-quality news and information content that earns the interest, involvement and support of the people they serve.
The station has spent the last 36 years making a significant impact on the Central Florida community. The station's community events are a great example of that. A public service, the free Speaker Series exposes their audience to local and national hosts and explores topics such as religious tolerance, Florida history, financial planning and community-based storytelling. The station sponsors and attends a diverse group of organizations' community events, from the Asian American Cultural Festival and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities to the Caribbean American Heritage Month Festival and Hispanic Business Conference & Expo.
Over the past three years, the station has pursued a strategy to grow local news presence and the ability to cover diverse communities. When the Pulse Nightclub shooting broke on a Sunday morning in June this year, the 90.7 WMFE news team sprung into action, offering measured and trusted continuing coverage of the tragedy, not only in hard news but in features and a special discussion forum that humanized the victims, fostering our listeners' understanding of the events and helping the healing process. WMFE's reporters were also tapped by national and international networks to offer additional coverage and analysis, with far-reaching effects.
The local news and conversation show "Intersection" was expanded to two days a week in 2015 to allow more coverage of the issues important to the community and a call-in component to engage with listeners. The news team created several in-depth series, including Broken Lagoon (on the failing health of the Indian River Lagoon), Pregnant & Poor (on the decline of prenatal care in Florida), Little Vietnam (the state’s largest Vietnamese community is here in Central Florida), and Parramore (a historically African American neighborhood in transition).
Also this year, the station launched the Young Friends of 90.7 WMFE, an initiative to connect and engage with young (and young-at-heart) public radio listeners. Young Friends hosted a poetry slam, listening parties and appointed a leadership council.
The station hosts an on-air and online community calendar as a public service to local arts and service organizations. The station continues to expand its web, mobile and social presence in order to more fully engage its audience. That includes launching a mobile app to better connect with listeners where they are.
Visit wmfe.org to learn more about 90.7 WMFE and to get involved!