Juanita Hurtado Huérfano

At WMNF 88.5 FM, our mission is not a slogan framed on a wall. It is something we live, on the air, in our newsroom, and in the people we choose to bring into this community. That’s why welcoming Juanita Hurtado as our new Assistant News Director is more than a hire. It’s a statement. It’s a commitment. It’s community radio in action.

A Journey — In Every Sense of the Word

Juanita started at the beginning of this year. She drove from Colorado to Tampa in the middle of winter in an electric car. Yes, you read that right. A full winter odyssey across states, charging stations, snow, and uncertainty. But no winter storm was going to stop her.

There’s something poetic about that journey. Because Juanita didn’t just travel miles to get here, she carried with her a powerful vision of journalism rooted in integrity, activism, culture, and language rights. And now, that voice belongs to Tampa Bay.

From Bogotá to Boulder to Tampa

Juanita hails from Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, a city celebrated as a birthplace of many of Latin America’s most influential writers and journalists. Literature, storytelling, and sharp political thinking are part of its DNA. Her love for writing started early. She told me that when her mom realized how much she enjoyed reading and writing, she said something beautifully practical:

“That’s great. But you need to eat and pay your bills.”

So Juanita chose journalism. (That sounds familiar. I made a similar decision 35 years ago.) She earned her degree in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder, with minors in creative writing and linguistics, a combination that explains her precision with language and her deep respect for storytelling.

Before arriving at WMNF, Juanita helped rebuild and lead a struggling community radio newsroom in Colorado. She didn’t just report stories, she built infrastructure. She recruited volunteers. She created editorial systems. She opened a Spanish-language department. She expanded programming. She helped recover an FCC license.

By the time she graduated, the newsroom had grown from a handful of producers to 80 volunteers and had collected over 40 awards, including multiple National Mark of Excellence Awards.

Most recently, she won 1st Place (tie) in the Student Audio Competition, Comedy or Drama category, at the BEA Festival of Media Arts for Ruidosas Episode 14: Las Brujas de Cachiche. 🎧 Enjoy here.

Journalism That Makes You Think

Juanita told us that one of the first shows she heard on WMNF was an episode of Midpoint that didn’t just report the news, it questioned it. It zoomed out. It asked listeners to think critically about media noise and transparency.

That’s the kind of journalism that inspires her. Not reactive. Not shallow. Thought-provoking. Engaged. Responsible. And already, in just a short time, she is making her mark with stories that reflect those values. You can read her stories at WMNF here.

Diversity in Real Terms

Let’s be clear: diversity isn’t a checkbox. It’s not a photo op. It’s not a trend. It’s people. It’s leadership. It’s voice.

In a time when division feels louder than ever, WMNF is demonstrating what inclusion looks like in practice. Our newsroom reflects the community we serve. Our microphones are open in more than one language. Our stories understand borders, because we’ve crossed them. And that matters in Tampa Bay. A region as diverse as ours deserves a newsroom that understands its complexity.

The Future Sounds Like This

Community radio works best when it evolves, when it listens, when it opens doors, when it invites new energy into the room. Juanita brings intelligence. She brings warmth. She brings discipline. She brings vision. She brings a deep respect for language and the communities it serves. And maybe most importantly, she brings that unstoppable drive that carried her across a winter highway to get here.

WMNF doesn’t just talk about mission. We live it. Welcome, Juanita. Tampa Bay is better because you’re here. 🎙️