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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

WHQR Announces Michelle Rhinesmith Named as WHQR Station Manager

Michelle Rhinesmith

The Friends of Public Radio, Inc. Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Michelle Rhinesmith has accepted the position as Station Manager for WHQR Public Radio, serving the greater Wilmington Community at 91.3 and 92.7fm. Rhinesmith assumes her role on August 15, succeeding retiring Station Manager Cleve Callison. Rhinesmith is charged with building upon the great growth overseen by Callison and making sure the station remains both financially healthy and relevant to the local public radio audience.

In accepting the role, Rhinesmith noted, “I am very excited to join such a vibrant station and meet the listeners who make up such a thriving public radio community."

Rhinesmith joins WHQR from her current role as On-Air and On-Line Fundraising Producer for WMFE in Orlando, Florida.  In this role, she was actively involved in development activities, fundraising campaigns and special events. Prior to joining WMFE, Rhinesmith spent twenty years working at WQCS in Ft. Pierce, FL.  She began her career at WQCS as a college intern, subsequently holding almost every role from business manager to programmer, the final two years serving as the interim station manager. Feedback about Rhinesmith was overwhelmingly positive, her associates calling her an extraordinary leader who can handle all aspects of the station from making great programming decisions to fixing the transmitter.

Rhinesmith has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Maryland and two Associates degree, one in business administration and one in film and television production, both obtained at Phillips Junior College in Melbourne, Fl. 

Jeff Smith, Chairman of the Friends of Public Radio Board, said of Rhinesmith’s hire, “We feel extremely lucky to have attracted Michelle to this role. She impressed our search committee with her clear knowledge of the public radio space, her passion for the future and value of public radio, and her genuine and open personality. We have worked diligently to right the ship under Cleve’s leadership and we believe that Michelle can help us envision and reach the right ports for future success.”

Rhinesmith is moving to Wilmington during the month of August. She is looking forward to becoming actively engaged with the WHQR staff and listeners and introducing new people to the station. She is committed to the Board’s strategic goals of increased diversity, improved and enhanced technology and the long-term sustainability of operations.