Central Florida Public Media
New Name, Same Purpose
44 years of service. One new name.
Since 1980, 90.7 WMFE has served Central Florida through fact-based journalism. Over the years, our community has grown and evolved and while the public radio station kept pace, adding on-demand content online and via their app, their name wasn’t reflective of that. So, it came time to establish the brand beyond their position on the radio dial.
Research & Strategy, Account Service, Creative, Media, Public Relations
Not only did we take on the task of renaming and rebranding a beloved local institution, but we did so while maintaining the integrity that is essential to the nonprofit organization’s mission and vision.
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Outgrowing an Identity
Since WMFE was founded, the media landscape has rapidly evolved. A fact that’s especially true of the latter half of their existence. With these changes, it came time to reimagine the brand in a way that clearly communicated the breadth and depth of their reporting. They needed a name that demonstrated they’re more than a radio station and NPR affiliate while underlining their function as a trusted, factual news organization catering to Central Florida’s vibrant and diverse community. As if that weren’t enough, the multi-media company needed to address people’s mistrust of news and confusion regarding WMFE’s nonprofit and independent status.
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Embracing an Evolution
It was time to move away from the traditional call letters of a radio station as its core brand and craft a name that established the organization as a trusted community voice that listens, identifies key issues, and brings the community together to discuss them in a multitude of content formats.
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Refreshing a Brand, Renewing a Promise
To better understand current brand perception, &Barr’s Account Service Team employed an array of strategic research, including staff and community focus groups, in-depth interviews with donors, board members and sponsors, two online studies with current and prospective audience members and a competitive analysis. Using these findings, &Barr not only pitched an exhaustive list of new name and tagline options but also developed the new brand’s personality, tone and voice, key messaging and value proposition. After careful deliberation, WMFE narrowed in on their new identity, Central Florida Public Media. A name that speaks directly to their purpose and the community they serve. Following the name selection, &Barr began crafting its visual voice, which consisted of a new logo, mark and color palette.
When the client was ready to unveil its transformed brand, the new identity was launched across Central Florida Public Media channels and in local media via print ads in local publications and on Meta. &Barr’s Public Relations team developed key messages and talking points for all stakeholders to use with the consistent and concise language needed to speak to the rebrand. These talking points were cascaded out through their Board, internal audiences and then to media and the public. Being a media outlet, we realized it would be essential for the organization to convey its own narrative. With this in mind, the team strategically sourced awards and speaking opportunities to support the rebrand, which included the brand’s GM discussing the critical need for local journalism and how the rebrand supports the necessity.
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RESULTS
Since the launch of Central Florida Public Media’s new name and rebrand in April 2024, it has been widely embraced by all major stakeholders within the organization and, possibly more importantly, Central Florida itself. The media campaign that communicated this significant change garnered over 9 million impressions on social media and through local publications.
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