Arlington Independent Media’s flagship FM station is back on the airwaves — but beyond that, the troubled nonprofit has effectively gone radio silent.
Arlington listeners tuning into 96.7 FM can once again catch lo-fi beats on AIM’s public radio station, WERA. Every now and then, they’ll hear a message inviting them to listen online at WERA.fm.
That webpage isn’t in operation, however.
The only link on AIM’s website is a “donate” button, and its social media pages have been inactive for months. On the nonprofit’s YouTube, the most recent video is of a meeting from last October.
The nonprofit’s former president, Amanda MacKaye — who fought to bring WERA back on the air ahead of an impending deadline in March — informed ARLnow that she is no longer on the organization’s board of directors.
The board didn’t respond to requests for comment on this story.
No one from AIM has accessed the county’s transmission room since this winter, county spokesperson Ryan Hudson told ARLnow.
“AIM can access any facility where their property is stored; they only need to request access from County staff,” Hudson said. “The County has not received or fulfilled a request since early March.”
Additionally, AIM hasn’t received any county dollars since a February audit report revealed substantial gaps and errors in how the nonprofit handled some $2 million in county-provided funds.
Overall, despite repeated promises to reboot with a clear financial plan after the audit’s release, there are few signs of life for the public-access radio and television broadcaster established in the 1980s.
AIM hasn’t had any paid staff since March 2024, when the nonprofit laid off its entire staff — including CEO Whytni Kernodle — following months of financial uncertainty and internal divisions. Around that time, it also pulled the plug on WERA, which had been broadcasting an endless loop of lo-fi beats since December 2023.
Over the following months, AIM’s remaining leaders and members batted around ideas for fundraising and restarting programming, while also attempting to assist at least one former employee who took on significant personal debt for the organization.
The nonprofit reinvigorated its calls for county help in early February, as it faced an impending deadline to resume WERA broadcasting in order to keep its license with the Federal Communications Commission. AIM urged the county to release the results of an independent audit into the organization’s finances.
The county complied, publishing a report that suggested AIM failed to provide adequate documentation for over $1 million in expenditures, including payments to dozens of third-party contractors.
The shoddy documentation extended to $414,763 in costs incurred on credit and debit cards, as well as via checks, wire transfers and mobile payment apps. It included $18,254 to employees outside of the payroll, and $9,030 to Kernodle outside of the payroll.
Additionally, the audit firm RSM was unable to confirm how AIM spent $536,210 in capital grant funds provided by the county.
In an email to members, AIM’s volunteer leadership called the findings “deeply concerning” and “painful for all involved — the current AIM Board, our members, the County, and the Arlington community.”
At the time, Arlington County Board members were still determining what their future relationship with AIM would look like, spokesperson David Barrera told ARLnow.
These days, county involvement with the organization appears to be negligible.
“Specific questions on radio/WERA operations should be directed to AIM,” Hudson said.
