New Friends Council


With a desire to enhance the regional and demographic diversity of the WVTF Friends Council, station staff and Friends Council chair Anna Lawson implemented the Friends Council’s first coordinated recruitment effort this summer. The campaign attracted 30 nominees from across the state. Eleven new members were selected to join the Friends Council, its largest cohort of new members to date. The incoming group is the youngest and most diverse group of members ever to join the Friends Council – and expands representation from WVTF’s southernmost broadcast region to its northernmost – with new members from Bristol, VA and Fredericksburg – as well as Charlottesville, Richmond, Lexington, Roanoke, Radford and Blacksburg. The new members were welcomed at the Friends Council’s Fall meeting on November 15th. Nearly 30 participants were at the meeting including a few WVTF staff members.
The purpose of the all-voluntary council is to review WVTF and Radio IQ programming and community services, offering ideas and suggestions. The council also:
- Assists staff in strengthening community relationships and partnerships.
- Advises station management on strategic decisions.
- Actively advocates for WVTF in regional communities and participates in community engagement activities.
- Assists in fund raising efforts as needed to help the station remain financially strong.
The Council meets several times a year. The meetings have been solely virtual since the Covid pandemic. Future meetings may be in person; however, given the various locations of our newest Council, virtual meetings hold advantages. We are thrilled with the turnout and enthusiasm of our new Council. For more information on the Friends Council and the nomination process, go to the FC page here on our website.