WBZS/Roanoke, VA Ending Special COVID-19 Information Format

Ending Wednesday Night

FLINN BROADCASTING's WBZS/SHAWSVILLE-ROANOKE, VA will end its broadcasting of "COVID VIRGINIA" COVID-19 pandemic information on WEDNESDAY (6/10) at 11:59p (ET) with the end of Governor RALPH NORTHAM's stay-at-home order. FLINN donated the station's time starting in APRIL (NET NEWS 6/7) to air the noncommercial public service programming, which included iHEARTMEDIA's NBC NEWS RADIO and 24/7 NEWS SOURCE and material from GRAY TELEVISION CBS affiliate WDBJ-TV and GRAHAM MEDIA GROUP NBC affiliate WSLS-TV, with BACKBONE NETWORKS providing the technology for volunteers to broadcast from their home isolation.

Volunteer BILL TRIFIRO said, “I have never seen such a coming together in the broadcast world. It just solidified in my mind that in 2020 we are moving toward a better normal.... Most importantly, we want to thank our volunteer broadcasters, many of whom lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and still they donated hundreds of hours of their time and expertise to help with the mission of being together in isolation."

“This isn’t a mission accomplished kind of moment,” said Volunteer ROB RUTHENBERG. “We know that COVID-19 will be affecting lives in this region and around the world for a very long time, but we take solace in having provided a service to the best of our ability to the community that we love so much.”

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