“All of us who depended on the music for expanding waves of harmony and well-being to soothe ears already inflamed by too much news are plumb out of luck.”

“All of us who depended on the music for expanding waves of harmony and well-being to soothe ears already inflamed by too much news are plumb out of luck.”
Coinciding with the 101st anniversary Nov. 2 of the first commercially licensed broadcast in the U.S., Xpress spoke with representatives from three local stations about the advantages and disadvantages of operating without commercial aid, as well as why radio remains a steady force in many people’s lives despite an ever-increasing number of news and entertainment options.
Xpress, along with the Asheville Citizen Times, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Carolina Public Press and Asheville Watchdog, had incurred nearly $4,200 in attorney fees after suing Asheville over its plan to hold a March 31 City Council retreat behind closed doors.
The decision comes after a coalition of media outlets, including Mountain Xpress, took legal action to block the city of Asheville from holding a five-hour closed door meeting.
A coalition of media organizations takes legal action to ask courts to open the publicly-funded meeting.
Former Xpress managing editor Jon Elliston shares his recap of key developments in 2020’s local media landscape.
It’s time to celebrate the creativity of our community’s response to the pandemic, even as we acknowledge the pain, uncertainty and loss that surely still lie ahead. Community members weigh in on the successes that fill them with pride as they look back on 2020.
Xpress Assistant Editor Daniel Walton and local community figures discuss how the year’s events have accelerated many of the issues that were already facing Western North Carolina.
Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis, candidates for the North Carolina congressional seat left vacant by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have both agreed to appear at a two-day joint forum hosted by three of the district’s largest media outlets.
“I see this as just another cog in the ever-growing cloud machine that is turning Asheville into a franchised, syndicated city, instead of a place with its own unique roots and culture.”
Five Citizen Times journalists were among dozens laid off across the company by Gannett Co. Radio station BPR announced a new development director, while Xpress added two new editorial staffers.
Local media operations mostly held their own in 2018. While the Citizen Times staff are now tenants in their historic building in downtown Asheville, the paper bagged first place for general excellence in a statewide competition (from which Xpress also brought home a plentiful array of awards). Learn what media expert Jon Elliston found notable on the local media scene in 2018.
A Facebook Live forum hosted by Blue Ridge Public Radio and the Mountain Xpress on Wednesday, Oct. 17, offered District 2 candidates Glenda Weinert and Amanda Edwards an opportunity to address issues like affordable housing, opioid abuse, and the omnipresent criminal investigation into former county officials.