Fred Echols
Producer and ReporterFred Echols is a long-time member of the WVTF Music/RADIO IQ news department and produces news content as well as public affairs programs. Fred's career in broadcasting began in North Carolina's Triad before switching from commercial radio, where he'd held numerous positions including program director. He was a long-time host of All Things Considered on WVTF and Radio IQ, and listeners still hear him on Radio IQ news programs, including during Cardinal Conversations features. He's also heard during our on-air fund drives.
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Some of the lesser-known stories of the American Revolution involve the thousands of enslaved people who fought on both sides. One of them was Cesar Tarrant who served in the Virginia Navy.Fred Echols spoke with Randy Walker who wrote about Tarrant for a Cardinal News series marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. -
Virginia community college students looking to transfer to a four-year school have faced a daunting maze of inconsistent policies and procedures. Now the state is looking to make it easier for them.Fred Echols spoke with Lisa Rowan who reports on education issues for Cardinal News.
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A bill proposed in the Virginia General Assembly by Senator Creigh Deeds would give the state authority to approve major renewable energy projects that county governments might otherwise reject.Fred Echols spoke with Matt Busse who's covering that story for Cardinal News.
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Public school enrollment in Virginia is expected to decline by 2.9% over the next five years. The main factor in the decrease is something the government may not be able to change.Fred Echols spoke with Dwayne Yancey from Cardinal News who's been looking at the data.
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As coal mining declined in southwestern Virginia, towns that relied on coal money fell on hard times as well.In the Wise County town of Pound, financial chaos and political strife were so extreme that in 2022 the General Assembly threatened to dissolve the town and withdraw its charter.But things are looking up in Pound. Fred Echols spoke with Megan Schnabel who has written a series of stories about drama for Cardinal News.
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Virginia is still working to achieve its goal of bringing broadband internet to the entire state. But it's a complex process that requires utility companies and internet service providers to work together on improving – and paying for – infrastructure.Fred Echols spoke with Tad Dickens who's reporting on the issue for Cardinal News.
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Virginia's deer population is at one million and growing, with the increase most apparent in cities and suburbs. At the same time fewer people are hunting deer in the state.The result is more traffic accidents involving deer and more plants disappearing from back yards. Fred Echols spoke with Mark Taylor who wrote about the deer population for Cardinal News.
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Virginia community college students – especially those in rural areas – often face challenges that more traditional students in four-year colleges don't have to worry about. As a result, community colleges are always looking for ways to meet their students' needs.Fred Echols spoke with Cardinal News education reporter Lisa Rowan how community colleges are working to help students complete their studies.
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A new report from the General Assembly's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission describes the ongoing shortage of affordable childcare in Virginia. Dwayne Yancey with Cardinal News has been studying that report and shared some of what he found in it with Fred Echols.
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Among the most infamous events of the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia was Bloody Monday, the day in 1963 when police in Danville beat and arrested protesters on the streets of downtown. Those arrested that day – and during continuing protests – were largely convicted in non-public trials run by a segregationist judge.Audio recordings of those trials are now available to the public in Danville and Richmond. Fred Echols spoke with Grace Mamon of Cardinal News, who's been researching the struggle for civil rights in Danville for a series of stories.
