Blue Ridge Room
9/24/25, 8:30 PM
Panel
Tuned In: How Local Radio Served as a Lifeline Through Helene
Facilitated By
Crissa Sinkovic
Communications & Marketing
The panel will explore how local media played a critical role in anchoring and supporting the Asheville community during and after the storm.
When power and internet outages swept across the region, residents turned to local radio as their most reliable source of information. Twice-daily briefings at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. became vital lifelines to residents seeking information and support. Households and neighborhoods gathered around battery-powered radios and car stereos, listening to DJs, city officials, and community voices. These broadcasts offered more than just updates — they provided comfort, connection, and hope.
Panelists Include:
Eddie and Amanda Foxx (KISS Country)
Helen Chickering (Blue Ridge Public Radio)
Jose Sandoval (Blue Ridge Public Radio)
Mark Starling (WWNC-AM)
Eddie and Amanda Foxx are the hosts of “The Eddie Foxx Show” on 99.9 Kiss Country. Both born and raised in WNC, they are proud to call the mountains their home. They were the 2024 CMA Small Market Radio Personalities of the Year and 2024 CRS Small Market Radio Personalities of the Year. They love giving back to their community any way they can, and spending time with their three year old daughter Ellie Lynn.
Helen Chickering is the morning host and a reporter at Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, North Carolina. She joined BPR in 2014 after a career in television news, including helping launch the health and science desk at NBC News Channel. A veteran health and science journalist, Helen has reported extensively on public health, science, and community issues across Western North Carolina. She has also served on North Carolina’s Task Force on the Future of Local Public Health and is active in Asheville’s science community.
Jose Sandoval is the local All Things Considered host and general assignment reporter for Blue Ridge Public Radio. A fluent Spanish speaker, he's originally from Illinois. He previously served as a bilingual producer for WNIJ, a public radio station in his home state and was an intern with NPR before moving to Western North Carolina in October of 2023. Part of an award-winning team, he tries to fill in the gaps with education and immigration-related reporting.
Mark Starling serves as the Morning Show Host for NewsRadio 570am WWNC & News Director for the iHeart Radio Asheville cluster of stations. Starling currently lives in Black Mountain with his wife Brandee and stepson, Eli. Mark is a 25-year veteran of the radio world and has worked in markets in Florida, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina. Starling was on the air before, during and after Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina.
Crissa Requate Sinkovic is an integrated marketing and communications leader with more than 20 years of experience in strategic storytelling, media relations, and brand development. She currently serves as Director of University Marketing at UNC Asheville, where she leads a cross-functional team driving institutional visibility, award-winning creative campaigns, and record-setting student recruitment. Prior to higher education, she founded Mason Jar Media, a boutique publicity firm representing nationally recognized festivals, musicians, and Asheville-based brands. A connector at heart, Crissa brings a passion for collaboration, innovation, and community engagement to every endeavor.