Cardinal News is expanding into the New River Valley in a big way — and this is just the beginning.

In this episode of The Cardinal: News of Virginia, host Lisa Rowan talks with Audience Engagement and Retention Manager Laura Kebede-Twumasi about the launch of Cardinal’s first location-specific weekly newsletter dedicated to the New River Valley, now the newsroom’s second-largest readership region after Roanoke. Covering Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Montgomery County, Pulaski County, Floyd County, Giles County, Wythe County, Carroll County and Bland County, this expansion marks a major investment in local journalism, nonprofit news and community-driven reporting across Southwest Virginia.

They discuss how stronger New River Valley coverage will mean more agenda stories before public meetings, deeper community engagement, in-person conversations to rebuild trust in media and a region-wide audience survey to shape future reporting. The goal is clear: build lasting support, listen first and lay the groundwork for a dedicated full-time reporter serving the New River Valley.

If you care about the future of local news in Virginia, community accountability and growing trusted journalism in rural communities, this episode is a front-row seat to what’s next.