Blue Ridge Public Radio has named Jose Sandoval as its afternoon host and reporter and Felicia Sonmez as its growth and development reporter. With these new hires, BPR doubled its news staff from three to six full-time roles in 2023.
Sandoval joined BPR on Monday, October 2, and will cover general regional news topics and produce local news reports and newscasts for BPR’s digital and broadcast platforms. He will host Fresh Air and the afternoon newsmagazine All Things Considered, 3 to 6 PM weekdays on BPR. Sonmez will join on Monday, October 30, reporting on growth and development as a key coverage area for the organization.
"We are very fortunate to add two incredibly talented individuals to the news team,” BPR News Director Laura Lee said. “Jose and Felicia bring a wealth of experience and skills to their new roles, and we look forward to the expanded coverage we will be able to provide with their presence."
Bilingual in Spanish and English, Sandoval previously worked in public media, most recently as a Digital Producer at Northern Public Radio in DeKalb, Illinois. He also served as an intern for NPR’s Content Development Team on several podcast launches.
"The opportunity to join such a talented news staff in a moment where it's growing is what really attracted me here,” Sandoval said. “I'm excited to be a part of it! !Vamos¡”
Sonmez worked as a print journalist for more than a dozen years, most recently as a national political reporter for The Washington Post. From 2013 to 2018, she was based in Beijing, where she worked as a China correspondent for the international wire service Agence France-Presse and as an editor for The Wall Street Journal. She also spent a year in advanced Chinese language study as a Blakemore Fellow at Tsinghua University.
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Blue Ridge Public Radio and can’t wait to get to work reporting on the issues that matter to Western North Carolinians,” Sonmez said. “At a time when the role of local news organizations is more important than ever, BPR has made clear its unwavering commitment to high-quality, independent journalism that serves and reflects its community. I’m honored to be part of that vital work.”
As an anchor and an established collaborator of the Western North Carolina news ecosystem and the largest NPR affiliate in the region, BPR is investing in its audience-first, data-driven news culture and its mission in sustaining and expanding the impact and reach of public service journalism.
