From Listening to Action: The Next Phase of the Route 220 Information Project

From Listening to Action: The Next Phase of the Route 220 Information Project
By Danny Cardwell

Last year, Allegheny Mountain Radio shared the results of a six-month Community Information Ecosystem Assessment focused on the Route 220 corridor, also known locally as Sam Snead Highway. That work was supported by a $20,000 Playbook Grant from the Listening Post Collective (LPC), a national organization that helps strengthen community journalism by starting with a simple idea: communities understand their own information needs when someone takes the time to listen.

The purpose of that first phase was to understand how people in Bath County actually receive and share information. Instead of relying on assumptions, we gathered local data through surveys, listening sessions, and direct observation of the places where information moves every day.

The Route 220 corridor was chosen intentionally. It serves as the economic and social spine of Bath County. Major institutions—including The Omni Homestead Resort, Garth Newel Music Center, Bath Community Hospital, Valley Supermarket IGA, and many small businesses—sit along that route. Tourism, healthcare, retail, and community life intersect there, making it one of the most active information pathways in the region.

During the assessment, we collected 103 in-person surveys at community events including the Bath County Bluegrass Jamboree, AMR’s Spring Fundraiser, and summer gatherings such as Independence Day and National Night Out. We also hosted three listening sessions at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where residents shared how they receive news, what sources they trust, and where they sometimes struggle to find reliable information.

Those conversations highlighted something many rural communities already understand: information rarely travels through a single channel. It moves through personal relationships, trusted institutions, community bulletin boards, and local radio.

As we move into the next stage of the project—the Seed Phase—Allegheny Mountain Radio will test what we’re calling a “Cork Board to Town Crier” information pipeline. The idea is simple: responsibly collect time-sensitive community postings from these information hubs, verify them, and share them through AMR’s Town Crier broadcast.

As part of this effort, AMR will host community workshops demonstrating how organizations can submit announcements and how local information can move more efficiently through existing channels. We will also introduce volunteer news pathway sessions designed to give interested community members an accessible introduction to the basics of local journalism and how stories are developed at the station.

This article builds on the earlier story, “Listening, Trust, and Route 220: What We Learned from the LPC Project,” which explains the findings from the first phase of the assessment.

Here is a link to the full Community Information Ecosystem Assessment report for readers who would like to explore the survey data and methodology in greater detail.

As this work continues, our goal remains the same as when the project began: to strengthen the flow of reliable local information along the Route 220 corridor by listening carefully to the community it serves.

— Danny Cardwell
Allegheny Mountain Radio