Jim Kent
News Director/
Morning News Anchor

Jim joined WFIR News/Talk 960 in January of 2008.

Jim grew up in Ashland, graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, and got his start in journalism working at Richmond radio stations WRVA and WRNL. He worked at television stations in Lynchburg, Portsmouth and Baton Rouge, Louisiana before coming to Roanoke in 1977. For most of his time in Roanoke, Jim was news director at WDBJ-7 Television.

Timothy Martin
Afternoon Anchor/Reporter

Timothy joined WFIR as a part-time reporter in May 2006.  In July, he began to split his time between WFIR and WDBJ-7.  In March of 2007, Timothy left WDBJ-7 to become a full-time anchor and reporter at WFIR.  In April 2010, Timothy was named afternoon anchor after friend and colleague Tom Williams passed away.

Timothy was WFIR’s go-to guy during the Virginia Tech Massacre in April of 2007.  He was one of the first reporters to arrive on the scene as the tragedy was unfolding.  In the days after the shootings, he filed live reports for WFIR, CNN, and MSNBC.

Timothy is originally from Franklin County, Virginia. He graduated from Radford University with a degree in broadcast journalism in May of 2006.  When he’s not behind the microphone, Timothy enjoys playing golf, tennis, and spending time with his wife Holly and their daughter Emma.

Velvet Hall
Producer/Reporter

Velvet is a Botetourt County native and graduate of James River High School. After 12 years as a licensed insurance agent, Velvet went back to school. She graduated from Liberty University in Lynchburg. She has a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Communications. While at Liberty, Velvet traveled to Israel with a group of about 1,500 students.

Velvet’s radio career started in the summer of 1999 as the assistant to Q99’s Promotions Director. During that time, she also served as an assistant and back-up for the announcer at the New River Valley Speedway (now the Motor Mile Speedway) in Radford.

Velvet started as a part-time reporter and board operator for WFIR in August 2005. She then went on to produce the Roanoke Valley’s Morning News, and anchor the morning news for WFIR’s sister station Vibe 100.   Velvet now continues her reporting responsibilities and produces Greg Roberts Live.

In her spare time, Velvet enjoys watching and going to NASCAR races. She also loves to read most anything that’s fact based, such as biographies.

Evan Jones
Anchor/Reporter

Evan joined WFIR as a part-time reporter in June 2008 and came aboard full-time in May of 2010. He currently anchors midday newscasts and reports for the afternoon and morning news.

Evan has spent more than 30 years in radio and television news in virtually all possible on-air and managerial roles. Most recently, he served as Executive Producer at WDBJ television.

Evan grew up in New England, graduating from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in Mass Communications. His wife Erin teaches middle and high school mathematics, and they have two grown children. When he is not at work, Evan devotes entirely too much time toward planning his next vacation — his travels include visits to 49 states.