Roanoke, VA – As of Monday, July 3, Roanoke City Council meetings will be broadcast using Facebook Live on the new Roanoke City Council Facebook page, located at facebook.com/roanokecitycouncil. Citizens can watch meetings live and comment on topics in real time. The meetings will also be stored on Facebook for future playback. The new City Council Facebook page will also feature information on future meetings and Council initiatives.
Over the past month, the Office of Citizen Engagement and the Department of Technology have been testing City Council meeting broadcasts using Facebook Live, and Monday will be the roll out for the first full City Council Meeting. “This is a great way for residents in Roanoke to stay informed with City Council while on the go! As more and more residents turn to social media for news and information, this is a great way to engage with them and get their feedback on council-related initiatives and projects,” said Citizen Engagement Officer Timothy Martin.
The city has more than 60 social media pages and nearly 200,000 followers on all of those pages combined. Nearly 4,000 users tuned into portions of the city’s Facebook Live test on Monday, June 19, far more than typical viewership on the city’s website stream. City Council Meetings will also continue to be broadcast through RVTV on Cox Cable Channel 3. The city will use RVTV’s feed for the Facebook Live broadcasts.
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