Ron Council

John Ronald Council (born October 20, 1939 in Birmingham; died June 8, 2014) was a public relations professional and vice president of communications for Metro Monitor.

Council graduated from Ensley High School and Birmingham-Southern College. He worked as a reporter, photographer and editor for the Birmingham Post-Herald, United Press International, the Camden Courier Post in New Jersey, the St Petersburg Times in Florida, and the Shades Valley Sun. He served a term as vice president of the Birmingham Press Club.

Council was a founder of the Advertising & Art Council, Inc., an advertising firm with offices in the former Avondale Fire Station at 412 41st Street South in Avondale. He was also director of advertising for Key Royal Automotive Group. As a public relations professional he served as director of communication for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, editing its magazine, The Voice. He was a founding member and president of the Alabama chapter of the Religious Public Relations Council of America. He was also director of public information for Birmingham-Southern College.

Council was a two-time president of the Birmingham Ad Club (now the Birmingham Chapter of the American Advertising Federation). In 1993 he and his wife, Martha, founded Metro Monitor, a broadcast monitoring service. He served the firm as vice president of communications and later was elected president of the International Association of Broadcast Monitors.

AAF-Birmingham gave Council their "Silver Medal" award in 2007. He was inducted into the Southern Public Relations Federation's Hall of Fame in 2013.

Council has also volunteered his service with the Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services system committee, as scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 111, and as a founding board member of I Believe in Birmingham.

Council died in June 2014. He was survived by his wife, Martha; two children, Bryan and Thyme, and two grandsons.

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