WVTF
WVTF Music | |
History | |
---|---|
First air date | August 1, 1973 |
Former call signs | WVWR-FM (1973–1982) |
Former frequencies | 90.1 MHz (1973–1975)[1] |
Call sign meaning | Virginia Tech Foundation |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 70338 |
Class | C |
ERP | 100,000 watts |
HAAT | 600 meters (1,988 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°11′56.0″N 80°09′2.0″W / 37.198889°N 80.150556°W |
Translator(s) | See § Low power translators |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | wvtf.org |
WVTF (89.1
WVTF has an
History
WVWR-FM
The station signed on the air on August 1, 1973, as WVWR-FM (Virginia Western Radio) licensed to Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke.[5] It was used primarily to air college telecourses and give broadcasting students a chance to hone their skills.
In 1975, WVWR-FM's transmitter was moved from Fishburn Hall on the VWCC campus to Poor Mountain, where most of Roanoke's major radio and television stations have their transmitters. The power also was increased from 4,100 watts to 100,000 watts. The power boost tripled its coverage area, giving it at least secondary coverage in much of central and southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia and northern North Carolina. In 1979, WVWR-FM began the Radio Reading Service on its subcarrier frequency.
Virginia Tech Foundation
In 1981, state officials decided that no state agency should directly own a radio station, and Virginia Western was forced to sell. The Virginia Tech Foundation, financially independent of Virginia Tech but controlled by school leadership, expressed interest in buying the station. It not only wanted to preserve public radio in the region, but saw WVWR as a way to increase Virginia Tech's ties to Roanoke.[6] The foundation formally took control in 1982 and initially applied for the call sign WRVT before settling on WVTF.[7] Over the next decade, WVTF built translator after translator to better serve its mostly mountainous coverage area.
From 1980 to 2017, WVTF and its repeaters maintained a schedule typical of full-service public radio stations, with NPR news in drive times, classical music during the day and overnight, and various special music and talk programming on nights and weekends.
Rebranding as Radio IQ
In 2003, WVTF launched Radio IQ in order to provide a secondary schedule consisting only of news/talk programming, including retransmission of the
On July 10, 2017, Radio IQ became WVTF's main service, and the station itself rebranded from "WVTF Public Radio" to "Radio IQ". Three of the five existing Radio IQ stations (WVTW, WQIQ, and WRIQ) merged with WVTF and its network (WVTR, WVTU, and WISE-FM) to place the news and talk schedule on as many full-powered signals as possible. A new companion service,
WRIQ Richmond
Radio IQ's programming had been heard in portions of the Greater Richmond Region on low-powered translator W223AZ (92.5 FM) since 2009.[12] In October 2019, WVTF purchased WNVU (89.7 FM) in nearby Charles City, Virginia. That station began simulcasting Radio IQ programming in January 2020 under the new call letters WRIQ.
WRIQ brings a full-powered Radio IQ signal to Richmond for the first time. That puts it in direct competition with Richmond-based NPR member WCVE-FM. WCVE has its own network of rebroadcasters known as the VPM News Service.
Stations
Full power stations
All stations broadcast using HD Radio technology, with "WVTF Music" on its HD2 subchannel.[13][14][15]
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WIQR | 88.7 FM | Lexington, Virginia | 3,900 | A | FCC |
WRIQ | 89.7 FM | Charles City, Virginia | 27,000 | B1 | FCC |
WQIQ | 88.3 FM | Spotsylvania, Virginia |
3,500 | A | FCC |
WVTF[a] | 89.1 FM | Roanoke, Virginia | 100,000 | C | FCC |
WVTR | 91.9 FM | Marion, Virginia | 4,500 | C2 | FCC |
WVTU | 89.3 FM | Charlottesville, Virginia (west) | 195 | B1 | FCC |
WVTW | 88.5 FM | Charlottesville, Virginia (city) | 1,000 | B1 | FCC |
Notes:
- ^ Radio IQ flagship station
The following stations broadcast Radio IQ on a part-time basis:
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info | Broadcast times |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WEHC | 90.7 FM | Emory, Virginia | 8,700 | C3 | FCC | 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays[16] |
WISE-FM | 90.5 FM | Wise, Virginia | 220 | A | FCC | 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays[17] |
WLUR | 91.5 FM | Lexington, Virginia | 175 | A | FCC | 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; various additional timeslots[18] |
Translators
In addition to the main stations, Radio IQ is relayed by an additional 6 translators to widen its broadcast area. It can also be heard on WURV-HD3 in Richmond (which also feeds translator W223AZ).[19]
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W212BP | 90.3 FM | Clintwood, Virginia | 1 | D | FMQ | Relays WISE-FM |
W217BF | 91.3 FM | Pound, Virginia | 1 | D | FMQ | Relays WISE-FM |
W219CJ | 91.7 FM | Norton, Virginia | 50 | D | FMQ | Relays WISE-FM |
W223AZ | 92.5 FM | Richmond, Virginia | 220 | D | FMQ | Relays WURV-HD3 |
W230BD | 93.9 FM | Lovingston, Virginia | 10 | D | FMQ | Relays WVTF |
W235BT | 94.9 FM | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 80 | D | FMQ | Relays WQIQ |
References
- FCC.
- ^ "WVTF Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WVTF
- ^ "HD Radio station guide for Roanoke–Lynchburg, VA". Archived from the original on 2016-09-15.
- ^ a b [email protected] 981–3338, Ralph Berrier Jr. "WVTF and Radio IQ will switch signals July 10". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "WVTF Public Radio Studio". Virginia Tech Foundation.
- ^ "Call letters" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 8, 1982. p. 118.
- ^ Corbin, Robert (March 14, 2003). "Radio IQ searches for home". VARTV.
- ^ "Programming and frequency changes coming to WVTF and RADIO IQ". Virginia Tech.
- ^ Venta, Lance (15 June 2017). "WVTF To Shuffle Frequencies Of Music & Radio IQ Outlets Across Virginia". RadioInsight.
- ^ "Home | WVTF RADIO IQ". WVTF RADIO IQ. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
- ^ "RADIO IQ/WVTF to Expand Richmond Coverage Area This Fall". www.wvtf.org. 10 October 2019.
- ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Station Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Station Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ "HD (Digital) Radio". wvtf.org. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ "Radio IQ". www.ehc.edu. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
- ^ "WEHC Widens Signal to become WEHC, Emory, and WISE-FM, Wise". 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
- ^ "Weekly Schedule". Washington and Lee University. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
- ^ "WVTF/Radio IQ Post-Flip Schedule" (PDF). Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
External links
- WVTF Public Radio Online
- Radio IQ
- WVTF in the FCC FM station database
- WVTF in Nielsen Audio's FM station database