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(Redirected fromRadio IQ)
"WIQR" redirects here. For the former station in Prattville, Alabama, seeWIQR (Alabama).
Not to be confused withWTVF.
WVTF
Broadcast areaSouthwest VirginiaandCentral Virginia
Frequency89.1MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingRadio IQ
Programming
FormatPublic radio/talk
Subchannels
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WVTF Music
History
First air date
August 1, 1973
(51 years ago)(1973-08-01)
Former call signs
WVWR-FM (1973–1982)
Former frequencies
90.1 MHz (1973–1975)[1]
Call signmeaning
Virginia Tech Foundation
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID70338
ClassC
ERP100,000watts
HAAT600 meters (1,988 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°11′56.0″N80°09′2.0″W/ 37.198889°N 80.150556°W/37.198889; -80.150556
Translator(s)See § Low power translators
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewvtf.org

WVTF(89.1FM) is anon-commercial educationalradio stationlicensed to serveRoanoke, Virginia,featuring apublic radioformat branded "Radio IQ". Owned byVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University(Virginia Tech) through its fundraising arm, theVirginia Tech Foundation,[3]the station carries programming fromNPR,thePublic Radio Exchange,American Public Mediaand theBBC World Service.WVTF is a listener-supported station, holding periodic fundraisers on the air. The studios and offices are on Kingsbury Lane in Roanoke.

WVTF has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 100,000watts,the maximum for most FM radio stations in the U.S. Thetransmitteris onPoor Mountain,off Media Way inBent Mountain, Virginia.[4]WVTF broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology.[5]The station's HD-2digital subchannelsimulcasts the "WVTF Music" format from co-owned 89.9WWVT-FMinFerrum, Virginia,playingclassical musicandjazz.The HD-3 subchannel carriesChristian Contemporarymusic fromWRVLLynchburg, Virginia.In addition to WVTF, Radio IQ is heard on 16 rebroadcasters andFM translatorsaround Virginia.

History

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WVWR-FM

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The station signed on the air on August 1, 1973, as WVWR-FM (Virginia Western Radio) licensed toVirginia Western Community Collegein Roanoke.[6]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 toPoor 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, southernWest Virginiaand northernNorth Carolina.In 1979, WVWR-FM began theRadio Reading Serviceon its subcarrier frequency.

Virginia Tech Foundation

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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.[7]The foundation formally took control in 1982 and initially applied for thecall signWRVT before settling on WVTF.[8]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 musicduring the day and overnight, and various special music and talk programming on nights and weekends.

Rebranding as Radio IQ

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See also:WVTF Music

In 2003, WVTF launchedRadio IQin order to provide a secondary schedule consisting only of news/talk programming, including retransmission of theBBC World Serviceovernight.[6]Radio IQ broadcast over its own network of stations, consisting of extra signals that were overlapped by WVTF's network, as well as those in areas such asRichmondwhich receive a music and news schedule from another NPR member station. Radio IQ began withWWVT(1260 AM,Christiansburg). The service quickly expanded toWFFC(89.9 FM,Ferrum), the formerFerrum Collegestudent radio station, and WVTW (88.5 FM), an extra station inCharlottesville.[9]Radio IQ signed on WRIQ inLe xing tonin 2011 and purchased WQIQ nearFredericksburgin 2013.

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,WVTF Music,launched on the remaining stations (WWVT and WFFC, later renamedWWVT-FM) andHD2 subchannelsof the new combined Radio IQ network. Low-powered translators of the previous WVTF and Radio IQ networks were divided between the two services. WVTF Music took over all music programming, including daily blocks of classical music, specialty local programs, andLive From Here.[10][11][12]

WRIQ Richmond

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Radio IQ's programming had been heard in portions of theGreater Richmond Regionon low-powered translator W223AZ (92.5 FM) since 2009.[13]In October 2019, WVTF purchasedWNVU(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 memberWCVE-FM.WCVE has its own network of rebroadcasters known as the VPM News Service.

Stations

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Full power stations

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All stations broadcast usingHD Radiotechnology, with "WVTF Music" on its HD2 subchannel.[14][15][16]

Call sign Frequency City of license ERP(W) Class FCC info
WIQR 88.7 FM Le xing ton, Virginia 3,900 A FCC (WIQR)
WRIQ 89.7 FM Charles City, Virginia 27,000 B1 FCC (WRIQ)
WQIQ 88.3 FM Spotsylvania, Virginia 3,500 A FCC (WQIQ)
WVTF[a] 89.1 FM Roanoke, Virginia 100,000 C FCC (WVTF)
WVTR 91.9 FM Marion, Virginia 4,500 C2 FCC (WVTR)
WVTU 89.3 FM Charlottesville, Virginia(west) 195 B1 FCC (WVTU)
WVTW 88.5 FM Charlottesville, Virginia(city) 1,000 B1 FCC (WVTW)

Notes:

  1. ^Radio IQflagship 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 (WEHC) 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays[17]
WISE-FM 90.5 FM Wise, Virginia 220 A FCC (WISE-FM) 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays[18]
WLUR 91.5 FM Le xing ton, Virginia 175 A FCC (WLUR) 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; various additional timeslots[19]

Translators

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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 onWURV-HD3in Richmond (which also feeds translator W223AZ).[20]

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP(W) Class FCC info Notes
W212BP 90.3 FM Clintwood, Virginia 121853 1 D LMS RelaysWISE-FM
W217BF 91.3 FM Pound, Virginia 121793 1 D LMS RelaysWISE-FM
W219CJ 91.7 FM Norton, Virginia 92894 50 D LMS RelaysWISE-FM
W223AZ 92.5 FM Richmond, Virginia 157136 220 D LMS RelaysWURV-HD3
W230BD 93.9 FM Lovingston, Virginia 157729 10 D LMS Relays WVTF
W235BT 94.9 FM Fredericksburg, Virginia 153337 80 D LMS Relays WQIQ

References

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  1. ^"FCC History Cards for WVTF"(PDF).FCC.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for WVTF".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"WVTF Facility Record".Federal Communications Commission,audio division.
  4. ^Radio-Locator /WVTF
  5. ^"HD Radio station guide for Roanoke–Lynchburg, VA".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-15.
  6. ^abralph.berrier@roanoke 981–3338, Ralph Berrier Jr."WVTF and Radio IQ will switch signals July 10".Roanoke Times.Retrieved2019-08-07.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^"WVTF Public Radio Studio".Virginia Tech Foundation.
  8. ^"Call letters"(PDF).Broadcasting.February 8, 1982. p. 118.
  9. ^Corbin, Robert (March 14, 2003)."Radio IQ searches for home".VARTV.
  10. ^"Programming and frequency changes coming to WVTF and RADIO IQ".Virginia Tech.
  11. ^Venta, Lance (15 June 2017)."WVTF To Shuffle Frequencies Of Music & Radio IQ Outlets Across Virginia".RadioInsight.
  12. ^"Home | WVTF RADIO IQ".WVTF RADIO IQ.RetrievedFeb 8,2019.
  13. ^"RADIO IQ/WVTF to Expand Richmond Coverage Area This Fall".wvtf.org.10 October 2019.
  14. ^Staff, FCC Internet Services."Station Search Details".licensing.fcc.gov.Retrieved2016-01-24.
  15. ^Staff, FCC Internet Services."Station Search Details".licensing.fcc.gov.Retrieved2016-01-24.
  16. ^"HD (Digital) Radio".wvtf.org.Retrieved2016-01-24.
  17. ^"Radio IQ".ehc.edu.RetrievedFeb 8,2019.
  18. ^"WEHC Widens Signal to become WEHC, Emory, and WISE-FM, Wise".2022-10-28.Retrieved2022-12-02.
  19. ^"Weekly Schedule".Washington and Lee University.RetrievedFeb 8,2019.
  20. ^"WVTF/Radio IQ Post-Flip Schedule"(PDF).RetrievedFeb 8,2019.
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