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WITF-FM

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Coordinates:40°20′44.3″N76°52′5.9″W/ 40.345639°N 76.868306°W/40.345639; -76.868306(WITF-FM)
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WITF-FM
The letters WITF, lowercase, in a rounded sans serif in a very dark green. Next to them is a mint green symbol consisting of two L-shaped devices framing a rectangle. Next to them are the words "Let's Discover".
Broadcast areaSouth Central Pennsylvania
Frequency89.5MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingWITF
Programming
FormatPublic radio;news/talk
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerWITF, Inc.
WITF-TV
History
First air date
April 1, 1971(1971-04-01)
Call signmeaning
"Where It's Top Flight"[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID73084
ClassB
ERP5,900watts
HAAT415 meters (1,362 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°20′44.3″N76°52′5.9″W/ 40.345639°N 76.868306°W/40.345639; -76.868306(WITF-FM)
Translator(s)See§ Simulcast and translator
Repeater(s)See§ Simulcast and translator
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.witf.org

WITF-FM(89.5FM) is anon-commercial,publicFMradio stationlicensedto serveHarrisburg, Pennsylvania.The station is owned by WITF, Inc., and broadcastsNPRtalk and news programming. It is co-owned with the area'sPublic Broadcasting Service(PBS) member station,WITF-TV(channel 33). Both stations are based at the Public Media Center inSwatara Township(with a Harrisburg mailing address), and broadcast from a shared tower located onBlue MountaininSusquehanna Township.[3][4]

Like most NPR member stations, WITF-FM broadcastsfundraisingappeals, seeking contributions from its listeners to support the station.

History[edit]

On April 1, 1971, WITF-FMsigned onthe air, becoming the first station inCentral Pennsylvaniato broadcast a full-timeclassical musicradio format.[5]It was originallylicensedtoHershey(the license moved to Harrisburg in 1982). WITF-FM was founded as thesister stationto WITF-TV, which signed on seven years earlier.

At first, the stations broadcast from "temporary" studios at the former Hershey Middle School, moving to Locust Lane in Harrisburg in 1982. On July 22, 2005, WITF-FM-TV began construction on their current 75,000 square foot facility in Swatara Township. Staff began moving into the facility on November 27, 2006.[5]

After airing a mix of classical music and NPR programming for much of its history, the station dropped all classical music programming on June 25, 2012.[5]WITF-FM began a 24 hour schedule of news and information consisting ofsyndicatedprograms from NPR and other providers, along with local news and cultural arts reporting by the WITF staff.[6]WITF has its own Multimedia News Department.[7]It provides local and regional news coverage for both radio and TV.

In 2012, StateImpact Pennsylvania won one of three 2013Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Awardsfor its outstanding reporting on energy issues for focusing on the fiscal, environmental and social issues of gas drilling on Pennsylvania's economy.[8]WITF reporter Scott Detrow contributed to the report.

In 2016, WITF's reporting was honored with six regionalEdward R. Murrow Awardsfrom the Radio Television Digital News Association for excellence in broadcast and online journalism.[9][10]

Following theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attackin 2021, WITF's news department began adding language to political news reports to point out that state legislators or members of Congress mentioned in the story advocated against certifying thePennsylvania 2020 presidential election results.The Washington Postmedia columnistMargaret Sullivanhighlighted this move in a May 2021 column.[11]

Simulcast and translator[edit]

WITF-FM broadcasts at 5,900 watts, which is fairly modest for a full NPR member on the FM band. As a result, even with its transmitter located atop Blue Mountain, it only provides a grade B signal to the largest city in its service area,Lancaster.[12][13]To provide a stronger signal to listeners in Lancaster, WITF-FM programming is simulcast on the followingtranslator:

Broadcast translatorfor WITF-FM
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP(W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W260CC 99.9 FM Lancaster, Pennsylvania 73082 38 60.1m(197ft) D 40°2′17.4″N76°18′21.9″W/ 40.038167°N 76.306083°W/40.038167; -76.306083(W260CC) LMS

On January 9, 2009, WITF-FM also begansimulcastingits programming onWYPM:[5]

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
W 		Height
m(ft) 		Class Transmitter coordinates
WYPM 93.3 FM Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 49384 350 412 m (1,352 ft) A 40°2′54.3″N77°45′0.9″W/ 40.048417°N 77.750250°W/40.048417; -77.750250(WYPM)
Map all coordinates usingOpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

References[edit]

  1. ^"Call Letter Origins: The List".Oldradio.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for WITF-FM".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"FM Query Results for WITF-FM".Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  4. ^"TV Query Results for WITF-TV".Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  5. ^abcd"WITF History".Witf.org.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  6. ^Dunkle, David (June 25, 2012)."WITF format change leaves some listeners in classical music 'withdrawal'".Pennlive.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  7. ^"WITF Radio Schedule".Witf.org.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  8. ^Philbin, Cara (December 19, 2012)."Give Them A Hand: NPR, StateImpact And StoryCorps Honored With DuPont-Columbia Awards".NPR.org.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  9. ^Lambert, Tim (April 19, 2016)."WITF honored with multiple Regional Murrow Awards".Witf.org.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  10. ^"RTDNA 2016 Edward R. Murrow Awards".rtdna.org.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
  11. ^Sullivan, Margaret (May 2, 2021)."The politicians who tried to overturn an election — and the local news team that won't let anyone forget it".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on May 26, 2021.RetrievedNovember 4,2022.
  12. ^"60 dBu Service Contour for WITF-FM, Harrisburg, PA, 89.5 MHz BMLED-20040130ADW".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedFebruary 4,2018.
  13. ^City grade and grade B coverage maps

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WITF-FM&oldid=1233117431"