WVTF

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WVTF
City of license	Roanoke, Virginia
Broadcast area	Roanoke, Virginia Lynchburg, Virginia Blacksburg, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia
Branding	Classical . Jazz . NPR
Frequency	89.1 MHz - Roanoke
Repeaters	88.5 MHz - Charlottesville 89.3 MHz - Charlottesville 89.9 MHz - Ferrum 90.1 MHz - Abingdon 90.3 MHz - Clintwood 90.5 MHz - Wise 90.9 MHz - St. Paul 91.3 MHz - Pound 91.7 MHz - Norton 91.9 MHz - Marion 93.9 MHz - Lovingston 95.5 MHz - Orange 101.9 MHz - Lexington 1260 AM - New River Valley bold frequencies also on HD Radio[1]
Format	NPR Public Radio Classical
Audience share	7.5 (FALL 2007, RRC[2])
Power	100,000 Watts - 89.1 120 Watts - 88.5 197 Watts - 89.3 4,500 Watts - 91.9 220 Watts - 90.5
Class	C - 89.1 A - 89.1 B1 - 89.3 C2 - 91.9 A - 90.5
Callsign meaning	W Virginia Tech Foundation
Owner	Virginia Tech Foundation
Webcast	WVTF Webstream
Website	WVTF Online

WVTF Public Radio is a classical, jazz, and National Public Radio member radio station licensed to the Virginia Tech Foundation based in Roanoke, Virginia. WVTF covers 44 percent of Virginia and serves central, southwest and western Virginia as well as portions of northern North Carolina and southern West Virginia.

[edit] History

WVTF began broadcasting in August 1973 as WVWR and was licensed to Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke. In 1975, WVWR's transmitter was moved from Fishburn Hall on the VWCC campus, to Poor Mountain in Roanoke County. The power also was increased to 100,000 watts. WVTF's 89.1 coverage area includes central and southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia and northern North Carolina.

The station's Radio Reading Service began operating in 1979 on the radio's subcarrier frequency. The reading service broadcasts readings from current newspapers and magazines to print-challenged individuals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The special radio required to receive the signal is provided free of charge. Additional monetary support for the Radio Reading Service is provided by the Roanoke-based Voice of the Blue Ridge, a non-profit organization formed by reading service volunteers in 1981.

The station's call letters were changed to WVTF in 1980, when the Virginia Tech Foundation assumed ownership of the station.

In 1990, WVTF added a transmitter in Charlottesville on Bear Den Mountain, WVTU (89.3). In 1991, a transmitter was added in Marion, WVTR (91.9), which allowed the signal to reach as far west as Bristol. Another transmitter was added in Charlottesville on Carter Mountain, WVTW (88.5) in 1997.

WVTF earned the title of the most listened-to public radio station licensed in Virginia when audience figured reached nearly 140,000 weekly listeners in 1999.

In 2000, WVTF added a translator (89.5) on Candler's Mountain in Lynchburg. This translator was later switched to RADIO IQ, WVTF's sister station that broadcasts BBC news and NPR talk programs.

In June 2001, WVTF announced its licensee, the Virginia Tech Foundation, purchased land in Roanoke City to build its new offices and studios, including a multi-purpose studio and five months later, construction began on Broadcast Center, a state-of-the-art office/studio complex.

WVTF launched RADIO IQ, a public radio station offering BBC News and NPR talk radio programs, in January 2003. The service, a partnership between Virginia Tech and Ferrum College, now broadcasts in Charlottesville (89.7), Crozet (91.5), Roanoke (89.7), Lynchburg (89.5), Ferrum (89.9), and the New River Valley (1260 AM).

In May 2003, WVTF moved to Broadcast Center, its new home at 3520 Kingsbury Lane in Roanoke.

WVTF acquired WISE-FM, 90.5 in Wise, with its multiple translators throughout far Southwest Virginia, from the University of Virginia's College at Wise in 2005.

Other translators recently added to enhance WVTF broadcasts include 95.5 in Orange, 101.9 in Lexington, and 93.9 in Lovingston. RADIO IQ's coverage area also expanded with a partnership with Washington & Lee University and WLUR to broadcast RADIO IQ from 2 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday and midnight to noon Saturday and Sunday.

WVTF has recently expanded its role in the community beyond radio broadcasting in sponsoring juried art shows at its studios in Roanoke.^[3]

[edit] Translators

In addition to the main station, WVTF is relayed by an additional 9 translators to widen its broadcast area. The following do not include the 6 translators of WISE-FM which also relay WVTF's signal.

[edit] History

[edit] External links

• WVTF Online
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WVTF
• Radio Locator information on WVTF
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WVTU
• Radio Locator information on WVTU
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WVTW
• Radio Locator information on WVTW
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WFFC
• Radio Locator information on WFFC
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WPAR
• Radio Locator information on WPAR
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WNRS
• Radio Locator information on WNRS

[edit] References