WITF-FM

WITF-FM
City of license Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area Susquehanna Valley
Frequency 89.5 MHz
Repeaters W260CC 99.9 MHz Lancaster
First air date April 1, 1971
Format NPR/classical music
ERP 5,900 watts
Callsign meaning Where It's Top Flight
Owner WITF, Inc.
Website www.witf.org

WITF-FM is a public radio station based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, located on the FM dial at 89.5 MHz. The station debuted April 1, 1971, airing classical music and NPR news throughout central Pennsylvania, including the Susquehanna Valley, which includes Lancaster, Lebanon and York as well as Harrisburg. It is a sister station to the area's PBS member station, WITF-TV. Both stations are based at the WITF Public Media Center in Swatara Township.

WITF's reporting has been honored with six national Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association. In December 2012 the station won the DuPont-Columbia Award - considered the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize - for its "StateImpact Pennsylvania" project, which covers natural gas drilling.

WITF operates at 5,900 watts ERP, which is fairly low for an NPR station. This may be due to the crowded state of the noncommercial end of the FM band in this part of the country, as well as the need to protect WPFW in Washington, D.C. at nearby 89.3, and WTMD in Towson, Maryland at 89.7. To make up for the shortfall in coverage, the station's programming can also be heard on low-powered translator W260CC at 99.9 FM in Lancaster, and on full-power station WYPM 93.3 in Chambersburg.

After airing a mix of classical music and NPR programming for much of its history, WITF-FM dropped all classical music programming on June 25, 2012 in favor of an all-news format. Besides national and international news from NPR, it also airs local features from its own news team. The station also features regular Arts & Culture segments spotlighting local music, visual arts, theatre, museums literature and more. Highlights of the broadcast schedule include:

External links

Coordinates: 40°20′46″N 76°52′05″W / 40.346°N 76.868°W