"WIQR" redirects here. For the former station in Prattville, Alabama, see WIQR (Alabama).
Not to be confused with WTVF.
WVTF
CityRoanoke, Virginia
CountryUS
AreaSouthwest Virginia and Central Virginia
BrandingRadio IQ
Frequency89.1 MHz
TranslatorSee § Low power translators
AirdateAugust 1, 1973
FormatPublic radio/talk
Subchannels
Erp100,000 watts
Haat600 meters (2,000 ft)
ClassC
Facility id70338
Coordinates37°11′56.0″N 80°09′2.0″W
Callsign meaningVirginia Tech Foundation
Former callsignsWVWR-FM (1973–1982)
Former frequencies90.1 MHz (1973–1975)[1]
AffiliationsAPM · BBC World Service · NPR · PRX
OwnerVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
LicenseeVirginia Tech Foundation
Sister stationsWVTF Music
Websitewvtf.org
Licensing authorityFCC

WVTF (89.1 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Roanoke, Virginia, featuring a public radio format branded "Radio IQ". Owned by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) through its fundraising arm, the Virginia Tech Foundation,[2] the station carries programming from NPR, the Public Radio Exchange, American Public Media and the BBC World Service. WVTF is a listener-supported station, holding periodic fundraisers on the air. The studios and offices are inside the WVTF Public Radio Broadcast Center on Kingsbury Lane in Roanoke, with satellite studios inside Suite C102 on West Water Street in Charlottesville.

WVTF has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM radio stations in the U.S. The transmitter is on Poor Mountain, off Media Way in Bent Mountain, Virginia.[3] WVTF broadcasts using HD Radio technology.[4] The station's HD-2 digital subchannel simulcasts the "WVTF Music" format from co-owned 89.9 WWVT-FM in Ferrum, Virginia, playing classical music and jazz. The HD-3 subchannel carries Christian Contemporary music from WRVL Lynchburg, Virginia. In addition to WVTF, Radio IQ is heard on 16 rebroadcasters and FM translators around Virginia.

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

See also: WVTF Music

In 2003, WVTF launched Radio IQ in order to provide a secondary schedule consisting only of news/talk programming, including retransmission of the BBC World Service overnight.[5] 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 as Richmond which receive a music and news schedule from another NPR member station. Radio IQ began with WWVT (1260 AM, Christiansburg). The service quickly expanded to WFFC (89.9 FM, Ferrum), the former Ferrum College student radio station, and WVTW (88.5 FM), an extra station in Charlottesville.[8] Radio IQ signed on WRIQ in Lexington in 2011 and purchased WQIQ near Fredericksburg in 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 renamed WWVT-FM) and HD2 subchannels of 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, and Live From Here.[9][10][11]

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 signFrequencyCity of licenseERP (W)ClassFCC info
WIQR88.7 FMLexington, Virginia3,900A
WRIQ89.7 FMCharles City, Virginia27,000B1
WQIQ88.3 FMSpotsylvania, Virginia3,500A
WVTF["sta" 1]89.1 FMRoanoke, Virginia100,000C
WVTR91.9 FMMarion, Virginia4,500C2
WVTU89.3 FMCharlottesville, Virginia (west)195B1
WVTW88.5 FMCharlottesville, Virginia (city)1,000B1

Notes:

  1. ^ Radio IQ flagship station

The following stations broadcast Radio IQ on a part-time basis:

Call signFrequencyCity of licenseERP (W)ClassFCC infoBroadcast times
WEHC90.7 FMEmory, Virginia8,700C312 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays[16]
WISE-FM90.5 FMWise, Virginia220A12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays[17]
WLUR91.5 FMLexington, Virginia175A12 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]

References

  1. ^ "FCC History Cards for WVTF". FCC
  2. ^ "WVTF Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WVTF
  4. ^ "HD Radio station guide for Roanoke–Lynchburg, VA". Archived from the original on 2016-09-15.
  5. ^ [email protected] 981–3338, Ralph Berrier Jr. "WVTF and Radio IQ will switch signals July 10". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  6. ^ "WVTF Public Radio Studio". Virginia Tech Foundation. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  7. ^ "Call letters". Broadcasting. February 8, 1982. p. 118.
  8. ^ Corbin, Robert (March 14, 2003). "Radio IQ searches for home". VARTV
  9. ^ "Programming and frequency changes coming to WVTF and RADIO IQ". Virginia Tech.
  10. ^ Venta, Lance (15 June 2017). "WVTF To Shuffle Frequencies Of Music & Radio IQ Outlets Across Virginia". RadioInsight
  11. ^ "Home | WVTF RADIO IQ". WVTF RADIO IQ. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
  12. ^ "RADIO IQ/WVTF to Expand Richmond Coverage Area This Fall". www.wvtf.org. 10 October 2019.
  13. ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Station Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  14. ^ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Station Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  15. ^ "HD (Digital) Radio". wvtf.org. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  16. ^ "Radio IQ". www.ehc.edu. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
  17. ^ "WEHC Widens Signal to become WEHC, Emory, and WISE-FM, Wise". 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  18. ^ "Weekly Schedule". Washington and Lee University. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.
  19. ^ "WVTF/Radio IQ Post-Flip Schedule". Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved Feb 8, 2019.