Branding Radio IQ First air date WWVT: 1954 | Country United States Area Southwest Virginia | |
Owner Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Affiliation BBC World Service
National Public Radio | ||
Radio IQ is a radio network broadcasting news and talk programming from NPR and the BBC World Service. Owned and operated by Virginia Tech, it is a sister network to the region's flagship NPR network, WVTF, and is operated out of WVTF's studios in Roanoke.
Contents
Radio IQ's programming is heard on WWVT AM 1260 in Christiansburg, Virginia, WFFC, 89.9 FM in Ferrum, Virginia, WVTW 88.5 in Charlotteville, Virginia, WQIQ 88.3 in Spotsylvania, Virginia, WRIQ 88.7 in Lexington, Virginia, and a handful of low-power translators across central and western Virginia. Their combined power brings Radio IQ programming from the New River Valley through Richmond all the way to Fredericksburg.
History
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s WWVT 1260 AM was WJJJ and broadcast beautiful music and later '60s oldies music. From 1995 to 1998, the station had the callsign of WNNI. WWVT acquired its current call sign after the station was donated to Virginia Tech by Bocephus Broadcasting in 1998. Radio IQ was launched in January 2003.
WFFC was formerly the student radio station of Ferrum College before joining Radio IQ in 2003. Although Radio IQ is officially a partnership of Virginia Tech and Ferrum College, WFFC's license is now held by the Virginia Tech Foundation, licensee of WWVT.
In 2009 WVTW was retasked by Virginia Tech Foundation to broadcast the Radio IQ program stream. Also around that time, Virginia Tech Foundation entered the religious broadcasting scene by placing the programming of Liberty University's WRVL on the WVTW HD-3 channel. WRVL was founded by the now-deceased Jerry Falwell and programs Contemporary Christian Music. On July 12, 2011 WRIQ signed on, broadcasting at 88.7, serving Rockbridge County and northern Botetourt County. In October 2012, WQIQ signed on, broadcasting at 88.3, serving the Fredericksburg area.
HD radio
In addition to the main format on HD-1, Radio IQ rebroadcasts sister station WVTF on an HD-2 channel on its full power FM stations. WWVT-AM is not an HD station.
Radio IQ low power translators
W201CN is owned by Stu-Comm, Inc. W223AZ is fed locally by SummitMedia's WURV-HD3. W238BN rebroadcasts WWVT under the FCC's AM revitalization program.
Radio IQ also broadcasts part-time on WLUR, 91.5 FM, a Class A station licensed to Lexington, Virginia, and on WEHC, 90.7 FM, a Class A station licensed to Emory, Virginia.