Power 100,000 Watts Facility ID 70338 City of license Roanoke Area Southwest Virginia | First air date 1973 HAAT 600 Meters Frequency 89.1 MHz Owner Virginia Tech Branding WVTF Public Radio | |
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Format Classical music, Jazz, Talk radio | ||
2010 wvtf juried art show
WVTF is a National Public Radio affiliate serving most of southwestern Virginia. Owned and operated by Virginia Tech through its fundraising arm, the Virginia Tech Foundation, the station is licensed to Roanoke and operates a large satellite and translator network.
Contents
- 2010 wvtf juried art show
- Wvtf fm 89 1 sign off september 1986
- History
- HD radio
- Full power repeaters
- Low power translators
- References
WVTF is a sister network to Radio IQ.
WVTF broadcasts in HD.
Wvtf fm 89 1 sign off september 1986
History
WVTF began broadcasting in August 1973 as WVWR (Virginia Western Radio) and was licensed to Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke. It was used primarily to air college telecourses and give broadcasting students a chance to hone their skills. In 1975, WVWR'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 of much of central and southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia and northern North Carolina.
In 1979, WVWR began the Radio Reading Service on its subcarrier frequency.
WVWR had carried a few NPR programs from its inception. However, when NPR insisted it hire more professional staff as a condition of full membership, Virginia Western realized it would be in over its head operating a full-service public radio station. It found a buyer in the Virginia Tech Foundation, which formally took control in 1980 and changed the call letters to WVTF. Over the next decade, WVTF built translator after translator to better serve its mostly mountainous coverage area, one of the largest in the NPR system.
WVTF has recently expanded its role in the community beyond radio broadcasting in sponsoring juried art shows at its studios in Roanoke.
HD radio
In addition to the main format on HD-1, WVTF rebroadcasts sister station Radio IQ on an HD-2 channel on WVTF and its full power repeaters.
Full power repeaters
These stations also broadcast in HD.
Low power translators
In addition to the main station, WVTF is relayed by an additional 11 translators to widen its broadcast area.
W266BQ (101.1 FM, Crozet) is licensed as a translator of WVTU but owned by Stu-Comm, Inc. It repeats WVTU-HD3 which is a feed of WNRN.
This translator carries a unique programming feed originating on WVTW-HD2, Charlottesville's Radio IQ station. This feed carries WVTF's main schedule in pattern, except on weekdays Morning Edition and All Things Considered are replaced with the BBC World Service and news/talk programming from Radio IQ.