| The JourneyFlagship Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadcast area | New River Valley |
| Frequency | 88.3MHz |
| Branding | The Journey |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Christian music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Liberty University |
| History | |
First air date | July 1981; 43 years ago (1981-07) |
Call sign meaning | WRadioVictoryLiberty (former branding) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 37249 |
| Class | C1 |
| Power | 28,000watts |
| HAAT | 346 meters (1,135 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°11′50.0″N79°21′7.0″W / 37.197222°N 79.351944°W /37.197222; -79.351944 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | WRVL Webstream |
| Website | WRVL MyJourneyFM.com |
WRVL (88.3MHz) is anon-commercialradio stationlicensed toLynchburg, Virginia, serving theNew River Valley. WRVL is owned and operated byLiberty University and was founded byJerry Falwell.[2] It broadcasts aChristian Contemporaryradio format known as "The Journey." The station is listener-supported and holds periodicfundraisers on the air. Thestudios and offices are on Candlers Mountain Road in Lynchburg.
WRVL has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 28,000watts. Thetransmitter is on Uphill Trail inAltavista.[3] Programming is alsosimulcast on 19 rebroadcasters andFM translators inVirginia andNorth Carolina.
WRVLsigned on the air in July 1981; 43 years ago (1981-07). It had been powered at 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM stations in the U.S. but on a shorter tower than it uses today. It originally broadcastChristian talk and teaching programs, including those of founder andtelevangelistJerry Falwell, who startedLiberty University. WRVL faced a series of technical problems in its early years revolving around interference to television reception near the station site.[4]
In December 1981, theFederal Communications Commission ordered the station to greatly reduce itseffective radiated power (ERP) from 100,000 to 5,000 watts.[5] In 1982, itstower was brought down by vandals.[6] While the station was off the air, viewers reported better reception ofWDBJ Channel 7, theCBSnetwork affiliate for Roanoke-Lynchburg.[7] WRVL later moved to a new tower in Altavista, reducing interference with Channel 7.
In 2009, WRVL broke ground by forming a partnership withNPR broadcaster 89.1WVTW, owned byVirginia Tech. This allowed WRVL to repeat Victory FM programming on WVTW'sHD-3digital subchannel inCharlottesville, Virginia. This is noteworthy because it makes WVTW perhaps one of few HD radio stations in the nation funded by the federal Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP).[8]
On December 26, 2014, WRVL dropped nearly all its Christian talk and teaching programs, switching to aContemporary Christian music format. The station's moniker also changed from "Victory Radio Network" to "The Journey". It uses the slogan "Life, Hope, Music."
"The Journey" is carried on several stations andHD Radiodigital subchannels in Virginia and North Carolina.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | State | Facility ID | Class | ERP (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WVRL | 88.3 FM | Elizabeth City | North Carolina | 86560 | C2 | 50,000 |
| WVRA | 107.3 FM | Enfield | North Carolina | 164202 | A | 4,100 |
| WVRH | 94.3 FM | Norlina | North Carolina | 1208 | A | 6,000 |
| WVRP | 91.1 FM | Roanoke Rapids | North Carolina | 85603 | A | 2,000 |
| WVRD | 90.5 FM | Zebulon | North Carolina | 41094 | A | 1,200 |
| WBOP | 95.5 FM | Buffalo Gap | Virginia | 68304 | A | 6,000 |
| WVTW-HD3 | 88.5-3 FM[a] | Charlottesville | Virginia | 63547 | B1 | 1,000 |
| WVRI | 90.9 FM | Clifton Forge | Virginia | 177072 | B | 1,000 |
| WVTR-HD3 | 91.9-3 FM[a] | Marion | Virginia | 70340 | C2 | 4,500 |
| WHRO-HD3 | 90.3-3 FM[a] | Norfolk | Virginia | 25940 | B | 8,800 |
| WRXL-HD3[b] | 102.1-3 FM[a] | Richmond | Virginia | 11961 | B | 20,000 |
| WVTF-HD3 | 89.1-3 FM[a] | Roanoke | Virginia | 70338 | C | 100,000 |
Notes:
"The Journey" is relayed by additional translators to widen its broadcast area. W236BO at 95.1 servedBurlington, North Carolina prior to 2013, untilWPCM took it over.
| Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | State | Facility ID | Class | ERP (W) | Rebroadcasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W246DD | 97.1 | Charlottesville | Virginia | 142781 | D | 99 | WVTW-HD3 |
| W234CT | 94.7 | Marion | Virginia | 142574 | D | 99 | WVTR-HD3 |
| W293AS | 106.5 | Pulaski | Virginia | 139561 | D | 10 | WVTF-HD3 |
| W235AI | 94.9 | Richmond | Virginia | 150414 | D | 16 | WKHK-HD3 |
| W293AX | 106.5 | Roanoke | Virginia | 150414 | D | 10 | WVTF-HD3 |
| W297BH | 107.3 | Suffolk | Virginia | 155036 | D | 25 | WHRO-HD3 |
| W270BO | 101.9 | Wytheville | Virginia | 139560 | D | 10 | WVTR-HD3 |
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