WVTF

Roanoke, Virginia
Broadcast area	Southwest Virginia andCentral Virginia
Frequency	89.1MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	Radio IQ
Programming
Format	Public radio/talk
Subchannels	HD2:Classical/jazz (WWVT-FM) HD3:CCM (WRVL)
Affiliations	APM BBC World Service NPR PRX
Ownership
Owner	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech Foundation)
Sister stations	WVTF Music
History
First air date	August 1, 1973 (51 years ago) (1973-08-01)
Former call signs	WVWR-FM (1973–1982)
Former frequencies	90.1 MHz (1973–1975)[1]
Call sign meaning	Virginia Tech Foundation
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	70338
Class	C
ERP	100,000watts
HAAT	600 meters (1,988 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	37°11′56.0″N80°09′2.0″W / 37.198889°N 80.150556°W /37.198889; -80.150556
Translator(s)	See § Low power translators
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	wvtf.org

WVTF (89.1FM) is anon-commercial educationalradio station licensed to serveRoanoke, Virginia, featuring apublic radio format branded "Radio IQ". Owned byVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) through its fundraising arm, theVirginia Tech Foundation,^[3] the station carries programming fromNPR, thePublic Radio Exchange,American Public Media and theBBC World Service. WVTF is a listener-supported station, holding periodic fundraisers on the air. The studios and offices are on Kingsbury Lane in Roanoke.

WVTF has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most FM radio stations in the U.S. Thetransmitter is onPoor Mountain, off Media Way inBent Mountain, Virginia.^[4] WVTF broadcasts usingHD Radio technology.^[5] The station's HD-2digital subchannel simulcasts the "WVTF Music" format from co-owned 89.9WWVT-FM inFerrum, Virginia, playingclassical music andjazz. The HD-3 subchannel carriesChristian Contemporary music fromWRVLLynchburg, Virginia. In addition to WVTF, Radio IQ is heard on 16 rebroadcasters andFM translators around Virginia.

The station signed on the air on August 1, 1973, as WVWR-FM (Virginia Western Radio) licensed toVirginia Western Community College in Roanoke.^[6] 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 toPoor 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, southernWest Virginia and northernNorth Carolina. In 1979, WVWR-FM began theRadio Reading Service on its subcarrier frequency.

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.^[7] The foundation formally took control in 1982 and initially applied for thecall sign WRVT before settling on WVTF.^[8] 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.

In 2003, WVTF launchedRadio IQ in order to provide a secondary schedule consisting only of news/talk programming, including retransmission of theBBC World Service overnight.^[6] 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 asRichmond which receive a music and news schedule from another NPR member station. Radio IQ began withWWVT (1260 AM,Christiansburg). The service quickly expanded toWFFC (89.9 FM,Ferrum), the formerFerrum College student radio station, and WVTW (88.5 FM), an extra station inCharlottesville.^[9] Radio IQ signed on WRIQ inLexington in 2011 and purchased WQIQ nearFredericksburg 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 renamedWWVT-FM) andHD2 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, andLive From Here.^[10][11][12]

Radio IQ's programming had been heard in portions of theGreater Richmond Region on low-powered translator W223AZ (92.5 FM) since 2009.^[13] In October 2019, WVTF purchasedWNVU (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 memberWCVE-FM. WCVE has its own network of rebroadcasters known as the VPM News Service.

All stations broadcast usingHD Radio technology, with "WVTF Music" on its HD2 subchannel.^[14][15][16]

Notes:

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

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 onWURV-HD3 in Richmond (which also feeds translator W223AZ).^[20]

• WVTF Public Radio Online
• Radio IQ
• Facility details for Facility ID 70338 (WVTF) in theFCC Licensing and Management System
• WVTF inNielsen Audio's FM station database

• HD Radio stations
• Classical music radio stations in the United States
• Jazz radio stations in the United States
• NPR member stations
• American radio networks
• Radio stations established in 1973
• College radio stations in Virginia
• Radio stations in Virginia
• NPR member networks
• Public radio stations in the United States
• 1973 establishments in Virginia
• Virginia Tech

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