View source for WVTF

{{Short description|Public radio station in Roanoke, Virginia}}
{{Redirect|WIQR|the former station in Prattville, Alabama|WIQR (Alabama)}}
{{Distinguish|WTVF}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name               = WVTF
| logo               = Radio_IQ_Network_2015.PNG
| logo_size          = 200px
| city               = [[Roanoke, Virginia]]
| area               = [[Southwest Virginia]] and [[Central Virginia]]
| branding           = Radio IQ
| frequency          = 89.1 [[Hertz|MHz]] {{HD Radio}}
| translator         = [[#Low power translators|See § Low power translators]]
| airdate            = {{Start date and age|1973|8|1|p=y|br=y}}
| format             = [[Public radio]]/[[Talk radio|talk]]
| subchannels        = {{ubl|HD2: [[Classical music|Classical]]/[[jazz]] ([[WWVT-FM]])|HD3: [[Contemporary Christian music|CCM]] ([[WRVL]])}}
| erp                = 100,000 [[watt]]s
| haat               = 600 meters (1,988 ft)
| class              = C
| facility_id        = 70338
| coordinates        = {{coord|37|11|56.0|N|80|09|2.0|W|type:landmark}}
| callsign_meaning   = Virginia Tech Foundation
| former_callsigns   = WVWR-FM (1973–1982)
| former_frequencies = 90.1 MHz (1973–1975)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=70926|title=FCC History Cards for WVTF|website=[[FCC]]}}</ref>
| affiliations       = {{hlist|[[American Public Media|APM]]|[[BBC World Service]]|[[NPR]]|[[Public Radio Exchange|PRX]]}}
| owner              = [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]]
| licensee           = [[Virginia Tech Foundation]]
| sister_stations    = [[WVTF Music]]
| webcast            = {{listenlive|http://www.wvtf.org}}
| website            = [http://www.wvtf.org/ wvtf.org]
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''WVTF''' (89.1 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) is a [[Non-commercial educational station|non-commercial educational]] [[Radio broadcasting|radio station]] licensed to serve [[Roanoke, Virginia]], featuring a [[Public broadcasting|public radio]] format branded "Radio IQ". Owned by [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]] (Virginia Tech) through its fundraising arm, the [[Virginia Tech Foundation]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WVTF|title=WVTF Facility Record|work=[[Federal Communications Commission]], audio division}}</ref> 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 on Kingsbury Lane in Roanoke.

WVTF has an [[effective radiated power]] (ERP) of 100,000 [[watt]]s, the maximum for most FM radio stations in the U.S. The [[transmitter]] is on [[Poor Mountain]], off Media Way in [[Bent Mountain, Virginia]].<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/info/WVTF-FM?loc=37.73218%2C-79.35332&locn=Buena%20Vista%2C%20Virginia Radio-Locator.com/WVTF]</ref> WVTF broadcasts using [[HD Radio]] technology.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?realid=447| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160915110951/http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?realid=447| archive-date = 2016-09-15| title = HD Radio station guide for Roanoke–Lynchburg, VA}}</ref> 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 translator]]s 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/wvtf-and-radio-iq-will-switch-signals-july/article_aadb6731-6b0d-557e-8daf-d3f1229766ac.html|title=WVTF and Radio IQ will switch signals July 10|last=ralph.berrier@roanoke.com 981–3338|first=Ralph Berrier Jr|website=Roanoke Times|language=en|access-date=2019-08-07}}</ref> 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 [http://wvtf.org/rrs-schedule 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=WVTF Public Radio Studio|url=http://www.vtf.vt.edu/wvtf-public-radio-studio|website=Virginia Tech Foundation|language=en}}</ref> The foundation formally took control in 1982 and initially applied for the [[Call signs in the United States|call sign]] WRVT before settling on WVTF.<ref>{{cite news|title=Call letters|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1982/BC-1982-02-08.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=February 8, 1982|page=118}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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, Virginia|Richmond]] which receive a music and news schedule from another NPR member station. Radio IQ began with [[WWVT (AM)|WWVT]] (1260 AM, [[Christiansburg, Virginia|Christiansburg]]). The service quickly expanded to [[WWVT-FM|WFFC]] (89.9 FM, [[Ferrum, Virginia|Ferrum]]), the former [[Ferrum College]] student radio station, and WVTW (88.5 FM), an extra station in [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Corbin|first1=Robert|title=Radio IQ searches for home|url=http://www.vartv.com/archives03b.htm|website=VARTV|date=March 14, 2003}}</ref> Radio IQ signed on WRIQ in [[Lexington, Virginia|Lexington]] in 2011 and purchased WQIQ near [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|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 [[HD Radio|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]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Programming and frequency changes coming to WVTF and RADIO IQ|url=http://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/06/BigChangesForWVTFRADIOIQ.html|publisher=Virginia Tech|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=WVTF To Shuffle Frequencies Of Music & Radio IQ Outlets Across Virginia|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/118384/wvtf-shuffle-frequencies-music-radio-iq-outlets-across-virginia/|work=RadioInsight|date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kelseap6.wixsite.com/flipwvtf|title=Home {{pipe}} WVTF RADIO IQ|website=WVTF RADIO IQ|access-date=Feb 8, 2019}}</ref>

=== 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wvtf.org/post/radio-iqwvtf-expand-richmond-coverage-area-fall|title=RADIO IQ/WVTF to Expand Richmond Coverage Area This Fall|website=www.wvtf.org|date=10 October 2019|language=en}}</ref> In October 2019, WVTF purchased [[WRIQ|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Station Search Details|url = http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_det.pl?Facility_id=70344|website = licensing.fcc.gov|access-date = 2016-01-24|first = FCC Internet Services|last = Staff}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Station Search Details|url = http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_det.pl?Facility_id=70340|website = licensing.fcc.gov|access-date = 2016-01-24|first = FCC Internet Services|last = Staff}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = HD (Digital) Radio|url = http://wvtf.org/hd-digital-radio#stream/0|website = wvtf.org|access-date = 2016-01-24}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | [[Call signs in North America|Call sign]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Frequency]]
! scope="col" | [[City of license]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Effective radiated power|ERP]] ([[watt|W]])
! scope="col" | [[List of North American broadcast station classes|Class]]
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | FCC info
|-
! scope="row" | WIQR
| 88.7 FM || [[Lexington, Virginia]] || 3,900 || A || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|173897|WIQR|FCC}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[WRIQ]]
| 89.7 FM || [[Charles City, Virginia]] || 27,000 || B1 || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|82970|WRIQ|FCC}}
|-
! scope="row" | WQIQ
| 88.3 FM ||[[Spotsylvania, Virginia]]|| 3,500 || A || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|172441|WQIQ|FCC}}
|-
! scope="row" | WVTF{{Efn|group="sta"|Radio IQ [[Flagship (broadcasting)|flagship station]]}}
| 89.1 FM || [[Roanoke, Virginia]] || 100,000 || C || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|70338|WVTF|FCC}}
|- 
! scope="row" | WVTR
| 91.9 FM || [[Marion, Virginia]] || 4,500 || C2 || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|70340|WVTR|FCC}}
|- 
! scope="row" | WVTU
| 89.3 FM || [[Charlottesville, Virginia]] (west) || 195 || B1 || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|70344|WVTU|FCC}}
|- 
! scope="row" | WVTW
| 88.5 FM || [[Charlottesville, Virginia]] (city) || 1,000 || B1 || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|63547|WVTW|FCC}}
|}

Notes:
{{Notelist|group="sta"}}

The following stations broadcast Radio IQ on a part-time basis:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | [[Call signs in North America|Call sign]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Frequency]]
! scope="col" | [[City of license]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Effective radiated power|ERP]] ([[watt|W]])
! scope="col" | [[List of North American broadcast station classes|Class]]
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | FCC info
! scope="col" | Broadcast times
|-
! scope="row" | [[WEHC]]
| 90.7 FM || [[Emory, Virginia]] || 8,700 || C3 || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|19527|WEHC|FCC}} || 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ehc.edu/wehc/radio-iq/|title=Radio IQ|website=www.ehc.edu|access-date=Feb 8, 2019}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | [[WISE-FM]]
| 90.5 FM || [[Wise, Virginia]] || 220 || A || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|85287|WISE-FM|FCC}} || 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ehc.edu/live/news/2635-wehc-widens-signal-to-become-wehc-emory-and/ |title=WEHC Widens Signal to become WEHC, Emory, and WISE-FM, Wise |access-date=2022-12-02 |date=2022-10-28}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | [[WLUR]]
| 91.5 FM || [[Lexington, Virginia]] || 175 || A || {{FCC-LMS-Facility|70943|WLUR|FCC}} || 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily; various additional timeslots<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wlu.edu/wlur/weekly-schedule|title=Weekly Schedule|website=Washington and Lee University|access-date=Feb 8, 2019}}</ref>
|}

===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|WURV-HD3]] in Richmond (which also feeds translator W223AZ).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wvtf/files/wvtf_radio_iq_flip_schedule.pdf|title=WVTF/Radio IQ Post-Flip Schedule|access-date=Feb 8, 2019}}</ref>

{{RadioTranslators
| callsign =

| call1    = W212BP
| freq1    = 90.3
| city1    = Clintwood, Virginia
| watts1   = 1
| class1   = D
| notes1   = Relays [[WISE-FM]]

| call2    = W217BF
| watts2   = 1
| freq2    = 91.3
| city2    = Pound, Virginia
| class2   = D
| notes2   = Relays [[WISE-FM]]

| call3    = W219CJ
| watts3   = 50
| freq3    = 91.7
| city3    = Norton, Virginia
| class3   = D
| notes3   = Relays [[WISE-FM]]

| call4    = W223AZ
| watts4   = 220
| freq4    = 92.5
| city4    = Richmond, Virginia
| class4   = D
| notes4   = Relays [[WURV|WURV-HD3]]

| call5    = W230BD
| watts5   = 10
| freq5    = 93.9
| city5    = Lovingston, Virginia
| class5   = D
| notes5   = Relays WVTF

| call6    = W235BT
| watts6   = 80
| freq6    = 94.9
| city6    = Fredericksburg, Virginia
| class6   = D
| notes6   = Relays WQIQ
| fid1= 121853
| fid2= 121793
| fid3= 92894
| fid4= 157136
| fid5= 157729
| fid6= 153337
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wvtf.org/ WVTF Public Radio Online]
*[http://www.radioiq.org/ Radio IQ]
*{{FM station data|70338|WVTF}}

{{Virginia Tech}}
{{Roanoke-Lynchburg Radio}}
{{NPR Virginia}}
{{Virginia college radio}}
{{American broadcast radio}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jazz radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:NPR member stations]]
[[Category:American radio networks]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1973]]
[[Category:College radio stations in Virginia|VTF]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Virginia|VTF]]
[[Category:NPR member networks]]
[[Category:Public radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:1973 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Virginia Tech]]