Radio IQ
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| City | Roanoke, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Southwest Virginia and Central Virginia |
| Branding | Radio IQ |
| Slogan | Virginia's Public Radio |
| Frequency | 89.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | 1973 |
| Format | News/talk |
| Power | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 600 Meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 70338 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°11′56.0″N 80°09′2.0″W / 37.198889°N 80.150556°W |
| Callsign meaning | Virginia Tech Foundation |
| Former callsigns | WVWR-FM (1973–1982) |
| Former frequencies | 90.1 MHz (1973–1975) |
| Affiliations |
BBC World Service National Public Radio Public Radio International |
| Owner |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech Foundation) |
| Sister stations | WVTF Music |
| Webcast | WVTF Webstream |
| Website | WVTF Online |
WVTF is the National Public Radio affiliate serving most of southwestern Virginia. The station is licensed to Roanoke, Virginia and owned by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) through its fundraising arm, the Virginia Tech Foundation. It airs a format of news and talk programming from NPR, BBC World Service, Public Radio International and other outlets.
WVTF broadcasts in HD.
WVTF began broadcasting in August 1973 as WVWR-FM (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-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 of much of central and southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia and northern North Carolina.
In 1979, WVWR-FM began the Radio Reading Service on its subcarrier frequency.
WVWR-FM 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 1982 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.
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