City |
WGVU-FM: Allendale, Michigan WGVS-FM: Whitehall, Michigan |
---|---|
Broadcast area |
WGVU-FM: Grand Rapids, Michigan WGVS-FM: Muskegon, Michigan |
Branding | WGVU Radio |
Slogan | Your Local NPR Station |
Frequency |
WGVU-FM: 88.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) WGVS-FM: 95.3 MHz |
First air date |
WGVU-FM: July 17, 1983 WGVS-FM: unknown |
Format | Public: News/Talk, Jazz (nights) |
ERP |
WGVU-FM: 3,000 watts WGVS-FM: 2,000 watts |
HAAT |
WGVU-FM: 95 meters WGVS-FM: 110 meters |
Class |
WGVU-FM: A WGVS-FM: A |
Facility ID |
WGVU-FM: 4174 WGVS-FM: 33696 |
Callsign meaning | Grand Valley State University |
Former callsigns |
WGVU-FM: WGVC-FM (1/19/83-12/14/87) WSRX (10/74-7/82) WGVS-FM: WKBZ-FM (3/19/93-3/1/99) WMHZ (?-?) WRNF (?-?) WLRQ (?-?) |
Affiliations | NPR |
Owner | Grand Valley State University |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | wgvu.org/radio/ |
WGVU-FM is a radio station that serves that Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area and is simulcasted throughout Western Michigan. The main broadcast frequency is 88.5 MHz, which is licensed to Allendale, a suburb of Grand Rapids. It is simulcast on WGVS-FM 95.3 MHz, which is licensed to Whitehall/Muskegon. The format is talk/jazz. Both WGVU and WGVS are owned and operated by Grand Valley State University, along with WGVU-AM and WGVS-AM (which feature an oldies format).
WGVU-FM began broadcasting on July 17, 1983 as WGVC-FM to reflect the school which was known at that time as Grand Valley State College. The station had originally operated (1974-1982) as student-run WSRX, with an alternative rock format. The station since its inception has served as a public broadcaster and is NPR affiliate.
95.3 FM in Whitehall began as Top 40 station WLRQ ("Super Q") in the late 1970s. In the mid-1980s, the station bore the WRNF ("We're Rock Ninety Five") calls while continuing with a Top 40 format. By the mid-1990s, 95.3 FM had the WKBZ-FM calls and was airing an urban contemporary format as "Power 95.3." Station owners Robert Jewell and Daniel Thill donated WKBZ-AM 850 and WKBZ-FM 95.3 to Grand Valley in 1995, but the following year the stations were sold to WLC Broadcasting, and it was not until November 1998 that WLC returned the stations to Grand Valley and the university began using them as simulcasts of WGVU-AM/FM.
WGVU-FM 88.5 broadcasts in HD Radio and operates two side channels. WGVU-HD2 is a simulcast of "Real Oldies" 1480 WGVU-AM/850 WGVS, and WGVU-HD3 is all jazz. Additionally the station's audio simulcasts on the digital subchannels of WGVU/WGVK-TV on channel 35.4/52.4 via the secondary audio program of that station (WGVU/WGVS is on the main audio channel), which features scrolling television schedules along with visual song/artist information for the radio audio.