FCC approves latest acquisition for WVTF and RADIO IQ
Richmond, Lexington, and now Fredericksburg ... WVTF Public Radio and RADIO IQ continues to reach more and more communities in Virginia.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved the station's acquisition of WHMM. In May 2011 WVTF signed a purchase agreement with the Mariamante Academy in Northern Virginia to acquire the construction permit for a 2,500 watt full-power station that will serve Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg on 88.3 FM.
When built, it will be the only National Public Radio (NPR) member station licensed to serve these communities.
On May 12, 2011, an application was filed with the FCC to assign the license to the Virginia Tech Foundation which owns WVTF. WVTF received FCC approval of the acquisition in September 2011. The new station will broadcast the same RADIO IQ programming heard in Charlottesville and Richmond.
RADIO IQ was introduced in 2003 as an addition to the WVTF Public Radio offerings and was first broadcast in Blacksburg on 1260 AM.
This will be the ninth full-power station owned by WVTF and will expand coverage beyond Charlottesville to serve an important and growing region of the commonwealth. Fredericksburg is halfway between Richmond and Washington, D.C., giving RADIO IQ the opportunity to serve communities along portions of the Interstate 95 corridor as well as throughout the entire Spotsylvania County region.
“Along with many commuters, the new signal will cover approximately 150,000 more residents than RADIO IQ currently serves and will be an important component of the RADIO IQ mission to serve Virginians with intelligent, significant, and valuable radio program content," said WVTF General Manager Glenn Gleixner. "It will take a few months to build the new signal, but we plan to have the station on the air before the end of the year. We will offer the same program schedule heard on 88.5 FM in Charlottesville and 92.5 FM in Richmond.”
The RADIO IQ program schedule includes BBC news and NPR talk programs such as "Talk of the Nation," "The Diane Rehm Show," "Studio 360," "Here and Now," "Fresh Air," and extended broadcasts of NPR’s "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered."
A full listing of broadcast frequencies and program schedules can be found at the new WVTF and RADIO IQ website as well as the link to listen on line to both WVTF Public Radio and RADIO IQ streams of programming.
News of the acquisition comes on the heels of the announcement of the new RADIO IQ 88.7 FM in Lexington which went on the air on July 12, 2011. RADIO IQ 88.7 FM serves Buena Vista, Craigsville, Glasgow, Lexington, and the Interstate 81 corridor in Rockbridge County and northern Botetourt County of Virginia with the region's only all news public radio service.
In late summer 2010, RADIO IQ also went on the air in Richmond on 92.5 FM.
Corporate underwriting support and individual contributions have increased along with the addition of RADIO IQ and its growing number of broadcast signals.
“We added an additional underwriting specialist position working from our Charlottesville office to serve the growing number of companies who are attracted to our extended reach throughout Virginia and portions of North Carolina and West Virginia,” said Gleixner.
Once the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania station signs on, WVTF Public Radio and RADIO IQ will reach an estimated population of 1.4 million. Many businesses small and large elect to use corporate underwriting in place of, or in combination with their commercial broadcast advertising.
“Many businesses find that aligning themselves with public broadcasting and reaching the public radio audience is very affordable and quite effective,” said underwriting specialist Roger Fowler.
The new Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania station can expect to attract corporate support from as far north as Washington and Maryland from businesses wanting to reach the growing public radio audience in Northern Virginia and individual support from residents and Interstate 95 commuters who will soon have a 24-hour, all news, NPR member station.
To learn more about corporate underwriting contact Roger Fowler in Roanoke, Olivia Branch in Charlottesville, or call 1-800-856-8900.
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