WHRV

Norfolk, Virginia
Broadcast area	Hampton Roads
Frequency	89.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	WHRV 89.5
Programming
Format	Public Radio - News - Talk - Jazz - Americana
Subchannels	HD2: Adult Album Alternative (AAA) "AltRadio"
Affiliations	National Public Radio American Public Media Public Radio Exchange BBC World Service
Ownership
Owner	Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association
Sister stations	WFOS, WHRE, WHRF, WHRG, WHRJ, WHRL, WHRO-FM, WHRO-TV, WHRX
History
First air date	July 15, 1973; 50 years ago (1973-07-15)
Former call signs	WTGM (1973–1978) WHRO-FM (1978–1990)[1]
Call sign meaning	Hampton Roads Virginia
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	25933
Class	B
ERP	34,000 watts
HAAT	181.7 meters (596 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	36°48′32.0″N 76°30′13.0″W / 36.808889°N 76.503611°W / 36.808889; -76.503611
Translator(s)	101.7 W269BQ (Virginia Beach)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live Listen Live (HD2)
Website	WHRV.org/radio

WHRV (89.5 MHz) is a non-commercial, listener-supported, public radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia.^[3] It is the flagship NPR member station for the Hampton Roads section of Virginia, and is a sister station to the area's PBS member, WHRO-TV 15. They are owned by the Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association, a consortium of 19 school districts in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.^[4] Studios are in the Public Telecommunications Center on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

WHRV is a Class B FM station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 34,000 watts. The transmitter is on Nansemond Parkway in Suffolk.^[5] Programming is also heard on four repeater stations and an FM translator. WHRV broadcasts using HD Radio (hybrid) technology.^[6] Its HD2 digital subchannel plays adult album alternative (AAA) music and is known as "AltRadio."

Programming

On weekdays, WHRV airs news and talk programming from NPR and other public radio networks. Weekday programs include Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, 1A, Here and Now and Marketplace. Shows heard once a week, either middays or on weekends, include The TED Radio Hour, Radiolab, Reveal, The Splendid Table, On The Media, Science Friday, A Way with Words, Selected Shorts, With Good Reason, Snap Judgment, Left, Right and Center and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. The BBC World Service runs all night.

Nights and weekends, there are programs featuring multiple genres of music not found on commercial radio stations. Locally produced shows include Out of the Box with Paul Shagrue, a mix of Americana, Blues, Reggae, Singer-Songwriter, Cajun and World Beat. Friday evenings feature The R&B Chronicles with Jae Sinnett airing classic Rhythm & Blues music. Pickin' airs on Sunday evenings, featuring two hours of bluegrass and traditional country music. Acoustic Highway with Barry Graham ranges from classic bluegrass and traditional Appalachian music to songs of the new folk movement. WHRV also carries NPR's The Thistle and Shamrock with Fiona Ritchie, featuring Celtic music from Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the U.S.

History

The station signed on the air in July 15, 1973; 50 years ago (1973-07-15).^[1] Its orignal call sign was WTGM. It was owned by the Virginia Cultural Foundation.^[1] WTGM-FM aired a mix of classical music, NPR news and community programs.^[7]

Within only two years, however, the station ran into severe financial problems. That forced HRETA (then known as the Hampton Roads Educational Television Association) to step in and rescue the station.^[8]

HRETA changed the call letters to WHRO-FM in 1978. The new call sign would match the radio and television stations. In the early 1980s, a feasibility study indicated that a second public radio station could be viable.^[1] The plan was one station would specialize in classical music, while the other would concentrate on informational and news programs, along with some other genres of music. However, it was not until 1988 that HRETA won a second noncommercial license, on 90.3 MHz.^[9] On September 21, 1990, 90.3 FM signed on as a full-time classical music station, taking the WHRO-FM call letters. NPR news and information programming remained on 89.5 under new call letters, WHRV.^[10]

HD Radio

Repeaters

WHRV operates a number of full-powered repeater stations to serve portions of the Eastern Shore and Southside Virginia.

Additionally, the station operates a 250 watt translator station, W269BQ, at 101.7 MHz in Virginia Beach, which serves sections of that community that do not get a clear signal from 89.5.

References

External links

• WHRV Online
• WHRV in the FCC FM station database
• WHRV in Nielsen Audio's FM station database