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WTVR-FM

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WTVR-FM
Broadcast area
Central Virginia
Frequency98.1 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingMix 98.1
Programming
LanguageEnglish
FormatAdult contemporary
SubchannelsHD2: Talk radio (WRVA)
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
February 17, 1947 (1947-02-17)[1]
Former call signs
WCOD (1947–1966)[2]
Former frequencies
96.3 MHz (1947–1948)
Call sign meaning
"Television Richmond" (previous co-ownership with WTVR-TV)
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
54387
ClassB
Power50,000 watts
HAAT256 meters (840 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°34′0.5″N 77°28′34.9″W / 37.566806°N 77.476361°W / 37.566806; -77.476361
TranslatorHD2: 96.1 W241AP (Midlothian)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via Audacy)
Websiteaudacy.com/mix981richmond

WTVR-FM (98.1 FM, "Mix 98.1") is a radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, United States. WTVR-FM serves Central Virginia with an adult contemporary music format. The station is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. with studios and offices located north of Richmond's city limits on Basie Road in Dumbarton.[4] It formerly shared a nearby broadcasting tower with its former TV sister station, WTVR-TV. (WTVR-TV no longer broadcasts from this tower.) Currently, it shares a tower with PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW.[5][6]

WTVR-FM is a grandfathered "superpower station". The station has an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts at 256 meters. This exceeds the maximum allowable ERP for the station's antenna height above average terrain according to current FCC rules, which is 17,500 watts at 256 meters.

History

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WTVR-FM began broadcasting in February 1947 as WCOD (standing for "Capital Old Dominion")[7] and was owned by the Richmond Broadcasting Company.[1] It was the sister station of WMBG (1380 AM). For many years, it was also co-owned with WTVR-TV. In 1966, the radio stations began sharing the television station's WTVR call sign, signifying "Television Richmond". WTVR-FM operates at 50,000 watts, standard for most FM stations in the Richmond market. However, at 256 meters (840 ft), its tower is taller than the FM Class B limit of 150 meters (490 ft).

For much of its early history, WTVR-FM aired beautiful music, although by the 1980s, that mostly instrumental format was falling out of favor with younger listeners.

At its original site with WTVR-TV Main Street studios at 3314 Cutshaw Avenue in downtown Richmond, Virginia, one could see its free standing broadcast tower for miles around. The television andradio stations shared a parking lot at that time with the radio studios across the parking lot, in the house on Cutshaw Avenue, situated behind the TV station.

During the Stereo Country FM98 era in the mid-1980s, WTVR-FM had a live personality line up, and simulcast the country music format with WTVR (1380 AM). In the mid-1980s it competed with small 3,000 watt class A facility WKHK nearby but they were always second banana to WTVR-FM having a 50,000 watt class B signal, and better personalities. At the helm was program director Mike Allen who did weekday morning drive, followed by Hillary Kane on middays, Dave Shannon in afternoon drive, and automated programming with recorded carted weather overnight. The facility was owned by Roy H. Park in this era. Eventually the station moved away from the country format, and transitioned to an adult contemporary format.

On November 13, 2015, WTVR-FM switched to Christmas music, and began calling itself "The All-New Christmas 98.1". In recent years, along with many other adult contemporary radio stations, WTVR-FM switches to all holiday music from mid-November to Christmas Day. As the holidays ended, iHeartMedia rebranded the station as "Mix 98.1" on December 28.[8] Despite the new branding, the format remains adult contemporary, although more uptempo.

On November 1, 2017, iHeartMedia announced that WTVR-FM, along with all of their sister stations in Richmond and Chattanooga, would be sold to Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.) as part of that company's merger with CBS Radio.[9] The sale was completed on December 19, 2017.[10]

WTVR-HD2

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WTVR-FM broadcasts a simulcast of news/talk-formatted WRVA on its HD2 sub channel. On May 5, 2014, translator W253BI (98.5 FM) began simulcasting WRVA via WTVR-HD2.[11] The simulcast on W253BI ended on July 23, 2015; WRVA's signal is still relayed via WTVR-HD2.[12]

Broadcast translator for WTVR-HD2
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
W241AP 96.1 FMMidlothian, Virginia139538145255.2 m (837 ft)D37°30′31.5″N 77°34′37.0″W / 37.508750°N 77.576944°W / 37.508750; -77.576944LMS

References

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  1. 1 2 "WCOD, WMBG Richmond FM Outlet, Formally Opened With 47 kw, 96.3 mc" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 24, 1947. p. 84.
  2. ↑ "New call letters requested" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 22, 1966. p. 84.
  3. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WTVR-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ↑ "WTVR Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  5. ↑ "TV Query Results". Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  6. ↑ "FM Query Results". Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  7. ↑ "[WCOD Ad]" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "WTVR Richmond To Relaunch As Mix 98.1 - RadioInsight". radioinsight.com. December 18, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Entercom Trades Boston & Seattle Spin-Offs To iHeartMedia For Richmond & Chattanooga - RadioInsight". radioinsight.com. November 1, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  11. ↑ "WRVA Adds FM Signal - RadioInsight". radioinsight.com. May 5, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  12. ↑ "HD Radio Guide for Richmond, VA". Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
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