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WVIK

Coordinates: 41°32′49″N 90°28′37″W / 41.547°N 90.477°W / 41.547; -90.477
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WVIK
Broadcast areaQuad Cities
Frequency90.3 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingQuad Cities NPR
Programming
FormatPublic radio; news/talk
SubchannelsHD2: Classical music
AffiliationsNPR
Ownership
OwnerAugustana College
History
First air date
August 25, 1980 (1980-08-25)
Former frequencies
90.1 MHz (1980–1991)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID3242
ClassC1
ERP31,000 watts
HAAT334 meters (1,096 ft)
Translator(s)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewvik.org

WVIK (90.3 FM) is the flagship National Public Radio station for the Quad Cities region of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. It is based in Rock Island, Illinois, and licensed to and owned by Augustana College. The studios are located on Augustana's campus in Rock Island. The station also operates two low-powered translators – K240DZ at 95.9 FM in Dubuque, Iowa, relays its main programming, and W252EM at 98.3 in Davenport, Iowa, carries WVIK's second HD Radio channel.

History

[edit]

The station signed on for the first time on August 25, 1980, on 90.1 FM. The Quad Cities had been one of the last areas of Iowa and Illinois without a city-grade signal from an NPR station. Prior to 1980, the only source of NPR programming in the area had been a low-powered translator of Cedar Falls' KUNI, though much of the area got grade B coverage from Iowa City's WSUI. In 1991, it moved to its current frequency, and activated its Dubuque translator in 1996.

In March 2022, WVIK announced plans to realign its programming streams. The full-power 90.3 FM signal would drop its afternoon classical music block to air NPR news and talk programming full time, while the Davenport translator would air classical music full-time. As part of the realignment, the 105.7 FM frequency would be upgraded to cover more of the Quad Cities.[2][3]

On May 1, 2023, the programming realignment on WVIK took place with WVIK's main signal airing NPR news and talk and the translator airing classical music. The station's HD2 subcarrier became a simulcast of the Davenport translator.[4]

Translators

[edit]
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info Notes
K240DZ 95.9 FM Dubuque, Iowa 77016 153 47.9 m (157 ft) D 42°29′47.2″N 90°41′9″W / 42.496444°N 90.68583°W / 42.496444; -90.68583 (K240DZ) LMS
W252EM 98.3 FM Davenport, Iowa 153553 250 0 m (0 ft) D 41°28′29″N 90°26′45″W / 41.47472°N 90.44583°W / 41.47472; -90.44583 (W252EM) LMS Relays HD2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WVIK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WVIK To Split Classical & News/Talk Programming". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  3. ^ Ickes, Barb (March 14, 2022). "Quad-Cities NPR station switching formats, moving classical to low-wattage station". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Public Radio Changes Take Effect May 1 in Quad Cities Northpine.com - April 27, 2023
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41°32′49″N 90°28′37″W / 41.547°N 90.477°W / 41.547; -90.477