WUVT, in one form or another, has been located on the campus of Virginia Tech for more than 60 years, making it one of the longest running radio stations in Virginia. It originally began operation as an AM station in 1948 after a student created an AM transmitter in his dorm room. WUVT-FM was established in 1969. Today, like other student media organizations on campus, WUVT is a division of The Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech. WUVT is known for its eclectic programming, covering a wide swath of past and present music styles. DJs are typically students, who select content based upon their personal preferences. WUVT serves the community by providing an educational and cultural experience, offering music rarely heard on commercial stations. WUVT's studios and offices are located in Squires Student Center. Its transmitter is located on nearby Price Mountain, between Blacksburg and Radford, at a site shared with WBRW, "The Bear". The station currently transmits its signal with a Harris Z5CD solid state transmitter donated by Clear Channel. Former WUVT Chief Engineer Kevin Sterne was injured in the April 16, 2007 killing spree by a Virginia Tech student. After hearing about Kevin’s strong passion for the radio station and WUVT's need to upgrade its aging transmitter, officials from Clear Channel and the Society of Broadcast Engineers assisted in returning WUVT to full power on April 28, 2007. Clear Channel donated a Harris Z5CD transmitter, transmitter building, and antenna sufficient to generate 10 KW. Orban, CBS Radio, and Electronics Research, Inc. also offered equipment and technical assistance.
Power Increase
Virginia Radio and TV website reported in 2007 that WUVT "has requested to move its antenna off-campus to a new location a mile away from and increase the antenna height from 141 feet to 429 feet. WUVT wants to be licensed as a Class C3 and increase its power from 3,000 watts to 10,000 watts." In June 2008, WUVT received authorization from the FCC to begin building a 6.5 kW transmission facility. This construction permit was issued for a lower power that originally requested due to a conflicting application with WEHC. Both stations filed applications for power increases which would have overlapped, so both WUVT and WEHC have compromised and re-submitted their applications at a lower power. Over summer 2009, WUVT moved equipment to the new site atop Price Mountain and removed the old transmitter from its location atop Lee Hall. During the transitional period, WUVT broadcast at low power from Squires Student Center. In September 2009, the station received permission to begin broadcasting at 6.5 kW ERP.
Technical Accomplishments
June 1969 - FM transmission authorized on 90.7 MHz with 10 watts ERP
1970s - Upgraded license to 770 watts ERP, on the air with the original 10W exciter driving a 430W amplifier. The amplifier was hand built and FCC type accepted by Geoff Mendenhall, a student at Ga Tech who used it for a few years at their station.
