WITF-FM

WITF-FM (89.5 FM) is a non-commercial, public FM radio station licensed to serve Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by WITF, Inc., and broadcasts NPR talk and news programming. It is co-owned with the area's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station, WITF-TV (channel 33). Both stations are based at the Public Media Center in Swatara Township (with a Harrisburg mailing address), and broadcast from a shared tower located on Blue Mountain in Susquehanna Township.[2][3]

WITF-FM
The letters WITF, lowercase, in a rounded sans serif in a very dark green. Next to them is a mint green symbol consisting of two L-shaped devices framing a rectangle. Next to them are the words "Let's Discover".
Broadcast areaSouth Central Pennsylvania
Frequency89.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingWITF
Programming
FormatNPR News/Talk
AffiliationsNPR
Public Radio Exchange
Ownership
OwnerWITF, Inc.
WITF-TV
History
First air date
April 1, 1971 (1971-04-01)
Call sign meaning
Where It's Top Flight [1]
Technical information
Facility ID73084
ClassB
ERP5,900 watts
HAAT415 meters (1,362 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°20′44.30″N 76°52′5.90″W
Translator(s)See § Simulcast and translator
Repeater(s)See § Simulcast and translator
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.witf.org

Like most NPR member stations, WITF-FM broadcasts fundraising appeals, seeking contributions from its listeners to support the station.

History

On April 1, 1971, WITF-FM signed on the air, becoming the first station in Central Pennsylvania to broadcast a fulltime classical music radio format.[4] It was originally licensed to Hershey (the license moved to Harrisburg in 1982). WITF-FM was founded as the sister station to WITF-TV, which signed on seven years earlier.

At first, the stations broadcast from "temporary" studios at the former Hershey Middle School, moving to Locust Lane in Harrisburg in 1982. On July 22, 2005, WITF-FM-TV began construction on their current 75,000 square foot facility in Swatara Township. Staff began moving into the facility on November 27, 2006.[4]

After airing a mix of classical music and NPR programming for much of its history, the station dropped all classical music programming on June 25, 2012.[4] WITF-FM began a 24 hour schedule of news and information consisting of syndicated programs from NPR and other providers, along with local news and cultural arts reporting by the WITF staff.[5] WITF has its own Multimedia News Department.[6] It provides local and regional news coverage for both radio and TV.

In 2012, StateImpact Pennsylvania won one of three 2013 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Awards for its outstanding reporting on energy issues for focusing on the fiscal, environmental and social issues of gas drilling on Pennsylvania's economy.[7] WITF reporter Scott Detrow contributed to the report.

In 2016, WITF's reporting was honored with six regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association for excellence in broadcast and online journalism.[8][9]

Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021, WITF's news department began adding language to political news reports to point out that state legislators or members of Congress mentioned in the story advocated against certifying the Pennsylvania 2020 presidential election results. The Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan highlighted this move in a May 2021 column.[10]

Simulcast and translator

WITF-FM broadcasts at 5,900 watts, which is fairly modest for a full NPR member on the FM band. As a result, even with its transmitter located atop Blue Mountain, it only provides a grade B signal to the largest city in its service area, Lancaster.[11][12] To provide a stronger signal to listeners in Lancaster, WITF-FM programming is simulcast on the following translator:

Broadcast translator for WITF-FM
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
W260CC 99.9 FMLancaster, Pennsylvania730823860.1 m (197 ft)D40°02′17.4″N 76°18′21.9″WLMS

On January 9, 2009, WITF-FM also began simulcasting its programming on WYPM:[4]

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
W		 Height
m (ft)		 Class Transmitter coordinates
WYPM93.3 FMChambersburg, Pennsylvania49384350412 m (1,352 ft)A40°02′54.30″N 77°45′0.90″W

References
  1. "Call Letter Origins: The List". Oldradio.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  2. "FM Query Results for WITF-FM". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  3. "TV Query Results for WITF-TV". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  4. "WITF History". Witf.org. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  5. Dunkle, David (2012-06-25). "WITF format change leaves some listeners in classical music 'withdrawal'". Pennlive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  6. "WITF Radio Schedule". Witf.org. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  7. Philbin, Cara (2012-12-19). "Give Them A Hand: NPR, StateImpact And StoryCorps Honored With DuPont-Columbia Awards". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  8. Lambert, Tim (2016-04-19). "WITF honored with multiple Regional Murrow Awards". Witf.org. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  9. "RTDNA 2016 Edward R. Murrow Awards". rtdna.org. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  10. Sullivan, Margaret (May 2, 2021). "The politicians who tried to overturn an election — and the local news team that won't let anyone forget it". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  11. "60 dBu Service Contour for WITF-FM, Harrisburg, PA, 89.5 MHz BMLED-20040130ADW". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  12. City grade and grade B coverage maps
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