
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 7, 1994                   TAG: 9407070122
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

3 STATIONS TO BE BASED AT RADFORD

New River Valley radio stations WVVV (104.9 FM), WJJJ (1260 AM) and WPSK (107.1 FM) will join forces at a single location in the Radford area, the stations' owners have announced. New River Media Group, which already owns WPSK - "Eagle Country 107" - completed its purchase of WVVV and WJJJ July 1 for $537,000.

The stations' general manager, Dave Roederer, had declined to be specific about the location, or to say whether any of the stations would change formats - though he didn't rule out that possibility. WVVV programs rock music, while WJJJ plays oldies.

However, at a news conference Wednesday , Roederer was less shy about stating his company's hopes that the three broadcasting outlets will garner up to two-thirds of the region's estimated 126,000 radio listeners. He said about one third of the valley's radio listeners already tune in to country-formatted WPSK. New River Media Group wants the WVVV-WJJJ combination to "rival those audience levels," he said.

The company's plans call for moving the studios and transmitting facilities for WVVV and WJJJ - now on North Franklin Street in Christiansburg - and selling the 4.75 acre site. WPSK's studios are on Bob White Boulevard in Pulaski.

Roederer said the new WVVV and WJJJ transmitting antennas would be in separate locations away from the new combined studio-office site. The company has applied to the Federal Communications Commission and to local governments for permission to make the required moves, he said.

The FCC already has OK'd an application for WVVV to boost its power from 2,700 watts to 25,000 watts and change its dial position to 105.3. The new transmitting facility will give the station an estimated 100-mile radius coverage area.

He also said the radio combination "will be a lot more aggressive with news," especially on WJJJ, the AM station. A single news department will serve all three stations, he said. Roederer also promised the stations would be heavily involved in covering collegiate sports.

New River Media Group's chief operating officer, Ralph Davis, said the stations were "determining what the needs are and what we need to do to provide better service."

Roederer said no programming changes will occur at least for the next three months, while the company evaluates the radio market.

"People will get better radio and a more diverse choice," he predicted.

by CNB