Media in Richmond, Virginia
According to nielsenmedia.com statistics for 2015–2016, the Richmond, Virginia market area is the 56th largest Designated Market Area in the United States, with 549,730 TV households. Richmond is served by a variety of communication media:
Print media
Daily
The local daily newspaper in Richmond is the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Weekly
- Brick (defunct alternative weekly; published September 2006 to July 2010)
- Style Weekly (alternative weekly)
- Chesterfield Observer
Monthly / bi-monthly / quarterly
- Boomer Magazine (bi-monthly)
- Chesterfield Living, West Ends Best, Hanover Lifestyle (bi-monthly)
- Greater Richmond Grid Magazine (bi-monthly)
- OurHealth Richmond Magazine (bi-monthly)
- Richmond Magazine (monthly)
- RVA Magazine (quarterly)
- Whurk (monthly)
News and newsmagazines
The Richmond Free Press and the Richmond Voice are weekly newspapers that cover the news from a predominantly African American perspective. The only Hispanic magazine in the state, La Voz Hispana de Virginia provides significant cultural and news content in both English and Spanish. There are also two major publications from the Jewish community of Richmond, published in English; The Reflector is the semi-weekly newspaper of the Jewish Federation of Richmond and Virginia Jewish Life (formerly Virginia Jewish News) is an independent monthly magazine published by the Chabad community of Richmond, but highlighting stories of general Jewish interest in Virginia. City Edition was a civic-minded newspaper that listed municipal and council related events, issues, and results, which stopped publication in October 2007. . Richmond.com is an online newsmagazine with a wide readership. Other local topical publications include Richmond Parents Magazine and V Magazine for Women. the voice of women in Richmond. Richmond Guide is a quarterly that is targeted toward visitors. The Virginia Defender is a quarterly statewide community newspaper with a press run of 16,000 distributed through nearly 300 distribution sites in Richmond, plus 16 other Virginia cities and five counties.
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Richmond's leading African American newspaper at the turn of the century was the Richmond Planet which ran from 1883-1996 and was edited by John Mitchel, Jr. from 1884 until his death in 1929.
Regional and county newspapers include the following:
- The Amelia Bulletin Monitor for Amelia County, Virginia
- The Chesterfield Observer for Chesterfield County, Virginia
- The Goochland Courier for Goochland County, Virginia
- The Goochland Gazette for Goochland County, Virginia
- The Henrico Citizen for Henrico County, Virginia
- The Herald Progress for Hanover County, Virginia
- The Hopewell News (defunct) for Hopewell, Virginia
- Petersburg Progress-Index for Petersburg, Virginia
- RVA Magazine
- Virginia Living is a glossy magazine published bi-monthly that covers Virginia events.
Student
VCU, VUU, and University of Richmond have student-run newspapers, including VCU's Commonwealth Times, Ink, Amendment, Emanata, and Poictesme.
Television
Richmond is served by several television stations.
Broadcast
Richmond's over-the-air television stations:
* These low-power stations have construction permits to move to new digital channels in the near future.
** As of December 31, 2015, this station is indicated as Silent on the FCC's broadcast database.
Repack refers to the impending reallocation of channel assignments following FCC Auctions 1001/1002, which is designed to sell unused TV spectrum to wireless service operators. Richmond-area stations will begin testing in January 2020, and will have to move to their new channels by March 13, 2020. Low-power stations will be affected, but new channel assignments have not been released as of May 2017.
Primary station signals air on 2-3 channels per cable system (usually one in standard definition and 1-2 in high definition). Subchannels are cleared on cable systems through contractual agreements, and are generally in standard definition.
Cable
Comcast is the primary cable television provider for the Richmond area (Richmond city proper, Chesterfield, Henrico County) and the Tri-Cities (area includes Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell and the counties of Dinwiddie and Prince George). In the city and Henrico County, it is the successor to the franchise originally held by Continental Cablevision, then MediaOne, then AT&T Broadband, before Comcast acquired AT&T Broadband. In Chesterfield, it is the successor to the franchise originally held by Storer Cable. In the nearby Tri-Cities area, it is the successor to the franchise originally held by Sammons Communications, then Marcus Cable, then Tele-Media, then Adelphia, before Comcast acquired Adelphia.
Verizon now offers television through its fiber-optic system, FiOS TV, in Richmond City and Henrico and Chesterfield Counties, and is currently expanding its services farther into the outlying Richmond area.
Radio
The metropolitan area is served by a variety of radio stations, serving a wide variety of musical and other interests.
AM
Several AM stations serve a variety of music, talk, and sports topics, including the following:
Frequency | Callsign | Licensed To | Nickname | Format | Owner | Web site |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
590 | WLES | Bon Air | The Truth | Religious | Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting | Truth Richmond website |
800 | WSVS | Crewe | Virginia's Country Legend | Classic Country | Gee Communications | WSVS Facebook |
820 | WNTW | Chester | 820 The Answer | Christian Talk | Delmarva Educational Association | WNTW website |
910 | WRNL | Richmond | FOX Sports Radio 910 | Sports radio | Entercom | WRNL website |
950 1240 | WXGI WTPS | Richmond Petersburg | ESPN Richmond | ESPN Radio | Urban One | WXGI website |
990 | WREJ | Richmond | Rejoice Radio | Gospel | Radio Richmond LLC | WREJ website |
1140 | WRVA | Richmond | Newsradio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM | News/Talk (50,000 watts) | Entercom | WRVA website |
1290 | WDZY | Colonial Heights | AM1290 The Word | Religious | Wilkins Radio Network | Wilkins Radio Richmond website |
1320 | WVNZ | Richmond | Maxima 1320 | Spanish | TBLC Media | WVNZ website |
1340 | WHAP | Hopewell | Fox Sports Radio 1340 | Sports/Variety/Talk | PT Brown Broadcasting | WHAP website |
1380 | WBTK | Richmond | Radio Poder | Hispanic Religion | Mt. Rich Media | WBTK website |
1430 | WHAN | Ashland | The 'Mater | Adult Alternative / Community Radio | Fifth Estate | WHAN website |
1450 1540 | WULT WBTL | Highland Springs Sandston | Boomtown Richmond | Oldies | Mobile Radio Partners | Boomtown Richmond website |
1480 | WTOX | Glen Allen | Activa 1480 | Mexicana | TBLC Media | Activa Richmond website |
1590 | WFTH | Richmond | Modern Rock, No Commercials | Modern Rock | Stu-Comm (Relay of WNRN-FM/Charlottesville) | WNRN-FM website |
1620 | WPQE514 | n/a | Highway Advisory | Road Condition Reports | Commonwealth Of Virginia | none |
FM
On the FM dial, popular music stations include the following:
Frequency | Callsign | Licensed To | Nickname | Format | Owner | Web site |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
88.1 | WRIH-FM | Richmond | American Family Radio | Religious | American Family | AFR Network website |
88.5 | WNRN-FM | Midlothian | Modern Rock, No Commercials | Modern Rock | Stu-Comm (Translator for WFTH-AM/Richmond, relaying WNRN-FM/Charlottesville) | WNRN-FM website |
88.9 93.1 107.3 | WCVE-FM WWLB-FM WBBT-FM | Richmond Ettrick Powhatan | Community Idea Stations | Public Radio | Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation | WCVE-FM website |
89.7 | WNVU | Charles City | Radio Nueva Vida | Spanish Christian | Educational Media Foundation | Radio Neuva Vida website |
90.1 | WARV-FM | Colonial Heights | Air1 | Contemporary Christian | Educational Media Foundation | Air1 website |
90.1 | WDCE-FM | Richmond | 90.1 FM | Student-run Alternative Music | University Of Richmond | WDCE-FM website |
90.5 102.5 | WPER | Fredericksburg Richmond | Virginia's Positive Hits | Christian and gospel | Positive Alternative Radio | PAR Network website |
91.1 | WHCE-FM | Highland Springs | Mix 91 | Henrico County Student-run Contemporary Music | County Of Henrico | n/a |
91.3 | WVST-FM | Petersburg | The Source | R&B/Urban/Jazz/Public affairs/Sports | Virginia State University | WVST-FM website |
91.7 | KAWZ | Lakeside | CSN International | Christian | Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls (Translator for KAWZ-FM/Twin Falls, ID) | CSN Network website |
92.1 104.1 | WCDX-FM | Mechanicsville Petersburg | iPower 92 | Mainstream Urban | Urban One | WCDX-FM website |
92.5 | WVTF | Richmond | Radio IQ | NPR/BBC Talk | Virginia Tech Foundation (Translator for WVTF/Roanoke) | Radio IQ website |
92.9 94.1 | WULT WBTL | Highland Springs Richmond | Boomtown Radio | Oldies | Mobile Radio Partners (Translators for WULT/Highland Springs and WBTL/Sandston) | Boomtown Richmond website |
93.5 | WBBC-FM | Blackstone | Bobcat Country | Country / Sports | Denbar Communications | WBBC-FM website |
93.7 | WCFC-LP | Richmond | Christian | Crusade for Christ Temple Church of God in Christ | CFC Network website | |
93.9 | WKLV | Blackstone | Oldies 93.9 | Oldies | Denbar Communications (Simulcast of WKLV-AM/Blackstone) | WKLV website |
93.9 | WRWK-LP | Midlothian | The Work FM | Community-Interest | Synergy Project, Inc | The Work FM website |
94.5 | WRVQ-FM | Richmond | Q94 | Top 40/CHR | Entercom | WRVQ-FM Website |
94.9 | WRVL | Richmond | The Journey | Christian | Liberty University (Translators for WRVL-FM/Lynchburg) | WRVL-FM website |
95.3 | WKHK-FM | Colonial Heights | K95 | Country music | SummitMedia LLC | WKHK-FM website |
96.1 | WRVA | Richmond | Newsradio 1140 WRVA and 96.1 FM | News/Talk | Entercom | WRVA website |
96.5 | WKLR-FM | Fort Lee | Classic Rock 96.5 | Rock | SummitMedia LLC | WKLR-FM website |
96.9 | WWUZ-FM | Bowling Green | 96-9 The Rock | Classic rock | Alpha Media | WWUZ-FM website |
97.1 | WSVS | Crewe | Virginia's Country Legend | Christian | Gee Communications (Translator for WSVS-AM/Crewe) | WSVS website (offline) |
97.3 | WRIR-LP | Richmond | Richmond Indie Radio | Specialty Music Programs Community focused programming | Virginia Center For The Public Press | WRIR-LP website |
97.7 | WNTW | Bellwood | The Answer | Religious | Delmarva Educational Association (Translator for WNTW/Chester) | WNTW website |
98.1 | WTVR-FM | Richmond | Mix 98.1 | Adult Contemporary | Entercom | WTVR-FM website |
98.5 | W253BI | Richmond | Big 98.5 | Country | Entercom | W253BI website |
98.9 100.3 100.5 | WLFV WKYV WVNZ-FM | Midlothian Petersburg Goochland | K-LOVE | Contemporary Christian | Educational Media Foundation | K-LOVE Network website |
99.3 105.7 | WKJM-FM WKJS-FM | Petersburg Richmond | 105.7 & 99.3 Kiss FM | Urban Adult Contemporary | Urban One | Kiss FM website |
99.5 102.7 | WXGI | Richmond Petersburg | ESPN Richmond | ESPN Radio | Urban One Translator for WXGI/Richmond | WXGI website |
99.9 | WYFJ-FM | Ashland | FM 100 | Christian and gospel | BBN | BBN Network website |
100.9 | WJSR | Lakeside | Star 100.9 | Classic Hits | SummitMedia LLC | WJSR-FM website |
101.3 | WREJ | Richmond | Rejoice Radio | Gospel | Radio Richmond LLC (Translator for WREJ/Richmond) | WREJ website |
102.1 | WRXL-FM | Richmond | XL102 | Modern Rock | Entercom | WRXL-FM website |
102.9 | WHAN | Ashland | The 'Mater | Adult Alternative / Community Radio (Translator for WHAN-AM/Ashland) | Fifth Estate | WHAN website |
103.3 | WDZY | Colonial Heights | AM1290 The Word | Religious | Wilkins Radio Network (Translator for WDZY/Colonial Heights) | Wilkins Radio Richmond website |
103.3 | WBDB-LP | Richmond | The Bridge | Adult Alternative | Big Deal Productions | Radio Coop site |
103.7 | WURV-FM | Richmond | 103.7 PLAY | Hot Adult Contemporary | SummitMedia LLC | WURV-FM website |
104.3 | W282CA | Richmond | G104.3 | Classic Hip-Hop | SummitMedia LLC | W282CA website |
104.7 | WPZZ-FM | Crewe | Praise 104.7 | Urban Gospel | Urban One | WPZZ-FM website |
105.3 | WQCN-LP | Richmond | The Choice | Gospel | Faith & Love Fellowship Church | WQCN-LP Facebook |
106.1 | W291CL | Richmond | Sports 106.1 | CBS Sports Radio | SummitMedia LLC | W291CL website |
106.5 | WBTJ-FM | Richmond | 106.5 The Beat | Mainstream Urban | Entercom | WBTJ-FM website |
106.9 | WAFX-FM | Suffolk | 106.9 The Fox | Classic Rock | Saga | WAFX-FM website |
107.9 | WLES | Richmond | The Truth | Religious | Delmarva Educational Association (Translator for WLES/Bon Air) | WLES website |
Internet media
While electronic is a new category of media, several outlets compete for online readership. A number of neighborhood news sites have come online in 2007.
- AllNightRVA.com
- As Told Over Brunch
- Carver & Jackson Ward News
- Church Hill People's News
- community.livejournal.com/rva LiveJournal
- DowntownShortPump.com
- Fan District Hub
- Hills and Heights
- Near West End News
- North Richmond News
- OurHealthRichmond.com
- Punchline Magazine comedy site, now defunct underground culture newspaper
- Richmond City Watch
- Richmond.com (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- richmond.craigslist.org Craigslist
- richmond.indymedia.org indymedia
- RichmondBizSense.com
- RichmondGrid.com
- www.richmondliberty.org
- River City Rapids
- RVA Magazine (http://Rvamag.com)
- RVANews.com
- RVAPlaylist.com
- South Richmond News
- Spyed (http://spyedrichmond.com)
- TalkRVA.com
- Virginia Christmas News
- West of the Boulevard News
Media corporations
Commercial radio ownership in Richmond is dominated by three companies:
- Entercom (WRVA-AM, WRVQ, WTVR-FM, WBTJ, WRXL, WRNL-AM)
- SummitMedia LLC (WKLR, WMXB, WJSR, WKHK)
- Urban One (WCDX, WKJS, WKJX, WPZZ, WTPS-AM)
Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation is the owner of several stations in Richmond (WCVE-TV, WCVE-FM, WCVW-TV), along with translators in Charlottesville, and another station in Northern Virginia, and is headquartered in Richmond.
Communication schools
Richmond is home to the VCU School of Mass Communications, which was founded in 1978 and offers bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism, advertising and public relations. It is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). The school houses Capital News Service, VCU InSight, and the VCU Create-A-thon.