WBRF is a

Classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...

, Bluegrass and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

licensed to

Galax, Virginia Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statisti ...

, serving Southwestern Virginia,

Southside Virginia Southside, or Southside Virginia, has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period. Duri ...

and the western

Piedmont Triad The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, and H ...

, including

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

. WBRF is owned and operated by Blue Ridge Radio, Inc.

History

WBRF signed on December 15, 1961 at 5:15pm as WBOB-FM with a power of 6,000 watts. WBOB-FM shared studios with WBOB-AM (now

WCGX WCGX is a classic hits and oldies formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Galax, Virginia, serving Carroll and Grayson counties and Independent City of Galax in Virginia. WCGX is owned and operated by Twin County Broadcasting Corporati ...

). WBOB-FM began its Country/Bluegrass/Americana format around the same time it was purchased by Blue Ridge Radio Inc. in April 1985. At the same time, the station switched its callsign to WBRF. In 1990, the WBRF transmitter moved and the power increased to 100,000 Watts from Fisher Peak in Surry County, just across the Virginia/North Carolina border. On June 15, 2009, Toby Young returned to radio with his "Aunt Eloise" character who was part of

WTQR WTQR (104.1 FM, "Q104.1") is a country music station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and High Point. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, the station broadcasts at 104.1 MH ...

radio for 23 years. WBRF is also heard on

WKBA WKBA (1550 kHz, "Classic Country 93.1") is a broadcast radio station licensed to Vinton, Virginia, serving Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. WKBA is owned and operated by Tinker Creek Broadcasters, Inc. It mostly simulcasts WBRF in ...

in the

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

area most of the time.

Programming

WBRF-FM broadcasts the classic country music show, "Blue Ridge Back Roads", live from the Rex Theater in Galax weekly.Rex Theater: About the Venue
/ref> It also broadcasts from the

Old Fiddler's Convention Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

every August in Felt's Park, also in Galax. The station is the flagship of

Wake Forest Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a mem ...

football and men's basketball. However, since the station provides marginal coverage to much of the Triad, the Deacons also air their games on

WPOL WPOL (1340 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Gospel music radio format. Licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the station is owned by Truth Broadcasting Corporation. In Winston-Salem and nearby communities, WPOL can also be he ...

in Winston-Salem and simulcast partner

WKEW WKEW (1400 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Gospel music radio format. Licensed to Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, the station is owned by Truth Broadcasting Corporation. In Greensboro and nearby communities, WKEW can also be h ...

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

References

External links

Classic Country 98-1 Online
* 1961 establishments in Virginia Classic country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1961 BRF Americana radio stations {{Virginia-radio-station-stub