WVTF completed its 26th year of broadcasting public radio programming to a large portion of Virginia and surrounding states. The station's format consisted of news from National Public Radio and other sources, national and regional public affairs programs, and classical and jazz music. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

WVTF again set a record for fund raising by generating almost $1.3 million from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The station's combined endowments also reached a new milestone by surpassing the $1.4 million mark in value.

The listening audience grew to a record high of 147,000 weekly listeners during the year, as measured by Arbitron. According to statistics published by the Radio Research Consortium, WVTF ranks No. 1 in the nation in listeners relative to other stations in like-sized markets.

WVTF's news department was the recipient of major industry awards in FY 1998-99, capturing more first place awards from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters than any other station, radio or television. Awards included: Best News Series for In-Depth Reporting; Best Enterprise Reporting; Best Documentary; and Best Feature Reporting.

WVTF produced 72 hours of local programming each week. Local production highlights included Evening Edition, a weekly live call-in public affairs program; the Civil War series, featuring James I. Robertson Jr., Virginia Tech Alumni Distinguished Professor of History; feature reports from the Virginia General Assembly; and live broadcasts of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. WVTF also broadcast and participated in the production of the ongoing series With Good Reason, produced by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

In addition to its primary channel, WVTF operated a radio reading service with more than 100 volunteer readers. The radio reading service provided listeners with information from local newspapers and national publications, including The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. More than 1,500 special receivers have been purchased and distributed to the blind and other print handicapped individuals, making WVTF's radio reading service the largest in Virginia.