Station Update: We have so much to celebrate together.

Friends of WGDR/WGDH -

Thanks to supporters like you, we are celebrating big milestones at the station this month: one year of community ownership, exceeding our spring drive goals, and putting more local programming on the air.

One Year of Community Ownership

This month last year, the FCC approved the ownership transition of WGDR/WGDH from Goddard College to Central Vermont Community Radio.

We are forever grateful to the founding board, former Goddard station staff and leadership, community leaders, and many volunteers who helped make community-ownership of these stations possible.

We are especially thankful for all of you, our listeners, and supporters, who have been with us every step of the way.

You’ve cheered us on, you’ve donated, you’ve come to our aid to replace the transmitter, and most importantly, you’ve never stopped listening.

Here’s to many more years of vibrant community radio broadcasting from neighbors to neighbors all across Central Vermont and into the Northeast Kingdom.

Huge Success of the Spring Drive

• 20 new sustainers! Our goal was 5 sustainers---wow y'all! Sustainers now fund $700 in monthly expenses of the station. For a small station like us, that is huge!
• 19 new donors. Welcome to all our new friends!
• $8,700 raised from over 100 donors. Our summer drive last year raised $5,000, so this drive really showed how the community is continuing and deepening investment in our success. Thank you!

A few works from supporters:

"I listen to WGDR the most of any station. Love the variety of programming. Keep community radio alive!"

"GDR is a lifeline. National news, local conversations and the diversity of music are unmatched. So important that it's community-owned now."

"Our chickens listen every day!"

Drives rely on programmers to explain how listener support impacts what gets to be heard on the air. Our programmers really came through in pitching you how your support matters and they are beaming with pride about this drive success.

More Local Programming In the Schedule

We just completed our spring schedule update, featuring more locally made programming and new show categories to help you discover new shows. Listen live or anytime via our archives. Click here for a larger and printable version of the schedule.

A Note on Station Outages

Over the last many weeks both WGDR and WGDH have experienced frequent dead air due to power and internet outages. We understand how frustrating these can be and while many have been out of our hands, newly installed internet equipment at both WGDR and WGDH should solve many of these persistent issues. We appreciate your patience.

As always, thanks for listening!

Warmly,

Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, Station Manager

Llu@WGDR.org, 802-276-0365

WGDR/WGDH broadcasts at 91.1 FM in the greater Plainfield area, 91.7 FM in the hollows and hills of Hardwick and beyond, and at WGDR.org to the whole world. Our studio is located at the Eliot Pratt Center on Goddard College campus at 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.

Follow us on social media at on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at @WGDRWGDHVT

We Exceeded Our Spring On Air Drive Goals

Updated 4/27: Thanks to the generous support of 110 individual donors we raised $8,700 during our 2 week Spring On Air Drive! (and there are still checks in the mail). We crushed our goal of $8K and to attract at least 5 new sustainers—we got 16 sustainers!—combined these new monthly donors, along with our 29 other sustainers, will support $700 a month in regular expenses. This is huge for our station. We also brought in 19 new donors (25 goal), that is outstanding and we are so grateful for all of you.

You can still make a gift to support the station, today or anyday online or by check made out to “CVCR” and mailed to WGDR, 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.

On behalf of all the programmers, board, and volunteers, THANK YOU VERMONTERS & BEYOND!

-Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, WGDR/WGDH Station Manager

Station Update: 3 Days to left to W-Go-Go-GDR!

Friends of WGDR/WGDH -

Every time we have asked for your support, our station launch in the summer of 2021, end of the year support last year, and the transmitter emergency in January, you have responded with such generosity and enthusiasm. The GDR-gratitude we feel for you is unending.

For those of you who haven't yet given to the Spring Drive or given to the station in awhile or ever, now is your chance to be a community radio hero! If you have given, thank you so much. Please consider posting about the Drive on your social media, Front Porch Forum, or nudging your neighbors to join in.

Every gift helps us fund the careful curated and lovingly made radio programmers you rely on every day.

Our Spring Drive ends this weekend and we are just $2,800 away from our $8,000 goal!

• 12 new sustainers! We crushed our 5 new sustainer goal, unlocking our CVCR Board challenge of an additional $500.
• 13 new donors total, 25 new donors is the goal.
• $5,166 raised from 63 donors as of today.

Remember, every single donor who gives DURING the drive gets entered to win one of these dozen fantastic prizes from Vermont businesses and non-profits:

o   A pair of tickets to Waking Windows festival in Winooski, May 13-14. More info on the festival at WakingWindows.com

o   2 tickets to see Anais Mitchell at Higher Ground on May 27. More info on the show at HigherGroundMusic.com

o   A 3-month membership to Dave's Community Fitness in Waterbury, a $99 value.

o   2 tickets to see We Banjo 3 at the Barre Opera House on May 7. More info on the show at BarreOperaHouse.org.

o   4 tickets, a family pack, to see No Strings Marionettes at the Barre Opera House. More info on the show at BarreOperaHouse.org.

o   A banner or poster from the Bread & Puppet print shop.

o   A veggie gift certificate from Good Heart Farm in Worcester.

o   A piece of blown glass by Burlington artist Julian Soberano

o   A 5 class dance card and $60 gift certificate to the Nataraja Dance Studios in Burlington. Offering a variety of dance classes and healing services.

o   A $25 gift certificate from Guitar Sam in Montpelier.

o   An interview DVD of Pete Seeger.

Don't wait, give right now!

It takes just a few minutes to write a check to "CVCR" and mail to 123 Pitkin Rd. Plainfield, VT 05667 or click our donate button and give securely online today.

As always, thanks for listening!

Your pals at WGDR/WGDH,

The staff, programmers, and board of Central Vermont Community Radio

WGDR/WGDH broadcasts at 91.1 FM in the greater Plainfield area, 91.7 FM in the hollows and hills of Hardwick and beyond, and at WGDR.org to the whole world. Our studio is located at the Eliot Pratt Center on Goddard College campus at 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.

Follow us on social media at on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at @WGDRWGDHVT

CVCR's Statement on the ongoing war in Ukraine

“We are dedicated to airing news and public affairs programs that go the extra mile to bring you stories about what is happening now in Ukraine and Russia, and to provide invaluable background. Democracy Now! is broadcast live at 8 am and rebroadcast at 6 pm on weekdays. Background Briefing (weekdays at 6 am), and Letters and Politics (Mondays - Thursdays at 5 pm) all feature guests who have deep insights into Eastern Europe and the roots of this conflict.
Many other locally produced and national shows throughout the CVCR broadcast week also have turned their attention to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
We encourage you to continue to tune in for the latest. As a media outlet, dedicated to the protection of free speech, a free press, and the free exchange of ideas, we stand in solidarity with the courageous journalists inside and outside the war zone who are risking their freedom and even their lives in reporting from the front lines.”

— CVCR Board

Station Update: The Drive Is On

Friends of WGDR/WGDH -

Kicking us off this morning on the "Curse of the Golden Turnip," programmer Alan LePage launched our Spring On Air Drive. Long-time listeners know Alan is a drive legend for the station, often having the phones ring off the hook.

Live programmers still welcome your calls to connect about the station, but due to covid restrictions we are not taking donations over the phone. Instead, please give directly online or by check to "CVCR" mailed to WGDR/WGDH at 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.

We are very excited about this Drive! With listener support, we will go after our $8,000 goal in these next two weeks, April 3-16. We also have a goal to bring on 25 new-to-WGDR/WGDH donors and 5 new sustaining donors. Our CVCR board has set the extra challenge that if we attract those 5 new sustainers, they will donate an additional $500 to the Drive.

As you know, we tune Vermonters into the power of community-made radio. You’ll hear local programming that provides different perspectives and free-form music shows to entertain. National programming deepens the dialogue, alongside award winning news programs like “Democracy Now.”

Having support from individuals like you, allows us the freedom to curate the programming you have come to love and expect from WGDR/WGDH.

To encourage you to give during these next two weeks, eight local businesses and non-profits have offered goods, services, and experiences as prizes. If you give today, your name will be entered to win one of the following:

o   A pair of tickets to Waking Windows festival in Winooski, May 13-14. More info on the festival at WakingWindows.com

o   2 tickets to see Anais Mitchell at Higher Ground on May 27. More info on the show at HigherGroundMusic.com

o   A 3-month membership to Dave's Community Fitness in Waterbury, a $99 value.

o   2 tickets to see We Banjo 3 at the Barre Opera House on May 7. More info on the show at BarreOperaHouse.org.

o   4 tickets, a family pack, to see No Strings Marionettes at the Barre Opera House. More info on the show at BarreOperaHouse.org.

o   A banner or poster from the Bread & Puppet print shop.

o   A veggie gift certificate from Good Heart Farm in Worcester.

o   A piece of blown glass by Burlington artist Julian Soberano

o   A 5 class dance card and $60 gift certificate to the Nataraja Dance Studios in Burlington. Offering a variety of dance classes and healing services.

Thank you for your support!

Spring Schedule Changes

As you tune in this spring, you will hear some changes to our schedule. More local shows will be rebroadcast during our most listened to times of the day and some national shows will be shifted around to new spots.

You'll also hear refreshed "WGDR Music" content that helps to fill our airwaves in between show transitions and early morning spots. Our Music Department is curating new music from the last 12 months to air during these times and we hope you enjoy the new sounds.

We also updated our online schedule and archives with links to programmer websites and playlists, easier to read color themes, and more.

Later this year, as we bring on new and returning programmers, we will once again update the schedule, featuring new shows and new times. More on that in the coming weeks! Stay tuned.

We are always open to programming feedback, especially as we continue to work on the schedule. Email Station Manager, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak with your thoughts: Llu@WGDR.org.

CVCR's Statement on the ongoing War in Ukraine

"We are dedicated to airing news and public affairs programs that go the extra mile to bring you stories about what is happening now in Ukraine and Russia, and to provide invaluable background.

Democracy Now! is broadcast live at 8 am and rebroadcast at 6 pm on weekdays. Background Briefing (weekdays at 6 am), and Letters and Politics (Mondays - Thursdays at 5 pm) all feature guests who have deep insights into Eastern Europe and the roots of this conflict.

Many other locally produced and national shows throughout the CVCR broadcast week also have turned their attention to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
We encourage you to continue to tune in for the latest.

As a media outlet, dedicated to the protection of free speech, a free press, and the free exchange of ideas, we stand in solidarity with the courageous journalists inside and outside the war zone who are risking their freedom and even their lives in reporting from the front lines."

WGDR & WGDH Renewed by the FCC

Over the last few years, every single radio station in the United States had to file for a renewal of their license with the FCC. It is a process to ensure stations are fulfilling their requirements both technically and to the communities where they broadcast. Even though we just completed the station transfer in 2021, WGDR and WGDH were both up for renewal.

Well, we just passed with flying colors, as did many other of Vermont's community stations! Congrats to all.

As always, thanks for listening!

In great gratitude,

The staff, programmers, and board of Central Vermont Community Radio

WGDR/WGDH broadcasts at 91.1 FM in the greater Plainfield area, 91.7 FM in the hollows and hills of Hardwick and beyond, and at WGDR.org to the whole world. Our studio is located at the Eliot Pratt Center on Goddard College campus at 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.

Follow us on social media at on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at @WGDRWGDHVT

Station Update: Our transmitter is funded and a celebration of Ken Feld on 3/15.

Friends of WGDR/WGDH -

We'll start this station update email with a deep and heartfelt, THANK YOU. Nearly 80 donors stepped up to help us fund our new transmitter for WGDR. This outpouring of support, in our time of need, has humbled us and once again show that the true power of community radio, are you, the community. A special thanks to the Vermont Community Foundation for their $2,500 emergency grant that put us over the top and is helping us pay the engineering bills to get us all squared away with the new gear.

Community Radio Celebration of Programmer Ken Feld

About a month ago, long time programmer Ken Feld has passed away. His long running music show, “The Lost Highway” aired Tuesdays, 2-4pm. In the weeks since we have aired special programming in Ken’s honor. On March 8, Bill Hahn will do a special “Lost Highway” tribute show and on March 15 John Foster and Dave Tucker will host a live celebration show from 2-4pm, with music and will take your calls in the studio. We especially want to thank Ken's family for directing donations in Ken's honor toward our transmitter fund.

A memorial for Ken will be held in August, learn more about his life in his Times Argus obituary.

We also saved Ken's last live show for "anytime" listening on our special programming archive.

Spring On Air Drive

Toward the end of March, our programmers will take to the air to launch our Spring On Air Drive. Programmers have new and fun things to engage listeners in this important annual FUNdraiser. We've launched a new On Air Drive website which will be updated in real time with our progress, with donor names, and words of support for the station. We're bringing back incentives to thank you for giving, including drawings for tickets to see Anais Mitchell at Higher Ground in May and more.  

In great gratitude,

The staff, programmers, and board of Central Vermont Community Radio

WGDR/WGDH broadcasts at 91.1 FM in the greater Plainfield area, 91.7 FM in the hollows and hills of Hardwick and beyond, and at WGDR.org to the whole world. Our studio is located at the Eliot Pratt Center on Goddard College campus at 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.

Follow us on social media at on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at @WGDRWGDHVT