Our Next Chapter Starts Now

We have big news: Central Vermont Community Radio will be moving out of Pratt and off the Creative Campus by March 1, 2027.

This wasn't our decision or our plan, but we're ready to meet the moment.

On June 13, just one week after our new antenna went on the air, the Creative Campus notified us that our lease will not be renewed.

While this is disappointing, it isn't entirely unexpected. Since Goddard College closed, we knew our long-term future on campus was uncertain. That's why relocating the WGDR antenna was so critical. Had the antenna still been on campus today, this lease decision could have forced WGDR off the air permanently. Instead, our broadcast future is secure.

After 53 years in the same location, this move is both a challenge and an opportunity. WGDR was built as a college radio station, and its campus home made sense when our focus was primarily Goddard College and Plainfield. Today, we serve a much broader community. Moving to a more visible and accessible location will strengthen partnerships, expand our reach, and help build the long-term support the station needs to thrive.

This is also an emotional moment. We're leaving a place filled with decades of memories—for the hundreds of programmers, staff, and volunteers who have been part of this station, and for the tens of thousands of listeners who found news, music, conversation, and community here. It's the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, and our community will help amplify what comes next.

As a station, we proudly carry forward Goddard's legacy of social justice, civic engagement, and democratic ideals. Under community ownership, we're building a new legacy rooted in resilience, local connection, and long-term sustainability. We stand on the work of everyone who brought the station to this moment, and with your help, we're ready for what's next.

There's a lot to do: gather community input, identify a new home, design and build a new studio, right-size our space, and raise the funds to make it all happen—while keeping the station on the air every step of the way.

Like with the ownership transition, busted transmitters, floods, new antennas, and every other challenge we’ve met in the last 5 years, we need our community once again. Whether you can contribute your time, skills, connections, or financial support, you can help us build the station’s next home. We'll share more details and opportunities to get involved as plans take shape. For now, we wanted you to hear the news from us first.

Thank you for being part of CVCR’s story. The next chapter starts now.

Building Out Our Broadcast: Upcoming Translator Station Window

We create programming that meets listeners where they are. Broadcast radio remains essential—for discovering the station, receiving emergency information, and for many, simply because it's how they prefer to listen. At the same time, online streaming and on-demand listening make our programming available whenever and wherever people want it.

Listening habits are changing, but what connects our audience is the value they find in our programming. However people choose to listen, we're committed to providing the best possible experience.

That's why we'll be applying during the FCC's new noncommercial translator filing window this August. FM translators are low-power stations that rebroadcast WGDR's signal into communities we can't reliably reach today. In a mountainous state like Vermont, they can make a tremendous difference—extending service into areas we have never reached, and finally, addressing the spotty reception in Barre, Montpelier, and other areas where terrain limits our primary signal, all without interfering with other stations.

This August is only the application phase. If we're awarded one or more translator licenses, we'll have up to three years to determine which sites we can afford to build and put on the air.

There is a lot of strategy that goes into applying for these stations and where. We are working on this over the summer. Stay tuned for more.

Translator Basics

• This is the first noncommercial FM translator filing window ever and the first translator filing window of any kind in 25 years.

• An FM translator is a low-power station (up to 250 watts) that rebroadcasts the signal of an existing station.

• Each translator has its own call sign and frequency (for example, WBAR, Barre, 90.1 FM).

• The filing window is limited to noncommercial stations, but competition is expected to be strong from other eligible organizations.

• Available frequencies are limited to the noncommercial educational FM band (88.1–91.9 MHz).

• Applicants must identify an available frequency and a viable antenna location and may apply for up to 10 translators.

• Translator antennas can often be installed on existing structures such as rooftops, silos, and utility infrastructure—they don't always require a traditional broadcast tower. We are actively seeking partners willing to host a translator station antenna. Please reach out to Llu@WGDR.org if this is you or you know someone!

• Building a translator typically costs about $10,000, with annual operating costs of approximately $1,000–$2,000, depending on site rental and utility costs. Finding funding for each of these stations relies heavily on getting the support from the communities we are trying to add. We are eager to find partners in extended areas to help us make this happen.

Lost Broadcast? Try This!

The new WGDR antenna is up and we have a slightly new broadcast coverage map.

We always knew the coverage map would change. After our initial antenna study, we hoped for a significantly larger coverage area. However, through the FCC application process and the technical limits required to prevent interference with other stations, the final coverage ended up looking much like our previous map.

There are some important differences. Certain areas now experience terrain-related signal blockage that didn't before, while other areas have gained coverage. Some listeners are also noticing that the edges of our coverage area are less defined than they were previously.

Even so, this is a remarkable achievement. To comply with FCC regulations, we had to reduce our transmitter power from 980 watts to just 50 watts. By moving our antenna 1,000 feet higher to a much safer location, we were able to maintain nearly the same overall coverage despite that dramatic reduction in power.

Most importantly, we are now ready for what comes next. The station's broadcast future is protected because the antenna is not stuck on campus with an uncertain lease future anymore.

What can you do if your reception has changed?

If you've lost or experienced weaker reception at home, here are a few things to try:

• Check your radio. Reception quality varies widely between radios. Clock radios, models without external antennas, or radios that only receive the strongest stations (such as Vermont Public or The Point) often have less-sensitive receivers. Analog tuning can also make it harder to dial in our exact frequency. A digitally tuned radio that locks onto 91.1 FM may improve reception.

• Upgrade your antenna. In many cases, adding a better antenna to your current radio can make a noticeable difference. See examples for types of home radio antennas further down on this post.

• Consider a better FM radio. We've had good results with the Prunus J-288(around $25), which performs well with weaker signals thanks to its built-in telescoping ("whip") antenna.

• Listen online. If you have internet service, an internet/FM radio (typically around $100) is an excellent option. They're easy to set up, and many models—including those from Grace Digital, Ocean Digital, and Sangean—as well as streaming apps like WiiM and VLC, already include WGDR or allow you to add our custom streaming URL. If you don't see WGDR listed, you can usually add it manually using this streaming link: https://wgdr.broadcasttool.stream/wgdr_128

• If you live more north of Plainfield, try WGDH at 91.7 FM. In April, thanks to the new transmitter, we we able to slightly improve reach of that signal.

It's also worth remembering that reception changes with the seasons. Dense summer foliage can block FM signals in some areas, just as it did with our previous antenna, so reception may improve after the leaves fall. Seasonal atmospheric conditions can also affect FM propagation, meaning some listeners may notice better reception as summer transitions into fall.

If upgrading your listening equipment isn't an option, there may still be good news. This August the FCC is opening a translator station window for non-commerical radio, for the first time ever, and if we succeed in being award some, it could restore broadcast service to some areas that have lost reception. Stay tuned for updates as that project moves forward.

Types of home FM radio antennas

[Adapted from AI/google to help simplify the options for non-tech folks] The best antenna for your home FM radio depends on your local signal strength. The most common types are T-shaped dipole antennas for general indoor use, amplified antennas to boost weak signals, and Yagi/directional antennas for long-range, outdoor, or attic installations.

1. Indoor Dipole Antennas

• How it works: These inexpensive, T-shaped wires (usually 300-ohm twin-lead) are the standard baseline for most home stereo receivers.

• Best for: Casual listening in areas with moderate-to-strong local stations.

• Placement: Tape the arms of the "T" high up on a wall or stretch them out behind a window for the best results.

2. Amplified Indoor Antennas

• How it works: These are active devices that plug into a wall outlet and boost the captured FM signal before it reaches your radio tuner.

• Best for: Listeners in urban areas surrounded by heavy interference, or listeners in locations somewhat far from transmitters who need an extra push to clear static.

• Placement: Keep them close to a window and adjust the internal or telescoping rods to eliminate background noise.

3. Directional / Yagi Antennas

• How it works: Unlike omnidirectional antennas that pull signals from all directions, Yagi antennas focus heavily on a specific beam to pull in stations from far away (high gain).

• Best for: Enthusiasts trying to catch distant, weak FM stations.

• Placement: These are best suited for mounting on an outdoor roof or inside an attic, connected to your receiver via a standard 75-ohm coaxial cable.

4. Folded Dipole or "Turnstile" Antennas

• How it works: An indoor or attic-mounted crossed-dipole wire design (or metal loop ring) that pulls signals evenly from 360 degrees.

• Best for: Situations where the radio stations you want to listen to are broadcast from entirely different directions or cities.

This is our working new broadcast map, as mapped by listeners. The yellow areas are where signal is a little less clear, red is fuzzy (most of those were not reached with the old antenna either). If you are in a yellow zone, you will likely have success by trying some of the tips above or switching to WGDH!

New State Funding for Community Media

The good news keeps rolling for community radio! As you know, we just finished doing critical broadcast gear upgrades, alongside our 5 other community radio partners, with last year's one-time state grant funding.

Now, with the end of the legislative session, and passage of the state budget, we can excitedly announce that our partnership with Vermont Access Network was successful in pursuing annual funding for community media across the state. There is now 1.89M in annual public funding for the 24 public access stations and 9 community radio stations (3 new stations are coming on the air this year!). $90K of that funding will go to community radio and just under half of that will fund Central Vermont Community Radio!

This was a very challenging state budget year, so this is a big win for community media across the state. It ensures our work to uplift civic engagement, respond to emergencies, provide local news and coverage of communities, and keep Vermonters connected through the arts, music, and culture that makes this state so special. Thank you to all our state lawmakers for seeing the value in what we all do. Special thanks to Secretary State Copeland Hanzas and State Senator Perchlik for being our biggest champions.

Can You Hear Us Now? Map it!

How to drop a pin:

1. Click on this WGDR New Broadcast Reach google map.

2. You must be signed into a google account. If you don’t want to sign in or have a google account, skip to the end of these instructions.

3. Click on the small “pin” icon under the search bar. It looks like a tiny balloon.

4. When you click on this, your mouse will be come a cross to mark the spot on the map.

5. Click on where you want to report the signal coming in clear. You may need to zoom in to get closer to the location.

6. When you click, a box will appear for you to name the point. You can enter any info you want there and leave other notes that would be helpful.

7. That’s it! Thank you!

8. If you can’t figure out google maps or don’t want to sign in, it is ok! Email Levi@WGDR.org and send us a general location or address. Your report can be completely anonymous—we just need the data.

Everyone who helps us build our listener map will be entered to win a prize from the WGDR swag shop!

In Vermont's hills and valleys, real-world radio coverage can be different from what engineering maps predict. Your report will help us understand just how far and how well our new signal is reaching.

So tune in, test the signal, and let us know...

Can you hear us now?!

Apply for the CVCR Programming Committee

Have a passion for community radio? Want to help shape what you hear on the air?

The Central Vermont Community Radio Programming Committee is looking to fill one community member seat by July 31st.

The Programming Committee helps guide the programs we broadcast, reviews new show proposals, considers listener feedback, and works closely with station staff to build a strong and diverse schedule.

Committee members also help identify new opportunities for programming, including expanding local news coverage, developing community partnerships, and bringing more voices and perspectives to the microphone.

If you care about community media and want to play a role in the future of local radio, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply to join the CVCR Programming Committee by July 31st by sending a letter of intent, with a little about you, your interest in CVCR, what you listen to as part of our current programming, and your ideas for how our programming could improve. Email that to the CVCR Director at Llu@WGDR.org.

Help shape the sound of community radio. Apply today.

See who is on the Programming Committee here.