WGDR, Live…Wow!
What a night at WGDR Live in Barre City! A huge thank you to our sold-out crowd for bringing the energy with gardening questions, sing-alongs, and dancing to the beats of DJ Xav. To the hundreds of you who tuned in on your radios and online, we loved having you along for the fun too.
Special thanks to Host DJ Emma, weather expert Bob Misenberger, the Curse of the Golden Turnip crew, musicians Jess O'Brien and Leah Rocketship, our incredible volunteers, and our sponsors, the Barre Social Club and Physicians' Computer Company.
Missed it? Listen to the show archive for the next two weeks at WGDR.org. More WGDR Live events are coming soon—stay tuned!
State of the Station Update - June 5, 2026
From Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, Director Central Vermont Community Radio
Good evening, Barre!!!!—and good evening to everyone listening on the radio and online.
I gotta tell you. I’m excited. There is something so special about live radio. It asks you to be just right here, right now. I’m sharing something I think you want to hear. You are listening with baited breath….and together, we are…in this moment….right here…right now. Cool, right? 😊
I’m also excited because tonight marks many major milestone for us. This is our first live remote broadcast as Central Vermont Community Radio, and the first live remote from WGDR in a decade. We are bringing the radio TO the community. Thank you for being here and for tuning in.
I also want to thank our host, DJ Emma, our volunteers, our performers, and especially Levi, our Program Manager. Levi has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make tonight possible. Please join me in giving them all a round of applause.
My name is Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, and I've served as Director of CVCR since we took ownership of the station from Goddard in 2021.
Each year around this time, we celebrate several important anniversaries. Fifty-three years ago, a Goddard student class built WGDR and signed it on the air. Sixteen years ago, WGDH began broadcasting in Hardwick. Five years ago, CVCR officially took ownership of both stations. And next week, WGDR's new antenna will go up at its new tower site in Plainfield.
That's a lot of history—and a lot to celebrate.
Since this is our fifth birthday as CVCR, I'd like to share five highlights from the past year. And folks, I gotta say, I am really proud of everyone who is part of this station---folks on this side of the mic and folks out there listening. We’ve really come so far not just in the last year, but in the last five years.
First, our audience has grown to 45,000 listeners. More than half now listen online or on demand, while radio listenership continues to grow steadily. When we took over five years ago, we reached about 13,000 people. That growth tells us something important: people still value community radio. They're just listening in different ways.
Second, 75 percent of our schedule is locally produced programming. In Goddard's final years, that number was closer to 30 percent. These are shows created by your neighbors—real people sharing music, ideas, conversations, and stories that reflect our communities. No other station in Vermont has this level of local participation. Thank you to our 65 volunteer programmers who make it happen.
Third, dozens of community members have stepped up to help lead the station. Over the past year, we've completed the transition from our founding board to a larger board focused on guiding our future.
I'd like to recognize Charles, Maura, Larry, David, Tom, and Barry. Please stand and be recognized.
We're also continuing to grow the board, ask any of them about it.
Our Programming Committee has also been exploring an important question: What voices and content are still missing from our airwaves, and what can we do about it? Ari, Delia, Charles, and Maura are here tonight, joined by Steve and Anna, who couldn't be with us. Thank you all for your leadership.
Fourth, with the end of this legislative session, we can now announce that we’ve secured new and annual funding from the state for all community radio stations across Vermont. This is in partnership with the state's public access centers. This recognition reflects the value of community media—from everyday programming to emergency coverage and special broadcasts like tonight's. I'd especially like to thank Senator Perchlik for being a champion for us in the State House.
And fifth, we've completed major upgrades to both WGDH and WGDR. WGDH received a new transmitter and heat pump, while WGDR is getting its first new antenna in 30 years at a much better tower location in Plainfield.
Thank you to the State of Vermont for $42,000 in support, and to the City of Montpelier and seven major donors who contributed another $43,000 to make the antenna project possible. Your investment will strengthen this station for decades to come.
None of this would be possible without the people in this room and the listeners joining us from afar. Whether you've hosted a show, volunteered, donated, underwritten, sponsored, attended an event, or simply tuned in, you've helped build what this station has become.
Now for the news many of you have been waiting for.
We're in Barre tonight for a reason.
For more than 50 years, WGDR's signal at 91.1 FM has been difficult to receive here. Next week, that changes. I'm excited to announce that our new antenna will be installed on its new tower site in Plainfield next week!
This project has been two years in the making. It required FCC approval, fundraising, engineering, a new site, and a lot of patience. I'd like to thank the many partners who helped make it happen: Chip Morgan our engineer, BSW, Sweetwater, Joules Electric Vermont, Prescott Towers, Murray's Heating and Cooling, the Vermont Association of Broadcasters, Broadcast Tools & Die, and Cloud Alliance, our new tower hosts.
This antenna represents more than a technical upgrade. It represents the future of this station.
WGDR was originally built to serve a college campus. Today, we're building it to serve communities across Central Vermont and beyond. This antenna will help more people discover us, connect with us, and participate in what we're creating together.
So stay tuned—there's more to come.
Before I wrap up, I want to remind everyone that this station exists because of listener support.
Everything we've accomplished over the past year—and over the past five years—has been made possible by this community.
Tonight, we're hoping to raise $911 in honor of 91.1 FM and our expanded reach. We've already raised about $785 through ticket sales and sponsorships, so we're very close. If you're able, we'll be passing a donation bucket this evening. And if you're listening at home, you can contribute right now at WGDR.org.
If donating isn't possible, there are many other ways to help. You can volunteer, become a sponsor or underwriter, or contribute items and services to our upcoming Very Vermonty Auction this summer.
Thank you for supporting Central Vermont Community Radio tonight and throughout the year.
We're grateful you're part of this community.
