CVCR is on the Move
Updated September 8, 2026
The latest updates of CVCR on the move:
In early June, we installed the new WGDR antenna on the ridge in Plainfield. This protected our current broadcast map from interference and ensured we are on the air for many more decades to come at 91.1 FM, free from impact of Plainfield flooding or the future changes to the old Goddard campus. Thank you to the many generous donors and the state of Vermont who helped fund the new antenna project. 📸 Right, Prescott Tower Services crew installing the new WGDR antenna (yes, it needs to only be that small! That is because the antenna is now 1,000 feet higher, with nothing blocking the signal, like the Pratt building or the campus forest).
Then, we partied at “WGDR, Live from Barre!” with our new friends at the Barre Social Club. We sold out the night! A live “Curse of the Golden Turnip” show, alongside local musicians, DJs, and ore, delighted the in person crowd and listeners listening live on their radios and online. This was our first live broadcast as a community station and we are eager to do more. 📸 Right, DJ Xav spinning at WGDR, Live from Barre.
In late June we were notified our lease on Creative Campus was not being renewed. We were offered a brief stay for some more of 2027, but at triple our rent. We could not afford that, especially to be forced to move anyway. So, we set about finding an new forever home for the station.
In July and August we vetted dozens of new station locations, we found six viable, more affordable locations than campus in Montpelier, Berlin, and Barre.
In August we identified eight possible new translator station sites around central Vermont. This rare FCC window, coming up in November, will allow us to build a brand new antenna and signal in cities and areas we still are having trouble reaching. Our priority are new signals in Barre and Montpelier, where we can pick up a population coverage of nearly 20,000 Vermonters. That is more than our long time, and still coverage, of the WGDR, 91.1 FM broadcast map of about 15,000 folks in East Montpelier, Plainfield, Calais, parts of Cabot, Marshfield, and Woodbury and other surrounding towns. WGDH reaches a population area of about 8,000 between Morrisville and Hardwick. Discovering the station on the dial remains the best way for us to grow our listenership, which will grow the ways we can support the funding our programming relies on.
In late August, the 30 year old WGDR old antenna came down off the tower on campus. An end of an era of broadcasting from campus, but done not a moment too soon. The old antenna, even after 30+ years of being in the elements and pumping out 1K watts of power, is in good shape and can be used for future translator stations. 📸 Right, Times Argus photo of Prescott Tower climbers taking down the old WGDR antenna on campus.
In late August the CVCR Board vetted three finalists picked one to secure a lease with in the next few weeks. Once that is signed, we will excitedly share the news with everyone near and far and hold a community gathering to answer questions and share more information.
For now, we can tell you this new location will upgrade our station needs in many ways:
We will be right in a community's downtown!
We'll dramatically increase public visibility and accessibility for the station, which presents us with so many future collaboration and partnership opportunities.
It will be a safe and welcoming place for our programmers broadcast from.
We will have better utilities support and management to prevent programming outages and interruptions.
The new space is nearly move in ready already, so our up fit costs to move will mostly be the new studio, staff time, and engineering.
And, the building is filled with a rich history of the community and has a vibrancy and energy matched by its engaged, community minded management.
This location is not just mission aligned, it is mission moving and that is exactly what we'd hoped for when we started looking back in June for a new home for the station. This is a big moment to have reached in a short amount of time.
Thank you to our moving committee, board, and staff for working so hard all summer to pull this off.
How can you help the station during the move?
We are still welcoming the talents of our supporters to help with key parts of this move. This includes carpentry, IT (networking, firewalls, etc), cleaning, organizing, lifting heavy thing, cheering, etc. If you have skills to lend email Llu@WGDR.org.
We've started the fundraising toward the move, to pay for a new studio, other up fit costs, staff time, engineering, and more. Individuals and businesses (as sponsors) are invited to donate, thank you!
What will this move cost?
We are looking to raise the costs for both this station move and the two new translator station’s start up costs. Anytime you move an organization, let alone a radio station or add more antennas to the mix, there is much to fund, and upgrade. One thing we are excited to do is upgrade the broadcast studio, from it’s 30 year old analog studio board, to a digital board. It will improve the quality of both the broadcast and programmer experience. Expenses will also cover staff time, new operating costs for the first few years, and other standard one time capital expenses:
$16K for a new studio build out and needed gear upgrades.
$11K for space fit up (sound proofing, carpentry, etc.).
$46K for staff time (over three years)
$58K for operating costs to create a “runway” for rent and utilities in a new space, over our first 3 years.
Moving costs total: $131K
Translator stations will cost $45K over the next three years, including $14K per station for build out and $7K for operating “runway” for the new cost to run these antennas.
Total Moving & Translator project one-time and opex runway costs over next three years: $176K
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.
We’re eager to tell you more about this once in a station moment. Reach out at 802-276-0365 or at Llu@WGDR.org
Why are we moving at all?
As folks now know, Central Vermont Community Radio will be moving out of Pratt and off the Creative Campus by March 1, 2027. We were notified of this in late June and set to finding a new location over the summer.
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 ownership of 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 between now and March: 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.
We anticipate the station move will cost us around $106,000 in one time costs. This will include:
$20K for a new studio build out and needed gear upgrades.
$25K for space upfitting (sound proofing, painting, etc.).
$26K for staff time
$36K for operating costs to create a “runway” for the increased costs to rent in a new space, over our first 3 years.
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.
We’re eager to tell you more about this once in a station moment. Reach out at 802-276-0365 or at Llu@WGDR.org.
