WGDR New Antenna & Tower Project
Listeners & Supporters -
In the spring of 2026, WGDR is poised to make history. For the first time in our station’s lifetime, we’ll be replacing our 30-year-old antenna and moving it to a new, higher location in Plainfield — and the impact will be huge. Right now, WGDR broadcasts to about 88 square miles. With the new antenna, that reach will expand to over 800 square miles. That means a stronger, clearer, more reliable signal — and finally, consistent coverage in Barre and Montpelier, and extending into the Mad River and Connecticut River valleys, and far into the NEK.
This new antenna will also strengthen WGDR for the future. As we grow our listeners, we will grow our donors, underwriters, and donors. This is all exciting — and it’s essential in the times we are living in. We need more local, free media like WGDR to be the source for connection and content, as we face AI, misinformation, and paywalls.
Keep scrolling to see our project timeline and learn more about the project, costs, and how you can support.
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.
Stay tuned! We’ll be providing regular updates in 2026.
Take good care,
Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, CVCR Executive Director
Antenna Study Broadcast Map: The blue is the current WGDR, 91.1 FM broadcast reach. Yellow, is the projected new reach. Yes, it is a game changer.
Make a Mission Moving Gift
At its core, this antenna move takes WGDR from serving a small college town and broadcast area of about 10,000 households to expanding to dozens of more towns and cities and over 100,000 households. Reaching more people means more Vermonters can hear the local news, music, and community coverage you simply won’t find anywhere else.
Our station already has over 70 locally made programs, tuning folks into their communities. Compared to the much later stations like Vermont Public, which only has 15 local shows and WDEV, which continues to shift their local focus to national news sources, WGDR is becoming the go to place for Vermonters to hear the sound and stories of Vermont.
We are very proud of this and eager to share our content with even more Vermonters.
Make a Mission Moving Gift
As of the end of 2025, we’ve secured $101K from major donors, donor funds, and the state of Vermont to buy and raise the antenna. We need a few more mission moving gifts to get us the rest of the way.
These funds will cover:
$100K in antenna gear, upfitting new location
$25K in contractor and legal costs
$50K in new annual operating costs: tower utilities (electric, rent, etc.), staff time, admin costs
Give a Gift: We are seeking gifts of $5K or more, annually, for three years from our friends with the most means to make this happen. Give at WGDR.org or by check to CVCR, 123 Pitkin Rd. Plainfield, VT, 05667. Thank you!
WGDR listeners and programmers at the 2025 birthday party.
“This is a once in a lifetime moment for the station. It will forever change the sound of Central and Northern Vermont. I am so pleased to be able to help make this happen. Thank you for all you do.”
-Tower Fund Major Donor