$25,000 Community Challenge Announced for VPR Classical in Central Vermont

We've been working behind the scenes to raise $300,000 to fund the purchase and maintenance of our VPR Classical station at WVXR 102.1 FM.

Last weekend, we kicked off the public phase of the campaign at Chandler Center for the Performing Arts in Randolph, prior to a concert by pianist and Beaux Arts Trio founding member Menahem Pressler.

During the event (and with 100+ in the audience) we announced a special "community challenge" to build on the campaign’s momentum: when VPR Classical listeners come together to raise $50,000 for WVXR, two local and generous supporters will contribute an additional $25,000 to the campaign.

VPR purchased WVXR in 2010. It was a leap of faith; we are confident that our community of classical music lovers will come together to meet this challenge and support this important campaign. This challenge opportunity may make it possible to meet our goal by the end of the calendar year!

Based in Randolph, WVXR reaches about 92,000 Vermonters across a large swath of central Vermont, from Berlin to Woodstock north to south and from Route 100 to Interstate 91 from east to west.

Last summer, WVXR underwent a major antenna upgrade that allowed VPR to consistently operate the station at full power, resulting in a stronger, higher-quality signal for the WVXR coverage area. With the addition of WVXR, VPR Classical can now be heard all along I-89 in Vermont, from north of Burlington all the way into New Hampshire.

To date, $191,000 has been raised for the WVXR campaign. For information on how to help with this campaign, contact Retta Huttlinger at 1-800-639-2192 or email rhuttlinger@vpr.net.

Improved VPR Classical Signal in Central Vermont

Update for Tuesday, June 28: WVXR 102.1 FM is up to full power as of 3 this afternoon! Thank you for your patience as we finished this big project. I hope you'll try it out and let us know how it sounds!

We have great news for classical music fans in Central Vermont! Engineers are getting ready to replace the antenna for WVXR 102.1 FM in Randolph, which will allow us to broadcast the station consistently at full power. This upgrade will result in a stronger, higher-quality signal for more of the WVXR coverage area.

VPR Classical went on the air in Central Vermont last fall, but due to significant problems with the antenna, we have not been able to broadcast consistently at full power.

As long as the weather holds out, work will begin Monday, June 27 and will take 1-2 days to complete. For the safety of the tower crew we’ll need to take the station off the air during that time, but when it returns it will be a more robust signal than before.

WVXR reaches about 92,000 Vermonters across a large swath of central Vermont including the communities of Randolph, Bethel, Brookfield, Tunbridge, Sharon, Barnard, Woodstock, Royalton, Chelsea, Barre, and more.

We look forward to improving our service to you with this critical upgrade!

Join The VPR Classical Street Team!

If you're a VPR Classical listener, you already know how great our 24/7 classical music service is. Will you help us share the love with your community?

We're trying to raise awareness and listening to our many VPR Classical stations, including WOXR 90.9 FM in the Burlington area, and our two newest stations, WVXR 102.1 FM in central Vermont, and WOXM 90.1 FM in Addison County.

To help with this effort, we've produced a series of posters featuring VPR Classical’s local weekday hosts – Cheryl Willoughby, Walter Parker, and Joe Goetz. If you listen to VPR Classical, please download and print a few posters and hang them at your workplace, library, neighborhood coffee shop, general store, community bulletin board, or anywhere else people will see them! There are four versions of the poster to download and share: one for 90.9 FM Burlington/Plattsburgh, one for 102.1 FM in central Vermont, one for 90.1 FM in Addison County, and one featuring all of the VPR Classical Frequencies.

We also have some pre-printed posters at our Colchester studios in Fort Ethan Allen. If you're in the area, please feel free to come pick up a few!

Not sure of your VPR Classical station? Check out our coverage map to the left, and thank you so much for your help!

Celebrating Chandler and VPR Classical in Central Vermont

Good news! Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph is officially ready for business again as of a recent community open house, only 15 months after the historic building’s major renovation began.

It actually never closed. Concerts and programs continued as usual throughout the dramatic transformation even as backstage and other important work areas were temporarily blocked off. The "new" building has nearly 6,000 additional square feet, an elevator that makes every floor accessible, and many 'green' improvements to help the 1907 structure transition into a classy 21st century cultural center.

I visited Chandler's open house celebration with VPR's Brendan Kinney and David Warren on Saturday, September 25th. The cheer of the sunny day was matched by the festive balloons and signs outside the Center. We enjoyed the music on all three floors, conversation with Chandler staff and board members, house tours, and stories about the remarkable effort it took to complete the project in such a short time. (Rumor has it that 49 pans of brownies went into the weekly project meetings alone!)

VPR Classical is pleased to be celebrating an opening in Randolph as well. Our newest signal, WVXR 102.1 FM is now on the air in Central Vermont! I thought about that recently when I purchased the two newest recordings by Nico Muhly for the VPR library. He's a Randolph native, 29 years old, and one of the most promising young classical composers on the scene today. Next year his first full-length opera will make its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera.

It takes a very culturally-minded, involved community to inspire a young composer - renovate a historic music hall - and support the launch of a new classical radio station.

Congratulations to Chandler, and to all of you for making great music possible in Vermont!

Come Learn More About VPR Classical In Central Vermont!

VPR Classical will soon be on the air in Central Vermont! VPR will be closing on the purchase of Randolph-based WCVR 102.1 FM this month, and VPR Classical will go on the air as WVXR in early July.


You’re invited to come learn more about this major expansion of VPR Classical at one of the two community gatherings we'll be holding this month. I’ll be at the Vermont Law School on Friday, June 18th at 4 p.m., in the Chase Community Center. And on Wednesday, June 30th at 10 a.m., I’ll be at the Chelsea Town Hall.

I hope you’ll bring your questions and comments about VPR Classical, VPR, and public radio in general! If you can’t make it, you’re always welcome to give me a call at 1-800-639-2192 or send an email. And stay tuned for details about the launch of VPR Classical’s newest station!


At left: VPR listeners and staff with young artists at Chandler Music Hall at a community gathering in May.