VPR's Expanded Legislative Coverage

The Legislature convenes this week, and VPR News will bring you broader and deeper coverage throughout the 2013 session.

The session begins on Wednesday, and Vermont Edition will broadcast live from the Statehouse at noon. Jane Lindholm will speak with House and Senate leaders about the goals and priorities for the session.

On Thursday, January 10, VPR News will carry live coverage of Gov. Peter Shumlin’s inaugural address at 1:30 p.m., hosted by Jane Lindholm and Bob Kinzel.

VPR’s audio stream from the Vermont House and Senate goes live beginning a 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The stream can be heard online at VPR.net or via VPR’s iPhone and Android apps, allowing listeners to tune in to proceedings anytime, anywhere.

Listen throughout the session for expanded legislative coverage. Reporters Bob Kinzel and John Dillon will continue their in-depth coverage of day-to-day developments, trends, and features, with a greater concentration on breaking news.

On Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., host Peter Biello will interview Bob Kinzel about the developments of the past week and a preview of the coming week.

In addition, reporter Kirk Carapezza will spend several days a week in Montpelier covering the Legislature for VPR’s digital reports. He’ll keep a legislative blog, post photos from the Statehouse, and update followers via Twitter (@KirkCarapezza) and VPR’s Facebook page.

You can keep up with all of VPR’s Legislative coverage at VPR.net.

VPR News Honored In State House Resolution

Vermont Public Radio was honored last month in a Resolution of the Vermont Legislature for VPR's news coverage of Tropical Storm Irene.

The Resolution specifically honors Vermont Edition "for its extraordinary community service in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene," and for its "factual and reassuring voice, enabling Vermonters to comprehend the extent of the storm-related damage...".

It also recognizes the efforts of the VPR staff for keeping people informed via VPR.net and social media.

(Photo: Vermont Edition Managing Producer Patti Daniels, Producer Ric Cengeri, and Host Jane Lindholm with the resolution.)

Montpelier's Change In Power

There’s always a sense of excitement and anticipation in Montpelier early in January when the Legislature is preparing to go back into session.

It’s heightened in odd-numbered years like this, following an election, when an entirely new House and Senate are seated.

But for people who follow politics, it doesn’t get much more exciting than this. There’s a new governor for the first time in eight years. Power is shifting from one party to another.

Plus, when the oaths of office are administered on Thursday, there will be a new secretary of state and lieutenant governor.

Even as preparations are finalized for all of this, there’s a bittersweet nostalgia as Gov. Jim Douglas packs up the memories of a 38-year career in state politics.

VPR is your home for coverage of this change in power. This Wednesday, January 5th at noon, Vermont Edition will broadcast live from the Statehouse just hours after the opening gavels fall. Later that afternoon, at 2, tune in for Gov. Douglas’ farewell address.

On Thursday, we’ll have special coverage again beginning at 1:30 p.m. when Peter Shumlin takes the oath to become governor, and then sets out his vision in his first inaugural address.

And finally, Gov. Shumlin will take your questions when he appears on Vermont Edition on Friday at noon, with a rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Email us at vermontedition@vpr.net to ask a question in advance.

You can follow the legislature throughout the session with VPR's live audio stream from the Vermont House and Senate. You can listen to the Legislature in action, follow the progress of important legislation and listen in on the proceedings while they are happening.

VPR's Coverage of Same Sex Marriage Hearing: Your Pledge At Work

Tonight you are able to listen to the entire Statehouse Hearing on the same-sex marriage bill. You will also hear comprehensive news coverage of this important issue as it continues to unfold.

VPR's Vice President of News and Programming, John Van Hoesen, is in the middle of the many moving pieces that make this special coverage possible. He files this observation:

"Live broadcasts always create fairly electric moments in public radio. A surprising amount of connections need to be made to various electronic devices, and connections also need to be made among the people behind the scenes.

So at 6:06 p.m. when Sen. Sears announced the opening of the public hearing on same-sex marriage and VPR’s online legislative stream produced the crystal clear sound of his voice, it was a very good sign! All the checks and double-checks to make sure the stream would be clear and reliable had worked. So if you have your computer on and you’ve logged onto the legislative stream from the Vermont House tonight, you are tuned in.

Also, for the very first time, VPR is broadcasting the hearing live over HD-3, which is available on WVPS, WRVT, WBTN and WVPR. This part of the broadcast is coming from the House Chamber over a dedicated line to VPR’s Colchester studio where it’s being broadcast onto HD-3. So these two broadcasts are coming to you thanks to the hard work of VPR’s engineers, reporters and producers and the fact that VPR has studios, towers and an investment in new technology.

Everyone appears to be “on-mic,” and there are no extra buzzes or hums and no one is bumping into the mic. In addition, the audience microphone is well-placed and working well. This was the good work of the Statehouse audio crew, another key partnership in this successful broadcast.

Meanwhile, Bob Kinzel was listening closely to the hearing in preparation for a live report on VPR at 7 p.m. with Mitch Wertlieb.

In the background, we are recording the hearing into a digital audio file, which we will later post online so you can listen to the entire hearing whenever you want from VPR.net.

Our reporters have cameras with them and they’ll be taking photos of the public hearing, which you’ll see online as well.

Plus, Ross Sneyd will be reporting from the scene as well in the event National Public Radio would like to have a story on the hearing. He’ll be contacting the Newscast Unit at NPR later this evening.

John Van Hoesen
Vice President for News and Programming

Listen to the Gay Marriage Hearing Wednesday Online and on HD3

VPR will broadcast Wednesday's public hearing on gay marriage online via our stream from the Vermont House and our HD-3 channel. Coverage begins Wednesday, March 18 at 6pm.

Connect to the stream here. And, as always, thank you for making this important service possible!

VPR at the Statehouse This Week

John Van Hoesen, VPR's vice president for news, shared these thoughts about the new legislative session, which begins this week:

This is a big week at the Statehouse with the arrival of the new legislature and the governor's inaugural address. Our legislative coverage got underway today during Vermont Edition, when
Jane Lindholm talked with GOP Senate leader Bill Doyle, the longest-serving senator, and one of the newest members of the House of Representatives, Kesha Ram, who's 22. Tomorrow, Jane will host a discussion about citizen participation in the legislature.

On Wednesday, you can see and hear VPR's news team in action at the Statehouse as the session gets underway. Vermont Edition will broadcast live from the lobby area just outside the House gallery. Jane will speak with Bob Kinzel, and she'll parse out the top issues for this session with former House Speaker Michael Obuchowski and new Republican leader Patti Komline. 

A live broadcast is always an exciting event - a lot of preparation occurs in advance to make sure the microphones, broadcast lines, and computers are all in order and that the guests are in place at just the right time. And when we all hear the words "First the news..." at noon, the energy level is high as the live broadcast is just minutes away.

On Thursday, Bob hosts Governor Douglas' inaugural address live,  shortly after 2 p.m. We're thrilled to be able to provide this important public service. Also, if you've never heard VPR's legislative streams, this is a great time to check it out - you can listen in on the proceedings whenever the House or Senate is in session.

If you're in Montpelier, say hello to John Dillon who will also be at the Statehouse. Veteran reporter Ross Sneyd is VPR's news editor, and he'll be looking for best way to provide in-depth coverage of the important issues throughout the year. Let him know if you have news or a
good story idea.

Of course, VPR will also keep you up to date throughout the session with our regular newscasts, which air at 6:06, 6:34, 7:04, 7:34, and 8:04 in the morning, at 12:04 p.m., and during All Things
Considered at 5:49 p.m., with occasional special coverage at 5:30 p.m.