New Brattleboro Studio

VPR now has a direct connection to Brattleboro, with the addition of a studio at the Marlboro College Graduate School. VPR engineers Brian Marhsall, Rich Parker and Mike Seguin assembled a soundproof voice booth within a room at the College. The recording booth will fit two people comfortably and is connected to VPR via VoIP - voice over IP address.

This new studio, made possible by the VPR Journalism Fund, will enable Vermont Edition, VPR reporters, NPR, and other stations to interview guests in Brattleboro. Commentators and VPR Reporter Susan Keese will use the studio, and listeners will be able to record testimonials.

VPR designed the studio to be super easy for guests to use, with a webcam for better communication.

The studio is part of VPR's expanded service to the Brattleboro area. Last summer, VPR added 88.9 FM in Brattleboro to the VPR News network and improved our VPR Classical service through 94.3 FM.

Many thanks to Marlboro College's graduate and professional studies program for providing this space!
 

Brian Marshal. (left) and Rich Parker (right) start putting the pieces together.

Brian Marshall adjusts the 'egg crate' sound-proofing

Our webcam is above and to the right of the microphone

VPR Expands Service In Brattleboro & Southern Vermont

88.9 Coverage Map

We are thrilled to announce that Vermont Public Radio has expanded its service in Brattleboro and southern Vermont!

You can now listen to VPR News on a new full-power station at 88.9 FM. 88.9 can be heard from Bellows Falls in the north to Greenfield, Mass., in the south, and from Marlboro in the west to Keene, NH in the east; covering a total population of about 145,000.

Next week, Brattleboro's former translator station in Brattleboro at 94.5 FM will move to 94.3 FM, increase power from 10 to 190 watts, and begin broadcasting VPR Classical throughout Brattleboro and surrounding towns, including Vernon and Guilford.* About 22,000 people will be able to hear that station.

VPR Classical is also available on 88.9-HD 2 with an HD radio.

94.3 Coverage Map

The addition of 88.9 drastically improves reception in Brattleboro and Windham County. It’s an area of Vermont that has never been able to receive VPR well, and this new station fulfills VPR’s long-time goal of serving the Brattleboro area with a stronger broadcast signal. The station also provides “first service” to more than 18,000 people who do not have reliable access to public radio at all. The addition of VPR Classical at 94.3 brings VPR’s 24-hour classical music network to the Brattleboro area for the first time.

We hope you will try out the new stations and let us know how they are sounding in your area!

*Update 11/12/12: VPR Classical is on on the air at 94.3 in Brattleboro as of this morning!

Join Us For The VPR Listener Picnic!

Join us for VPR’s Listener Picnic on Saturday, September 29 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center (VABEC) in Brattleboro!

The picnic is the annual get-together of Vermont Public Radio fans and staff. We love getting to meet you in person and thanking you for your support!

This year’s picnic will be a Vermont foodie’s delight.  Our special guest will be Lynne Rossetto Kasper of The Splendid Table and we’ll be tasting some of the best Vermont has to offer throughout the day. Highlights include:

• Vermont Edition host Jane Lindholm will interview Ms. Kasper and lead the group in a few rounds of The Splendid Table’s game “Stump The Cook,” in which listeners are invited to share five ingredients they have currently in the refrigerator and Kasper, on the spot, invents a dish that can be prepared with those ingredients.
• More than 20 Vermont food producers will be on hand, giving out samples and selling their products.
• Bring a copy of your favorite healthy recipe for Hunger Free Vermont and get a VPR reusable shopping bag to tote home your loot!
• There will be live music under the tent provided by All the Traditions host Robert Resnik with his band The Tin Pan Valentinos, as well as Jamie Kent and The Options.
• Meet your favorite VPR hosts!

Our other guests include UVM Extension, Hunger Free Vermont, and if you don’t already have an “I Am Vermont Strong” plate for your car, you’ll be able to get one there.

Admission is free and the picnic goes on, rain or shine (we have a big tent!). Food will be available for purchase on site. Parking will be available at the Brattleboro Union High School, and a free shuttle will transport guests to the site. Only handicap parking will be available on the picnic grounds.

VABEC is a 100-acre farm which is now home to UVM Extension, Vermont Technical College Nursing Program, and Union Institute and University, among others. The farm is the property of the Famolare family and VPR is grateful to them for their hospitality.

The VPR Listener Picnic is generously sponsored by Monster.com.

We hope to see you there!

The VPR Picnic: Save the Date... and Volunteer!

This year’s VPR Listener Picnic is going to be Saturday, September 29 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center (known locally as “the Famolare place”) in Brattleboro. Our special guest is Lynne Rossetto Kasper of The Splendid Table who’ll be playing Stump the Cook with us. There will be lots of Vermont foods, live music and of course, your favorite VPR hosts! Picnic goes on rain or shine. Check back soon for more details!

Also, volunteers are needed to help with the picnic. Lunch will be provided, and you’ll get to take home a VPR mug as a souvenir. Please contact Ty Robertson to sign up by emailing trobertson@vpr.net

A Memory Quilt of 9/11 Reflections

Vermont Public Radio will be at four locations around the state this Saturday, August 20, collecting Vermonters’ thoughts and memories of September 11^th.

VPR reporters will be stationed in the following locations to record reflections for an audio "memory quilt" that will be broadcast the week of September 5^th in commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of 9/11:

• Barton: Orleans County Fair, in the far corner of the parking lot, 1-4 p.m.
  
• Brattleboro: Farmers Market, Rte. 9 near the Creamery Covered Bridge, 10 a.m. – noon
• Burlington: City Hall Park near Church Street, 10 a.m. – noon.
  
• Rutland: Farmers Market at the northwest corner of Depot Park, 10 a.m. – noon.

Reporters will ask participants about their experience of September 11, 2001, and how the events of that day changed their daily lives and the way they view the world.

VPR is also working with the Vermont Folklife Center, which is making arrangements to record people at its office in Middlebury.

Watch for details next week about more ways to participate in this project. All of the audio will be posted at VPR.net. And all the comments will be collected and preserved in the archive at the Vermont Folklife Center.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Shawn Baldwin