A very incomplete history of WGDR, Plainfield

A programmer in the original WGDR studio, circa late 1970s.

• June 18, 1973 WGDR, Plainfield went live for the first time. Kirk Gardner is the first station manager, after being a faculty member to help a class apply to the FCC, build a simple studio, and go on the air.

• In 1981, Goddard College threatened to close the station, including locking station volunteers, students, and staff out. Programmers commit to staying on the air, doing shows 24 hours a day for two weeks to get the word out to save the station. Up until this point, and for years to come, regular broadcast during the day was limited to just a handful of hours. This is one of many examples of just how dedicated the community has always been to WGDR’s success. Funding and Goddard support of the station would continue to be a major issue for the next 40 years.

• In the mid 1980s, Patti McGill becomes the station manager, building systems, training hundreds of programmers over her tenure, and strengthening the station. Patti recently passed away in April, 2024. Thank you Patti for your critical leadership early on for WGDR.

• Early in the 1990s, Stu Bautz takes over as station manager, leading a number of station technical upgrades, programming expansion, and creative fundraising efforts with pledge drives, bringing renewed energy to the station. Here a bit from Stu and others in one of our WGDR history shows from the birthday weekend.

• Early in the 2000s, Carlos Haas takes over as station manager. A couple of years later, Amanda Gustafson takes on the role, of overseeing a total studio rebuild.

• In 2005, Bon Kelly was hired station manager. In his year in the role he lined up the funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that would expand the station budget and staffing for the next 15 years. Bon also started the Chocolate Lover’s event and the exploring the creation of WGDH in Hardwick. Hear from Bon and other station managers in a special history show on WGDR from our birthday weekend, from Magical Mystery Tour.

• In 2006, Greg Hooker becomes station manager, overseeing the application and launch of WGDH, Hardwick at 91.7 FM for rural, northern Vermont.

• In 2010, Kris Gruen became station manager, overseeing an educational focus in programming, through CPB funding support and other sources, that help local shows become syndicated nationally, created the youth program, “Indie Kingdom,” and begins and sees through the long process of Goddard gifting the station the community during the covid pandemic.

• On May 18, 2021, WGDR and WGDH’s licenses were transferred from Goddard College to the newly formed Central VT Community Radio!

• In fall of 2021, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, a former programmer at age 13 in the 1990s, his hired as station manager - our first under community ownership. They are overseeing the emergence of the station out of covid, expanding local programming from 23 shows to over 50, right-sizing the station budget and diversifying the fundraising to make the station sustainable, and renewing a sense of connection and joy as a culture of the station, in the studio, and out in the community.

• We’ve had many other staff roles too – overseeing programming, training, underwriting, music directing and more. In the hey days of the work study program at Goddard and again under Corporation for Public Broadcasting support, there were many folks getting paid – a great achievement! - to support the station’s success.

• There have been hundreds and hundreds of programmers who have been on the air and gone on to do bigger things further afield or very meaningful things right here in Vermont. Some of our programmers have been around for decades, others are just celebrating their first year on the air. In any given year, tuning into WGDR and WGDH is always guaranteed to surprise, delight, and inform.

• We’ve had many volunteers over the years, on the community advisory board, and in various other roles, who have helped guide the station in decision-making and community accountability.

• We’ve proudly broadcast national and international programs that couldn’t be heard anywhere else in Vermont – the first to air Democracy Now, years bringing Al Jazzar on the air, and many fantastic community radio shows from around the country via the Pacifica Network.

• WGDR’s long time home at the Pratt Center and the future of campus is unknown going into the summer of 2024. However, the future of the station is very clear --- with the community’s continued generous support --- we will rise to any challenge that comes when and if our lease expires under new campus ownership in 2027. As we always say, stay tuned!

All the WGDR archives are now housed at the Vermont Historical Society and these names, recordings from the analog years, and more will be available to the public soon. Listen to some of what is in these archives in on the Predictably Unpredictable show from WGDR’s birthday weekend.

WGDR’s 51st Party at the Pratt

On Saturday, May 18 we’ll “Party at the Pratt!” 3-5pm for WGDR’s 50th!

The community is invited to come down to the station for a big party at the Pratt building out in our back yard of the station and inside, for tours (or our rain location). Thank you to the WGDR Birthday weekend sponsors: the CVCR Board, anonymous major donors, Onion River Campground, Washington Electric Cooperative, and Northfield Savings Bank.

What to expect at the party:

• Outside in our back yard of the station, there will be live, local bluegrass music by the Grassers of Friday night’s Barndance Bluegrass show.

• We’ll have a short programming to start and halfway, where CVCR board, staff, and volunteers will share some station history, goals for the station moving forward, and lots of thank yous! We will also pass the hat for donations for the station - we’re aiming to raise a total of $2,,500 from supporters, that will be dollar for dollar matched, by our weekend sponsors. The music and speakers will be amplified by a small PA system. As of now, we do not plan to have an ASL interpreter attend. If you need this accommodation, please reach out to the station (info at bottom of this page).

• Throughout the party, we’ll have good food (all dietary options available, robust snacks style) and good company (listeners, programmers, volunteers, and fans of the station mingling about). This is a great way to meet fellow listeners and the many of us who do shows and volunteer to keep the station running. We’re expecting a great turn out, so come early, come late, we’ll be there!

• Tours of the station (we’ve made upgrades! see real live radio being made!)

• Hear live “check-ins” from the party on the air during the shows Boxful of Blues and Acoustic Harmony (between 3-5pm).

• Catch the “after party” jam session and an outdoor fire from 5pm until dusk, with some of our programmers playing music together.

• Tune in for the on the air “After Party” with DJs Xav and KingTone spinning a dance party for all to enjoy via their radios and online from 7-10pm.

Together with our three days of special live and local programming this birthday weekend we’ll raise community connections, funds, and “the fun level” for the station.

We’re ready to party with you, tune in and come on down!

Important Event Details, Accessibility & Other Info:

• Directions: Your GPS will lie to you! :) Our address of the station will take you to the main campus of Goddard (123 Pitkin Rd). That is not where you will find us. The station is located on the far side of campus in the basement of the Pratt library building. To find us, follow the signs we will have up for directions and parking. To get to WGDR off Route 2 pass the main Goddard campus entrance on route 214, continue about half a mile down the road and turn into the second entrance to campus on your left (signs for Pratt and WGDR are on a small sign). It is your immediate next left, down a paved and bumpy road. Follow the signs for parking and walking to the station’s building. We highly encourage carpooling with your WGDR loving pals.

• Parking will be by the old art building (there will be signs). Accessible parking will be up at the Pratt building. Those spaces are limited (about 8 spots total), so please save those who need it.

• Rain location is inside the station (we have a large room we will use to gather and still enjoy music, food, and spaciousness).

• Families and kids! We are a kid friendly station. Bring the whole family to enjoy the music, food, and see a real life radio station in action. We can even explain what CDs and records are to the next generation!

• Food & Comfort: We’ll have snacks, treats, and drinks for folks to enjoy. We encourage you to bring your own water bottle (to limit waste). There is a kitchen sink that can be used to refill water. “It’s gonna be May,” so we might have a glorious day or a brisk day, please bring appropriate layers to wear. We also encourage you to bring your lawn chair. We have lots of seating, but if we get a huge turn out, we may need folks who are able to bring their own chairs!

• Collective Care: As a station, we are still being covid cautious with our in-person gathering. While we hope to gather largely outside, if we do move inside due to rain, we will have masks available for folks to use. We also will have good air ventilation going, with windows open and air filters running. We ask that all party attendees make a community-minded decision and not come if they are feeling ill in any way. We are committed to providing as safe a space for all of our community to gather as possible. We are also mindful of those with chemical sensitivities. Please do not wear perfumes, colognes, or other highly scented body products. The Pratt building has a large atrium area, on the way to the bathrooms, with round tables and chairs, that will be a natural light, low sound area during the event. This is a great place to take a break, should you need it. The rest of the building will be roped off to limit access to Goddard’s library. Please be respectful of their space. Lastly, we will have balloons - outdoors and indoors.

• Accessibility: Our station and the outdoor part of the party are all on the same, ground level/basement of the building. Folks in wheelchairs will have easy access to the station, bathrooms (accessible), and the back yard, by way of a firm, grassy back path behind the building from the accessible parking. If we move inside for rain, the large room where the live music will be moved to is only accessible by short staircase.

• Leave your furry friends at home: Due to our expected attendance, please do not bring a pet to the event, unless they are a service animal and are trained. We want everyone as comfortable as possible.

• Requesting additional accommodations: Please don’t hesitate to contact Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, station manager, to request any additional support that would make attending the event safe and comfortable for you. We can provide extra specific details, maps, layout info, and anything else to make your experience at the party truly fun and comfortable.

WGDR’s 51st Birthday Weekend

Back in 1973, as the semester wrapped up (in early June), WGDR, Plainfield went on the air at 91.1 FM for the first time. Back in 2021 (in mid-May), 48 years later, the FCC approved ownership transition from Goddard College to Central Vermont Community Radio. To celebrate 50 years on the air for WGDR and three years of community ownership, we are coming together for a big weekend of celebrating as a community both on the air and in person at the station.

We’ll be live and local all weekend long with special programming during each show and a few extra surprises along the way. This includes:

Friday, May 17 Programming

• 9am-11am: A Station Managers Retrospective on Magical Mystery Tour, 9-11am, hosted by Tonio & Charles. Featuring the founding Station Manager, Kirk Gardner from back in 1973, and the Managers from the last two decades, Bon Kelly, Greg Hooker, Kris Gruen, as well as our current manager, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak.

• 4pm–6pm: Sixteen Years of Geezer Rock - Geezer Rock hasn’t been around for 51 years, only since 2008. Still, to commemorate the 51st Anniversary of WGDR and in anticipation of the station's big "51st Party at the Pratt" on Saturday, Jeff is dipping back in the pool of tunes that have been played on Geezer Rock during the show's 16-year tenure on the airwaves, starting with its 2008 premiere and going year by year right up to 2024, so expect songs you might have heard before (and loved) from Foghat, Randy Bachman, Patti Smith, the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, and maybe even the Monkees (from their 2016 comeback and farewell album). Happy birthday, WGDR!

• 6pm-9pm: Three hours of Barndance Bluegrass! The Grassers will debut their new, extended three-hour show slot, now 6-9pm every Friday.

Saturday, May 18 Programming

• 10am-noon: WGDR’s history, told by our own archives on Predictably Unpredictable. Host Chris Buckridge will be joined by Kate Phillips, of the Vermont Historical Society, as she shares what they’ve curated out of the station’s own archives.

• 2-4pm: Boxful of Blues with host John Foster, featuring special party check-ins and guests celebrating WGDR.

• 3-5pm: “Party at the Pratt!” The community is invited to come on down to the station for a big party at the Pratt building (inside and outside). Folks will enjoy live, local bluegrass music by the Grassers, good food, good company, tours of the station, and learn all about how Central Vermont Community Radio is taking WGDR and WGDH forward for the next 50 years. We’ll have live “check-ins” from the party on the air during Boxful of Blues and Acoustic Harmony. Rain location is inside the station! Details on the party and accommodations can be found here.

• 4-7pm: Acoustic Harmony will be featuring 3 hours of folk songs from the seventies!  Host Mark will play classic folk tunes and singer songwriters from Laurel Canyon to the UK, and all from the 1970's.  A couple of past WGDR show hosts will also join in for guest dj spots, and frequent 51st party live check ins with party guests too!

• 7-10pm Tune in for the “After Party” - a dance party mashup between Xav and KingTone live on the air.

Sunday, May 19 Programming

• 9-10am - Tonio, host of the Magical Mystery Tour, returns to welcome a co host Alan LePage, sticking around after Curse of the Golden Turnip, and guest Stu Batuz, a station manager from the 1990s, to share some history on the station.

• 5-7pm - Rick, host of Bon Mot, welcomes poet & medicinal apothecary farmer Taylor Katz of Free Verse Farm in Randolph and does an extra hour of Bon Mot, with past features of the Indie Kingdom youth program WGDR ran years ago.

• 7-9pm - Birthday Weekend “Wrap Party” on the Revel Level with DJ EhMmAhh

• 9-11pm - On the Spiral Galaxy with Tom, catch a “woefully incomplete exploration of synthesizers from 1962 to today.”

All our regularly scheduled shows throughout the weekend will bring you extra surprises and content all weekend long to celebrate this massive milestone for WGDR, Plainfield.

As part of this weekend, we’re looking to raise $2,500 as a “birthday gift” for WGDR to support the ongoing upgrades of a 51-year-old station! We’ve got matching donors and sponsors ready to match every dollar raised too, up to $3,000. Together, we could raise at least $5,100 to start the 51st year. Thanks to our sponsors: CVCR Board, an anonymous major donor, Onion River Campground, Washington Electric Coop, and Northfield Savings Bank.

Together, this birthday weekend will raise community connections and funds, and have fun for the station. We’re ready to party with you, tune in and come on down!

Record a Birthday Wish for WGDR

We invite you to record a short birthday message for WGDR’s 50th. Share a quick story or your favorite thing about the station.  

Here is how:

1. Call our office phone and leave a voice message at 802-276-0365. Or you can text a voice memo from a smart phone to that number.

2. Introduce yourself and share a quick story or your favorite thing about the station. 

We're going to try to use these as is - so just be sincere and concise - and don't swear of course!

If you can’t record, send an email to our station manager Llu at Llu@WGDR.org and we’ll read your birthday wishes live on the air over the weekend.

Have fun with it and thanks for listening!

Live from NOLA Jazz Fest!

We are very excited to provide special programming in partnership with our friends at WWOZ, New Orleans as part of the 54th Jazz Fest. 

WGDR & WGDH will live simulcast the Jazz Fest on the air a few times during the two week festival: 

Fridays, April 26 & May 3, 6-7pm and Saturdays, April 27 & May 4, 7-8pm. 

This year's Jazz Fest lineup includes dozens of New Orleans and Louisiana favorites, interviews with artists, and archival recordings of Jazz Fests from the past. The full schedule of live music will be posted at WWOZ.org, where you can stream the full festival.

We hope you enjoy tuning into this iconic Jazz Festival by way of your very own radios here in Vermont.

WGDR’s future on Goddard campus.

You may have heard the news of Goddard College closing and looking to

sell its campus. We want listeners to rest assured, we are not in danger of

needing to move right now.

Central Vermont Community Radio is an asset to the community and as a

renter on campus to any future owner. No matter what the future of campus

holds, we look forward to remaining a strong partner with whoever owns or

manages the Pratt building where we have been located for 51 years.

Goddard College gave us a generous lease for five years (2022-2027), of which we are

now in year two. They recognized that our success as a brand-new

nonprofit hinged on keeping expenses low for our first few years and we

are forever grateful for their thoughtfulness for our lease, but also for their

gift of the entire station to the community.

We want to assure supporters, listeners, and the larger community that the

station’s current arrangement has us where we are until at least 2027.

That said, moving a station of our size, age, and status as a brand-new nonprofit would be a significant undertaking. If you are interested in learning more about our planning process for what may come next, please reach out to Station Manager, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak: Llu@WGDR.org.