Live Election Night National Coverage from Democracy Now

WGDR & WGDH Supporters -

One of the most important elections in our country's history is today, Tuesday, November 5. Starting at 8pm tonight, we will air live national results and analysis from Amy Goodman and Democracy Now (live stream). Depending on when races are called across time zones, and the results of the Presidential (if it is called tonight), the live broadcast is slated to air until midnight.

For statewide races and local results, we encourage you to also follow other local media outlets such as Vermont Public, Vermont Digger, and the Vermont Secretary of State's election results website.

Special thanks to our partners at Democracy Now for providing this critical coverage on this big night.

Remember, you can register to vote on election day at your polling place. You can also walk in mail-in ballots if you have run out of time to mail them.

No matter the outcome of the races up and down the ballot, Central Vermont Community Radio will continue to be here to help strengthen our democracy with respectful discourse, deeper discussions on what our communities are facing, and access to the airwaves for all.

Thank you for tuning into your community radio on this big night!

Call for CVCR Board Applicants

The CVCR board is going through planned member rotation as the last our our founding board members rotate off the board. We are looking to fill as many as four board member position by the end of the year.

We are seeking folks with fundraising experience (or a willingness to learn!), board leadership skills, and past work with organizations undergoing big change (like a move!). We’re eager to also expand the board to more fully represent our diverse community of central and northern Vermont, especially folks from our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ circles, as well as folks to expand our gender representation beyond the binary and age ranges (under 50).

The work of the CVCR board is centered around ensuring the right-sized capacity of the organization is in place in time, money, and expertise. We look to the board to be both strategy leaders, but also “doers.”

Members are expected to attend monthly board meetings (all on zoom still), participate on board committees (also on zoom), make personal financial contributions (if able), and participate in the organization’s fundraising campaigns (major donor cultivation, etc.).

The CVCR board is accepting applications until all spots are filled. Those interested in applying for the board can complete an application here. It includes a handful of questions and will take about 15 minutes to complete.

We ask that interested folks submit an application by November 15, 2024 for this next round of board seats.

All applications will be reviewed by the full board and qualified prospective candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview with the full board via zoom.

CVCR serves the communities of north central VT and beyond by providing a forum for cultivating social change, supporting the independent arts, protecting the environment, and celebrating diversity, creativity, and freedom.  More information about CVCR and its mission is on our website under About Us.

For more information, contact the CVCR Board Chair, Dave Tucker at: DaveT@WGDR.org.

Wow, folks, you did it!

Wow, folks, you did it!

Fall Fundrive nearly official results ---> $15,500 raised, from 184 donors, 11 new sustainers, 46 new donors, 63 online streamers gave, and 12 donors who haven't given in a few years came back too.

We had a blast in the studio making you extra, locally tuned, very live(ly), and delightfully surprising community radio these last couple of weeks. Thank you for tuning in and joining in the fun getting us to so many cowbell-ringing moments! A few of the highlights included:

• Extra local content, including themed music shows and call-in shows, hosted by the CVCR Board, DJ Sacramento, DJ Llu, DJ Z-Point & Jagler Katz, Xav, Barry, Bill, the Still Lifers, Levi, and more.

• Live music from Corner Junction Bluegrass, Gary Darling, Screwtape Letters, Boxful of Blues studio crew, and Kris Gruen.

• And so many impromptu and planned studio guests popping in to share why WGDR & WGDH mean so much to their day-to-day lives.

You can listen back to fundrive shows for up to two weeks from their airdate on our archives. It is worth going back to hear some of this magic folks! As we say during drives, why do boring pitching, when we can have more fun doing more spontaneous and exciting community radio content?

Congrats to our Fundrive MVP, Dave Tucker (host of the Long and Winding Road on Fridays, 1-4pm). We give out an MVP award to celebrate a programmer who goes above and beyond in raising the FUN during the drive. Dave logged more studio time than anyone else, nearly 30 live hours across the two weeks, joining his fellow programmers to help pitch, doing extra shows, and even bringing his brother in to help raise spirits and funds. Way to go, Dave!

Central Vermont Community Radio continues to be 80% funded by individuals like you. This is why our fundrives - twice a year - are so critical to funding the station.

• We now have over 80 sustainers, funding $15K of the budget each year (on top of drives). A small monthly gift by these folks, adds up in a big way for the station.

• 68% of our programmers donate to the station, along with 100% of our board, programming committee, and staff. This level of commitment from folks not just giving their time and talents, but donations too, speaks to the level of commitment these 100+ folks have to our future.

• We also had four major matching donors for this drive, as well as the whole Friday programmer line up, kick in funds to motivate gifts. That worked so well and we are so appreciative to these matching donors. Thank you!

We are back to normal programming this week! Phew!

You didn't miss your chance to give either. We're still accepting donations to the station for the rest of the year. All our funds will help prepare us for the upcoming changes to Goddard campus ownership and additional costs that may come as a result of that. Thank you for making us part of how you support your community.

As always, thanks for listening and for supporting WGDR & WGDH!

Fall Drive Special Programming

We’ve got two+ weeks of special, creative, surprising, and delightful programming coming up for you for the Fall Fundrive. This is when our programmers go above and beyond, try new things, bring in special guests, live music fills the airwaves, and we even add extra shows. We have a little of everything and we hope you enjoy it. Below is most of what we plan to do. Thanks for tuning in and giving by October 20 to help us hit that $15,000 goal!

Week One: Friday, October 4-Saturday, October 12

• Friday, October 4

  • 10:30am-1pm: Get Fresh with DJ Llu, bi-annual extended fundrive “Show of Shows,” a gratitude show to fellow programmers, highlighting all the local programming we have on the air.

  • 1pm-4pm: Long and Winding Road Special Drive show with lots of special guests, cross over, and great tunes with host Dave Tucker.

  • 4-6pm: Geezer Rock with Jeff Lindholm will rock out with all live recordings for a special drive show.

  • 6-9pm: Barndance Bluegrass - Live Music: Local bluegrass legend Corner Junction Bluegrass (bluesy, bluegrass with deep harmony) will join the Grassers playing live, alongside mandolist Gary Darling (formerly of the Bayley Hazen Bous). Great fun for the whole family to tune in.

• Saturday, October 5

• 10am-12pm: A Special FunDrive Predictably Unpredictable from afar with Chris Buckridge

• 2-4pm: Boxful of Blues with Johnny Foster - Live music TBD

• 4-7pm: Acoustic Harmony with Mark Michaelis - Live Music: Kris Guren at 5pm

• 7-9pm: Jagler Katz Worm Hole - Live music TBD9-10pm:

• Saturday Night Crossover Special between DJ Jagler Katz & DJ Z-Point.

• 10pm-midnight: The Beatdown with DJ Z-Point and special DJ guest mixes.

• Sunday, October 6

  • 2am-3am: Open All Hours - A special late night/wicked early morning fundrive music show by DJ Sacramento for all you night owls.

  • 7am-10am: Curse of the Golden Turnip with Alan LePage and Steven Farnham - Extended three hour show.

  • 5-7pm: Extended edition of Bon Mot with Rick Agran.

  • 9-11pm: Spiral Galaxy with Tom McMurdo theme show: One (or Two) Hit Wonders

• Monday, October 7

• 2-4pm: Special Fundrive show with Levi Kerchner, featuring a wide mix of music for your afternoon.

• 9pm-10pm: Deep Blues special Blues Legends Show Part 1 with Les Mawson.

  Tuesday, October 8

• 1-3pm: Get Fresh with DJ Llu extra show, fundriving it up with new music!

• 3-6pm: An extended edition of Listen Up! with host Bill Nowlan.

• 6-9pm: Still Life with DJ Club Soda & Orange Peel - Special Extra Programming: A 3 hour, extended show with both hosts!

• Wednesday, October 9

  • 6-9pm: Wood Warblers Jazz Grass special extended 3 hours with Brian Aust.

  • 9-11pm: Music as Art special DRIVE themed show (songs about road and riving) with host Uku Muri.

  Thursday, October 10

• 10:30-12pm: Extended edition of Stranger & Dienger with Natasha.

• 12-2pm: Special edition of Get Fresh with DJ Llu to keep your live drive energy going.

• 5pm-6pm: Surprise Immanent Grove afternoon drive hour with Conni!

• 6-9pm: Xav Wax w/ Xav - Special Extra Programming: A three hour special vinyl set with Xav!

• Friday, October 11

• 10:30am-1pm: Get Fresh with DJ Llu, with guest host DJ Sam (a legend among 6 year olds) and other friends. Sam will play you nothing but the hits required in a home dance party.

• 1pm-4pm: Long and Winding Road Special Drive show with lots of special guests, crossover, and great tunes with host Dave Tucker.

• 4-6pm: Geezer Rock with Jeff Lindholm will rock out with special guest Dave Tucker.

• 6-9pm: Barndance Bluegrass - Live Music: TBD

• Saturday, October 12

• 10am-12pm: A Special FunDrive Predictably Unpredictable from afar - all bands Chris has seen live!

• 2-4pm: Boxful of Blues with Johnny Foster - Live music TBD

• 4-7pm: Acoustic Harmony with Mark Michaelis - Live Music: TBD

• 7-9pm: Jagler Katz Worm Hole - Live music from Screwtape Letters (1 hour set).

• 9-10pm: Saturday Night Crossover Special between DJ Jagler Katz & DJ Z-Point.

• 10pm-midnight: The Beatdown with DJ Z-Point and special DJ guest mixes.

Week Two: Sunday, October 13 until Sunday, October 20

• Sunday, October 13

  • 2am-3am: Open All Hours - A special late night/wicked early morning fundrive music show by DJ Sacramento for all you night owls.

  • 7am-10am: Curse of the Golden Turnip with Alan LePage and Steven Farnham - Extended three-hour show.

  • 5-7pm: Extended edition of Bon Mot with Rick Agran.

  • 9-11pm: Spiral Galaxy with Tom McMurdo theme show: All 2024 All the Time - This show will feature music that has come out this calendar year! There's so much great music, why wait until January for the annual best of the year show? (Don't worry, I'll do that then, too!)

• Monday, October 14

• 11am-noon: Syd & Conni take all your fundrive requests to drive those donations in the door!

• 2-4pm: Special Fundrive show with Levi Kerchner, featuring a wide mix of music for your afternoon.

• 5-7pm: A special fundrive CVCR Board Show - tune in to hear a few of our board members take to the airwaves to play music, take calls, and talk about the station’s work this year and what’s coming next!

• 9pm-10pm: Deep Blues special Blues Legends Show Part 2 with Les Mawson.

• Tuesday, October 15

• 9-10am: A special fundrive show with music hosts Dave Tucker, Johnny Foster, and Mark Michaelis. Tune in to hear what they’ve cooked up!

• 3-6pm: An extended edition of Listen Up! with host Bill Nowlan.

• 6-9pm: Still Life with DJ Club Soda & Orange Peel - Special Extra Programming: A 3 hour, extended show with both hosts!

• Wednesday, October 16

• 4-6pm: Country & Western Sounds in Modern Music a special drive show of with an hour of all native artists & then Kimagure Radio, an hour of Japanese city pop, LIVE with host Barry Matthews!

• 6-9pm: Wood Warblers Jazz Grass special extended 3 hours with Brian Aust.

• Thursday, October 17

• 9am-11am: An extended Relocalizing Vermont with Carl Etnier.

• 4-6pm: A special Get Fresh with DJ Llu afternoon drive show to keep your drive vibes rolling into the final few days.

• 6-9pm: Xav Wax w/ Xav - Special Extra Programming: A three hour special vinyl set with Xav!

• Friday, October 18

• 10:30am-1pm: Get Fresh with DJ Llu with the annual fundrive lunchtime dance party that will shake out any last-minute drive donors. Tune in, stretch, and get sweaty.

• 1pm-4pm: Long and Winding Road Special Drive show with lots of special guests, crossover, and great tunes with host Dave Tucker.

• 4-6pm: Geezer Rock with Jeff Lindholm will rock out with special guest Bill Hahn (of Hittin’ the NOte).

• 6-9pm: Barndance Bluegrass - Live music TBD

• Saturday, October 19

• 10am-12pm: A Special FunDrive Predictably Unpredictable from afar with Chris Buckridge

• 2-4pm: Boxful of Blues with Johnny Foster - Live music TBD

• 4-7pm: Acoustic Harmony with Mark Michaelis  - Live Music - TBD

• 7-9pm: Jagler Katz Worm Hole - Live music from Waterford Shores (1 hour set).

• 9-10pm: Saturday Night Crossover Special between DJ Jagler Katz & DJ Z-Point.

• 10pm-midnight: The Beatdown with DJ Z-Point and special DJ guest mixes.

• Sunday, October 20

• 2am-3am: Open All Hours - A special late night/wicked early morning fundrive music show by DJ Sacramento for all you night owls.

• 7am-10am: Curse of the Golden Turnip - Special Programming: 3 hour extended show, with a special guest.

• 6-9pm: The Revel Level special three-hour Fall Fundrive Drive Wrap Party wth DJ EhMmAhh

• 9-11pm: Spiral Galaxy with Tom McMurdo theme show: Everybody Loves Pink Floyd - One of the most influential bands ever still has impact in today's music. We'll cover 50+ years in 2 hours in a woefully incomplete exploration of the influence of Pink Floyd.

Fall FunDrive Donor Contest

We appreciate every single dollar and put it all toward keeping the station sounding great. With your help, we will meet every goal of the 2024 Fall FunDrive, especially that $15,000 big goal.

There are lots of ways to give:

• Go to the drive website and donate by credit card, venmo, PayPal or more.

• Or on the drive site pledge a check and then send it made out to “CVCR” and mail it to the station at WGDR, 123 Pitkin Rd. Plainfield, VT 05667.

  Every donor who gives by October 20 will be entered to win a prize or receive a perk!

• All donors will get a copy of our full-color updated programming schedule.

• A gift of $250 or more, will snag you anything of your choice from our swag shop!

• All donors who give during our two-week drive will be entered to win prizes donated by Vermont businesses and organizations. Tickets to shows like:

  • Cirque Kalabante at the Flynn on October 30

  • The Local Folk Orchestra at the Highland Arts Center on November 16

  • Lady Lamb at Higher Ground on December 5

  • Flodian Trip: A Pink Floyd Experience the Barre Opera House on November 16

• A Bread & Puppet banner.

• Show incentives: Tune in to hear more!

We will also have individual show incentives for giving levels. Tune in to hear more!

CVCR Contest Rules
Anyone who donated online or by check dated during our Fall FunDrive, October 4-20, will be entered to win one of the incentive prizes donated from local businesses and organizations. You must donate during the two weeks to be eligible to win. Per station policy, no paid staff, programmers, volunteers, board, or contractors are eligible to win.

Any questions can be sent to the Station Manager, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak at Llu@WGDR.org or at (802) 276-0365.

Thank you for supporting WGDR/WGDH!

Fundrive Coming Up October 4-20

Two weeks of extra great programming is coming up, Friday, October 4 until Sunday, October 20. We’ll have special guests, live music, and surprises, all for our our Fall FUNdrive! With your support, we will raise $15K in just 15(ish) days, from listeners near and far.

Fundrive donor perks!

• All donors will get a copy of our full-color updated programming schedule.

• A gift of $250 or more, will snag you anything of your choice from our swag shop!

• All donors who give during our two-week drive will be entered to win prizes donated by Vermont businesses and organizations. 

• Tickets to shows like:

  • Cirque Kalabante at the Flynn Ocotber 30

  • Comedian Bob Marley at Highland Arts Center on November 2

  • Lady Lamb at Higher Ground on December 5

  • Flodian Trip: A Pink Floyd Experience the Barre Opera House on November 16

• A Bread & Puppet banner.

• Show incentives: Tune in to hear more!

Cowbell Ringing Fundrive Goals: 

• Raise $15,000 (or more!) to pay the everyday bills that keep the station rolling.

• Meet our Matches! New this fundrive, we will be including special "match" days where a generous donor will match every dollar of donations that day up to a certain goal. If you give on those days, your gift will be doubled! More info soon and for which days!

• Show Goals! Also new to this fundrive, our programmers will be setting their own show goals, to encourage listeners to give during their show, either a certain number of donors or a total. Help make their day (and ring that cowbell!) by giving during the shows you love.

• 5 new sustaining donors. Think of it like one of your many streaming services. What monthly value do we provide to your listening needs? $10? $15? $25? 

• 50 streamer donors. We see you streamers! Thank you for listening from near and far online.

• 25 new donors. We love first-time donors! You build our capacity across our listening area.

• 25 returning donors. Did you forget to give to the station last year? Make this drive the one you return to giving with us. We miss you and appreciate your support. 

New this year, we're adding matching donor support, where donations on certain days will be doubled! There are lots of fun goals to hit (and ring that cowbell) that you can be part of helping us reach. If you have yet to give to the station this year, this is a really fun way to do it. Learn more and how to give here.

We've also put together a helpful overview of the station, "a case for support," about what we need to put funding toward in the coming months and years. This is another part of our commitment to not just making the station truly sustainable, but to our transparency with the community about what running a station, without a college to lend administrative and funding support, is taking.

Make a gift today!

Give securely by either:

1. When you give or pledge a check online you can leave us a message about your favorite shows or why you love WGDR & WGDH. This is what you hear programmers read on the air as part of our gratitude for you all!

2. To give online by credit card, PayPal, venmo, or other digital wallet options. Click the box on the upper right donate button. Pick an amount or enter your own. Look for the tab at the top for "one-time" or "monthly." For digital gifts, when you complete the donation, you will be asked if you want to cover the credit card processing fee or us (optional!) and a tip (to GiveButter, the platform), the tip is optional and does NOT come to us. Click the drop-down box for that and choose "$0." to skip this tip!

3. To give by check, you can pledge on this online platform (so we know it is coming). Simply choose "check" and enter your information. Then, send that check made out to “CVCR” and mail it to WGDR/WGDH, 123 Pitkin Road Plainfield, VT 05667. Thank you!

4. After you donate, your donation will show up in the community donor scroll at the side of this page. Thank you so very much.

CVCR Contest Rules
Anyone who donated online or by check dated during our Fall FunDrive, October 4-20, will be entered to win one of the incentive prizes donated from local businesses and organizations. You must donate during the two weeks to be eligible to win. Per station policy, no paid staff, programmers, volunteers, board, or contractors are eligible to win.

Any questions can be sent to the Station Manager, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak at Llu@WGDR.org or at (802) 276-0365.

Thank you for supporting WGDR/WGDH!

Central Vermont Community Radio (CVCR) is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Donations are tax-deductible under state and federal law.