We’re on the move…to Barre’s Blanchard Block!

We’re so excited to share some big news: we’ve signed the lease for our new station home!

After three months of searching across Central Vermont, we’re moving to 14 North Main Street in Barre—the Blanchard Block, right next to the Barre Opera House and City Hall.

We’re incredibly grateful to be partnering with Granite City Developers, whose community-centered approach aligns so closely with our own.

What will this move cost?

We are looking to raise the costs for both this station move and the two new translator station’s start up costs. Anytime you move an organization, let alone a radio station or add more antennas to the mix, there is much to fund, and upgrade. One thing we are excited to do is upgrade the broadcast studio, from it’s 30 year old analog studio board, to a digital board. It will improve the quality of both the broadcast and programmer experience. Expenses will also cover staff time, new operating costs for the first few years, and other standard one time capital expenses:

$16K for a new studio build out and needed gear upgrades.
$17K for space fit up (sound proofing, finishing, carpentry, etc.).
$30K for staff time
$58K for operating costs to create a “runway” for rent and utilities in a new space, over our first 3 years.
Moving costs total: $130K

As part of the move, we are also raising money for two translator stations -- new antennas with new frequencies to expand our broadcast reach, for real this time, into the deep valleys of Barre and Montpelier, our biggest, closests cities who have never had good coverage. This is a separate fundraising push, taking us a few years, but here is what it will cost:

Translator stations will cost $40-53K over the next three years:
- $13K for FCC applications for 2-3 antenna locations
- $10K per station for build out (if approved), for a total of $20-30K
- and $7-10K for operating “runway” for the new cost to run these antenna sites over the first three years.

Total Moving & Translator project one-time and opex runway costs over next three years: $170-183K

Like with the ownership transition, busted transmitters, floods, new antennas, and every other challenge we’ve met in the last 5 years, we need our community once again. Whether you can contribute your time, skills, connections, or financial support, you can help us build the station’s next home. We'll share more details and opportunities to get involved as plans take shape. For now, we wanted you to hear the news from us first.

Thank you for being part of CVCR’s story. The next chapter starts now.

We’re eager to tell you more about this once in a station moment. Reach out at 802-276-0365 or at Llu@WGDR.org

Updated September 8, 2026

The latest updates of CVCR on the move:

In early June, we installed the new WGDR antenna on the ridge in Plainfield. This protected our current broadcast map from interference and ensured we are on the air for many more decades to come at 91.1 FM, free from impact of Plainfield flooding or the future changes to the old Goddard campus. Thank you to the many generous donors and the state of Vermont who helped fund the new antenna project. 📸 Right, Prescott Tower Services crew installing the new WGDR antenna (yes, it needs to only be that small! That is because the antenna is now 1,000 feet higher, with nothing blocking the signal, like the Pratt building or the campus forest).
Then, we partied at “WGDR, Live from Barre!” with our new friends at the Barre Social Club. We sold out the night! A live “Curse of the Golden Turnip” show, alongside local musicians, DJs, and ore, delighted the in person crowd and listeners listening live on their radios and online. This was our first live broadcast as a community station and we are eager to do more. 📸 Right, DJ Xav spinning at WGDR, Live from Barre.
In late June we were notified our lease on Creative Campus was not being renewed. We were offered a brief stay for some more of 2027, but at triple our rent. We could not afford that, especially to be forced to move anyway. So, we set about finding an new forever home for the station.
In July and August we vetted dozens of new station locations, we found six viable, more affordable locations than campus in Montpelier, Berlin, and Barre.
In August we identified eight possible new translator station sites around central Vermont. This rare FCC window, coming up in November, will allow us to build a brand new antenna and signal in cities and areas we still are having trouble reaching. Our priority are new signals in Barre and Montpelier, where we can pick up a population coverage of nearly 20,000 Vermonters. That is more than our long time, and still coverage, of the WGDR, 91.1 FM broadcast map of about 15,000 folks in East Montpelier, Plainfield, Calais, parts of Cabot, Marshfield, and Woodbury and other surrounding towns. WGDH reaches a population area of about 8,000 between Morrisville and Hardwick. Discovering the station on the dial remains the best way for us to grow our listenership, which will grow the ways we can support the funding our programming relies on.
In late August, the 30 year old WGDR old antenna came down off the tower on campus. An end of an era of broadcasting from campus, but done not a moment too soon. The old antenna, even after 30+ years of being in the elements and pumping out 1K watts of power, is in good shape and can be used for future translator stations. 📸 Right, Times Argus photo of Prescott Tower climbers taking down the old WGDR antenna on campus.
In late August the CVCR Board vetted three finalists picked one to secure a lease with in the next few weeks. Once that is signed, we will excitedly share the news with everyone near and far and hold a community gathering to answer questions and share more information.

For now, we can tell you this new location will upgrade our station needs in many ways:

We will be right in a community's downtown!
We'll dramatically increase public visibility and accessibility for the station, which presents us with so many future collaboration and partnership opportunities.
It will be a safe and welcoming place for our programmers broadcast from.
We will have better utilities support and management to prevent programming outages and interruptions.
The new space is nearly move in ready already, so our up fit costs to move will mostly be the new studio, staff time, and engineering.
And, the building is filled with a rich history of the community and has a vibrancy and energy matched by its engaged, community minded management.

This location is not just mission aligned, it is mission moving and that is exactly what we'd hoped for when we started looking back in June for a new home for the station. This is a big moment to have reached in a short amount of time.

Thank you to our moving committee, board, and staff for working so hard all summer to pull this off.

CVCR is On The Move

After 53 years, WGDR is movin' on and out of campus.