WGDR is a noncommercial American radio station licensed to Plainfield, Vermont

Plainfield, Vermont

Plainfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,286 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainfield is located at ....

, serving central Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

. WGDR, owned by Goddard College Corporation, is a hybrid college/community/public radio station, broadcasting a freeform

Freeform (radio format)

Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...

 format.

The station broadcasts a mix of music and public affairs programming produced by local volunteers from northern and central Vermont, plus BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 and Pacifica Radio

Pacifica Radio

Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...

 programming. The broadcast radius is from 20 to 25 mi (32.2 to 40.2 ). There are 65 on-air volunteers on the staff.

In 2009, WGDR received a My Source Community Impact Award (an award created by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...

) for its Community Broadcast Training program. That same year, the station was granted a construction permit by the Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...

 to build a second transmission tower near Hardwick, Vermont

Hardwick, Vermont

Hardwick is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,174 at the 2000 census.It contains the incorporated village of Hardwick and the unincorporated villages of East Hardwick and Mackville...

 and operate on a second frequency to reach a much wider area of northern and central Vermont.

On March 1, 2011, the FCC granted an operating license to the new station, which began full-power regular broadcasting on March 7, 2011. The new station, assigned the call letters WGDH

WGDH

WGDH is a non-commercial educational American radio station that serves the community of Hardwick, Vermont, United States. The station, launched in 2011, is owned by Goddard College and the broadcast license is held by the Goddard College Corporation....

, broadcasts at 91.7 FM, simulcasting with WGDR.

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