WVKR
Encyclopedia
WVKR-FM is a college radio station owned by, and primarily staffed by students of, Vassar College
in Poughkeepsie, New York
. The station broadcasts on 91.3 MHz at 15 kilowatts ERP
from a tower in Milton, New York
with a directional signal to the south. The station also streams on the web at www.wvkr.org http://www.wvkr.org
license, however plans soon changed to a full-power licence when the tower site of WEOK-FM
was donated to Vassar College after the construction of a new tower in Illinois Mountain in Marlboro. WVKR signed on from this tower on a test basis in December 1971 with full operations commencing after upgrades to the tower were made in March 1972.
For its entire existence, WVKR has been a primarily student-run station with a core staff of community volunteers running some programs on the station. Key programming on the station includes
blues
, jazz
, RPM, hip hop
, vintage rock, polka music, world music
, classical, Cajun/Zydeco, talk, and indie rock
, among others.
One of the longest running programs on the station, "Peter Clark's Orphanage of Rock and Roll," features rare rock and pop from the 60s 70s and 80s. It has run on WVKR for close to two decades on Friday afternoons from 3pm to 5pm.
Doug Price and his Friday night Blues After Hours have been known and loved by Blues fans throughout Dutchess County since the late 1980s.
WVKR also streams its broadcast on the internet, accessible through its website, thus serving not only the Vassar College
and Hudson Valley
communities, but also anyone else in the world who chooses to listen to the webcast.
Through its history WVKR has had several notable DJs who went on to further success in the music field, these include:
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie (town), New York
Poughkeepsie is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 42,777 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the native term, "Uppu-qui-ipis-in," which means "reed-covered hut by the water."...
. The station broadcasts on 91.3 MHz at 15 kilowatts ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
from a tower in Milton, New York
Milton, Ulster County, New York
Milton is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,251 at the 2000 census.The community of Milton is located in the northeast part of the Town of Marlborough.- Geography :...
with a directional signal to the south. The station also streams on the web at www.wvkr.org http://www.wvkr.org
History
When Vassar College became a co-educational institution in 1969, the school began plans to launch a campus radio station to serve both the campus and the nearby communities. Originally, the college planned to apply for a low-powerLow-power broadcasting
Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
license, however plans soon changed to a full-power licence when the tower site of WEOK-FM
WPDH
WPDH is a mainstream rock radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving from extreme Northern New Jersey to New York's Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts on 101.5 MHz at 4.4 kilowatts ERP from a tower site on Illinois Mountain in...
was donated to Vassar College after the construction of a new tower in Illinois Mountain in Marlboro. WVKR signed on from this tower on a test basis in December 1971 with full operations commencing after upgrades to the tower were made in March 1972.
For its entire existence, WVKR has been a primarily student-run station with a core staff of community volunteers running some programs on the station. Key programming on the station includes
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, RPM, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, vintage rock, polka music, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, classical, Cajun/Zydeco, talk, and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, among others.
One of the longest running programs on the station, "Peter Clark's Orphanage of Rock and Roll," features rare rock and pop from the 60s 70s and 80s. It has run on WVKR for close to two decades on Friday afternoons from 3pm to 5pm.
Doug Price and his Friday night Blues After Hours have been known and loved by Blues fans throughout Dutchess County since the late 1980s.
WVKR also streams its broadcast on the internet, accessible through its website, thus serving not only the Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
and Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
communities, but also anyone else in the world who chooses to listen to the webcast.
Through its history WVKR has had several notable DJs who went on to further success in the music field, these include:
- Peter Clark (major market DJ and programmer)
- Mark Ronson (DJ, Musician, Producer)
- DJ Ayres (Noted Club DJ)
- John Conway (Member The Bravery)
- DJ Mr. Vince (DJ/Co-host of internationally syndicated radio show "Full Throttle Radio World Wide" Hosted By Fatman ScoopFatman ScoopIsaac Freeman III, better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop is a hip hop promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw, loud voice....
& Mixshow DJ On 96.1FM WPKFWPKFWPKF is a Rhythmic Top 40 radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower mounted on the roof of the Ross Pavilion at the Hudson River...
)