When catastrophic flooding hit central Vermont the past two years, the region’s community radio stations played an important role in the disaster response.
They were there to help homeowners navigate federal and state assistance, and they organized local cleanup efforts.
And when it was time to take a break, they provided relief in the form of music and conversation.
This year, for the first time ever, the Legislature put money aside in the state budget to support the work of community radio stations. The small, low-powered stations generally broadcast their signal within a 10- to 20-mile radius and are mostly run by volunteers.
“There’s no amount of training in the world that I think could have prepared anyone for what happened in the summer of 2023,” said Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, station manager at WGDR/WGDH, the community radio stations in Plainfield and Hardwick. “We kind of just really responded to the moment that first summer, and stayed on the air, and were providing mutual aid information, real-time information that we knew was true, from the local community, because our people were coming from those communities.”
Mulvaney-Stanak helped lead the push for state funding, which resulted in $150,000 in public safety grants for the community radio stations to buy equipment that will help in the next emergency.
The money can be used for upgrading emergency communication equipment and infrastructure, or investing in software or technical training to better prepare community radio volunteers.
This is a real thing; having community radio during times of emergency is important.Sen. Andrew Perchlik
Washington County Sen. Andrew Perchlik, who lives within range of the Plainfield radio station, said it was important to carve out funding for community radio, even in a year when money was extremely tight.
“We had bad floods in my district two years in a row,” Perchlik said. “And this is a real thing; having community radio during times of emergency is important.”
Along with the stations in Hardwick and Plainfield, there are also community radio stations in Brattleboro, Burlington, Warren, South Royalton and Bellows Falls.
Evan Parks is a DJ and volunteer at WOOL radio in Bellows Falls.
Along with the hour he spends every week spinning worldwide pop music, with a focus on K-pop from South Korea, Parks also serves on the tech team.
This is our conduit to our friends and neighbors, and people that we love, and people that we haven’t even met yet.Evan Parks, DJ at WOOL Radio
When the transmitter on Mount Kilburn needs attention, he is one of the volunteers who goes up to try to fix it.
“I’m excited about community radio every single time I walk in the building because this is really the voice of the people,” Parks said one recent afternoon, just before starting his weekly show. “This is our conduit to our friends and neighbors, and people that we love, and people that we haven’t even met yet. You know anybody can sign up, and be a DJ, or have a talk show, or do something that they think matters in their community here.”
Three groups in the state have recently applied for licenses from the Federal Communications Commission to start new community radio stations.
Organizations in Bristol, Ludlow and Richmond all hope to have their new stations on the air in the next year or two.
Kate Blofson, who’s working with the station in Richmond, said the state money will go a long way toward helping the group get the equipment it needs, and she says there’s a lot of support and enthusiasm for the new station.
“I think part of the power of radio, and community radio in particular, is like the personal connection that it offers,” Blofson said. “It’s not just like an algorithm, you know, it’s like a real human being, and I think people like real human beings.”
Llu Mulvaney-Stanak hosts a music program for Vermont Public.
