Vermont Public Radio First to Offer HD-R in State

Vermont Public Radio’s WVPR(FM) on 89.5 MHz in the Upper Valley has gone IBOC – the first in the state to do so, according to station officials.
VPR launched the digital signal at 6:06 p.m. on July 19.
“WVPR was the first public radio station in Vermont, debuting in 1977, so it is fitting that it would be the first VPR station to begin broadcasting in digital,” according to a spokeswoman.
The station is using a modified Harris Z12HD solid-state transmitter and low level combining of the analog and digital signals.
Later this fall, VPR will multicast two programming services on WVPR, a mix of NPR news, regional news and music on 89.5-HD1 while 89.5-HD2 will feature VPR Classical, Vermont Public Radio’s 24-hour classical music service.
VPR expects to continue converting to digital radio throughout the next year, multicasting VPR Classical across the region. The current analog VPR frequencies will then evolve into a news and information service.
VPR believes this goal of two state-wide services – one for news and information programs and the other for classical music – will become a reality within the next two years VPR Classical service expands through additional translators as funding and the FCC allow.