Indie Rock on VPR

Currently, there is no indie rock programming on Vermont Public Radio. They have almost every other music genre that isn't supported by the private radio stations in Vermont (e.g., classical, jazz, folk, worldbeat, Irish, etc.). In fact, they play classical all afternoon and then from 10pm-12am every weeknight. Wouldn't it be nice if they just took one of those 2-hour evening slots and played a few indie bands?

If you feel that way, please contact VPR to let them know. You can contact them using their "Contact VPR" page on VPR.net.

I sent them an email a few months ago making this request and got a very nice reply back that left me a bit encouraged. In my email, I acknowledged that classical music fans donate a lot of money but also pointed out to them that other influential public radio stations such as Minnesota Public Radio had recently started broadcasting indie rock. I let them know that I'm not expecting them to do a lot of programming changes but just one 2-hour slot a night. A fairly modest request.

The reply I recieved said that they agree that the VT radio market does not support this music genre and they were aware of MPR's "The Current" and Washington's KEXP. However, she said that they are unlikely to make a change at this time. She said that our best chance of hearing indie rock on VPR will be on the new music-only station that VPR is setting up right now. She said that they are currently discussing programming options for the new station and appreciated my interest in indie rock programming.

I then spoke to a friend who works at VPR and he said that her reply sounded rather encouraging. He felt that if VPR recieved a few more similar requests that there would be a good chance of hearing indie rock on the new station when it begins operating.

So, with that in mind, if you want to hear lots of music similar to what is discussed on this blog, please contact VPR and let them know. Polite, cordial and direct emails get the best results.