Monday, August 3, 2009

VPR will begin airing a rebroadcast of its daily news magazine program Vermont Edition weekday evenings at 7 p.m., beginning August 10.

(pictured: hosts Jane Lindholm and Bob Kinzel)

Vermont Edition, which airs live every weekday at noon, features in-depth conversations about important issues and breaking news, stories about music and cultural traditions, and audio postcards of Vermont towns, landmarks, and quirks that bring listeners a slice of life in the region. The program invites listener participation by phone and email, and provides direct access to political leaders and decision makers.

As a result of this change, The World will move an hour later to 8 p.m., followed by two hours of Jazz with George Thomas beginning at 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday. On Fridays, Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland airs at 9 p.m., followed by George Thomas until midnight.

View a PDF of the new schedule, effective Monday August 10.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why is VPR making this change?
Vermont Edition, the only regional news magazine of its kind, began broadcasting daily two years ago. The program quickly earned a reputation for meaningful, in-depth discussion about important issues and unique stories about music, culture and life in Vermont. It's essential listening.

As a result, many requests have come in to VPR to add a broadcast of the program in the evening so it would be available to a wider audience.

Why not broadcast Vermont Edition live in the evening?
We are committed to keeping the live broadcast of Vermont Edition at noon - although it seems counterintuitive, VPR does have more listeners at that time.

At the same time, however, we wanted the important discussions that take place on Vermont Edition to be available to more people. We believe listeners will benefit from hearing the program even though no new calls or emails will be taken during the rebroadcast.

Listeners are encouraged to send questions for the next show in advance; the next day's program is posted online and promoted on the air every afternoon. This is often a much more reliable way to get a question or comment on the air, because our producers can plan on it before the program gets underway. There's also an online discussion forum for each show at VPR.net where listeners can post questions and comments even after the show is over.

Why is Jazz with George Thomas being moved to a later time?
We moved jazz an hour later because The World's global focus and perspective compliments the evening news lineup, following All Things Considered,  Marketplace, and soon Vermont Edition. We felt that starting jazz an hour later at 9 p.m. would still coincide with the time of day when listeners want to unwind and enjoy music. George Thomas will continue to provide two hours of new and traditional jazz each weeknight.

Why does VPR need to change its programming at all?
Programming a radio station is a dynamic activity. VPR has to evolve and adapt to listener preferences, take risks and try new things in order to continue providing a relevant public service to the region. Of course, as a statewide service we realize that we’ll never satisfy everyone.

Listener input always helps inform our programming. We also look at trends in our audience data, feedback from our Community Forum, and the experiences of public radio stations around the country that are similar in demographics, size and format to VPR.