Imagine being able to hear every minute of debate and testimony as it happens on the floor at the Vermont Statehouse without ever having to leave your home or office, or your child's class listening to the Senate debate a bill during Social Studies without having to leave their classroom. It's possible now that Vermont Public Radio is offering live audio of all Vermont House and Senate floor proceedings via the Internet. Consider it a local public radio version of CSPAN. VPR's new public service, "Listen to the Legislature," is available at no cost online at vpr.net when the Legislature is in session.

"VPR's live audio feed from the Statehouse provides everyone access to our political process as it is happening," says John Van Hoesen, VPR News Director. "It's natural for VPR, as an independent public broadcaster, to provide this local service for every Vermonter. We take our role as a trusted source for news and information seriously and we hope this live audio stream on vpr.net helps deepen our listeners' understanding of the issues we face together. It certainly makes it easier for citizens to stay involved."

The new service builds on the infrastructure VPR currently has in place to provide audio for the extensive daily political news coverage reported by VPR journalists Bob Kinzel and John Dillon. VPR regularly records proceedings to excerpt for broadcast and, at times, broadcasts live from the Statehouse. New web-based technology now allows VPR to use this same infrastructure to stream continuous audio on the station's website. VPR's website also provides a link to the calendars for the House and Senate as well as a link to the Legislature's bill tracker. VPR's news coverage and news programs, including Switchboard and Vermont Edition, are also archived on the site.

In addition to the live vpr.net stream from the Statehouse, VPR broadcasts at 107.9 FM in Burlington, 89.5 FM in Windsor, 88.7 FM in Rutland, 88.5 FM in St. Johnsbury, 94.3 FM in Bennington, 94.5 FM in Brattleboro, 92.5 FM in Manchester, 95.3 FM in Middlebury and online at vpr.net. A second service, VPR Classical, features classical music 24 hours a day and can be heard at 88.1 FM in Norwich, 93.5 FM in Bennington, 103.9 FM in Hanover, 106.9 FM in Manchester, 106.9 FM in Woodstock and online at vpr.net.