Posted By Jordan Adams on Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 5:14 PM

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Courtesy of Josh Crane and Myra Flynn

Josh Crane (left) and Myra Flynn

Podcast producer Josh Crane and singer-songwriter Myra Flynn, a former journalist at the Burlington Free Press, have joined Vermont Public Radio as engagement producers. They'll primarily support the station's Brave Little State podcast, an investigative program that uses audience-sourced queries as the foundation of its stories.

Tags: Josh Crane , Myra Flynn , Brave Little State , VPR , Web Only , Image

Posted By Ken Picard on Tue, Jul 28, 2020 at 4:53 PM

File photo courtesy of Bruce Zeman

Hobbes in the WVTK studio in 2012

Hobbes has gone home for good — and animal lovers throughout Vermont are mourning his death.

Though diminutive in stature, the tiny, brown, short-haired Dachshund reached unparalleled heights for a rescue dog, as the four-legged member of Bruce & Hobbes, America’s first human-canine radio team.

In 2013, the story of Hobbes’ rescue, by owners Bruce Zeman and Tami Crupi Zeman, became the subject of a children’s picture book, Hobbes Goes Home, copies of which were sent as gifts to then-president Barack Obama. The 44th president later wrote a letter to the Zemans telling them how much he enjoyed the book.

Tags: Animals , anti-bullying , humane society , animal rescue , Dachsunds , radio , Bruce & Hobbes , Web Only , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 2:07 PM

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From Facebook

Amy McGovern

Longtime Vermont radio personality Amy McGovern died on Wednesday evening in a motorcycle crash in Georgia, Vt., according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. She was 46.

McGovern had been a familiar voice to Vermont radio listeners for close to 30 years, having worked in two separate stints for Hall Communications, a Florida-based radio group that owns stations in Florida, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont. Most recently, McGovern hosted the midday show for 105.1 FM WKOL (aka Kool 105). She also filled in on 98.9 FM WOKO and 106.7 FM WIZN.

Tags: Amy McGovern , Hall Communications , Web Only , Image

Posted By Margaret Grayson on Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 2:43 PM

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Illustration by Diane Sullivan; image of person ©Dreamstime/One Photo; coronavirus images Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If you scroll quickly through the 802 Stay Safe and Strong Informational Group on Facebook, it almost reads like a regular community forum. Its members post, comment on and react to updates on Vermont businesses, offer praise for thoughtful neighbors, and laugh over the occasional joke or animal video. A single post might get hundreds of likes and dozens of shares.

The group, formerly called 802 Stay Safe and Strong Updates, was created on March 13 by Morrisville resident Tammy Wells and now has more than 15,500 members. Wells had created Facebook groups before and saw this one as a good way to share information with friends and family about local impacts of the coronavirus. She had no idea it would blow up the way it has.

“I’ve been a moderator for five [Facebook] groups that I’m connected with. So I’ve been doing this a long time,” Wells said. “But this one is serious.”

There’s no way of knowing what percentage of the group’s members are Vermont residents. But if they all were, it would mean Wells had acquired an audience of more than 2 percent of the state’s population in just two weeks. For contrast, in the three years since Gov. Phil Scott created his Facebook page, he has amassed 20,000 followers.

Tags: coronavirus , COVID-19 , Facebook , social media , Vermont , Mari Cordes , Tammy Wells , Web Only , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Fri, Aug 9, 2019 at 2:34 PM

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Courtesy of Matt Benedetto

Matt Benedetto

Crocs  has issued a cease and desist order against Burlington's Matt Benedetto. He's the creator of Unnecessary Inventions, a line of made-up products that he showcases online and through social media.

A recent invention, Croc Gloves, drew viral attention when it was released, and even hit No. 1 on Reddit. But the fingerless plastic gloves also caught the attention of Crocs, the plastic-footwear company, which Benedetto says ordered him to remove the gloves from his website and social media feeds.

Tags: Matt Benedetto , Unnecessary Inventions , Crocs , cease and desist , fair use , Web Only , Image , Video

Posted By Jordan Adams on Fri, Dec 21, 2018 at 12:06 PM

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Danil Korshunov | Dreamstime.com

The holiday season is at hand, and there's no doubt you're looking forward to everything that comes with it: family gatherings, office parties and, of course, figuring out how you'll spend New Year's Eve.

But let's be real. It's been a tough 12 months, and all you really want to do on your end-of-year vacay is throw on your Snuggie and plop down on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn. You've been putting off checking out a bunch of new streaming series until your holiday break, and you can practically hear "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" calling out your name.

In the spirit of keeping things local, consider bumping the second season of "Making a Murderer" down the queue to make room for some locally sourced programming. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Tags: Kat Wright , Bardo , Ryan Miller , Higher Ground , Vermont PBS , Mister Chris and Friends , TRASHburgh , Madaila , Caroline Rose , Image , Video , Web Only

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, May 3, 2018 at 6:12 PM

Courtesy of Ray Vega

Ray Vega

To anyone who had Ray Vega in the "Who's the Next Host of 'Friday Night Jazz?'" office pool: congrats! Vermont Public Radio has tabbed the acclaimed trumpeter and educator to helm the show, beginning May 18.

Vega is the latest in a line of local jazz luminaries to take up residence behind the VPR mic on Friday evenings. The most recent inhabitant was Reuben Jackson, who hosted the show from 2012 to April 2018. George Thomas hosted FNJ before Jackson.

Tags: jazz , Friday night Jazz , Vermont Public Radio , Ray Vega , Reuben Jackson , George Thomas , Image , Web Only

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 12:29 PM

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Courtesy of Mike Luoma

Mike Luoma

Mike Luoma has been let go as the music director of local radio station 104.7 WNCS-FM the Point. The longtime local DJ announced the news last week on his Glow in the Dark Radio blog and via social media. Luoma, who has been a prominent figure in Vermont radio since 1983 — including nearly two decades at 106.7 WIZN-FM — had been with the Point for almost eight years.

Tags: WNCS , the Point , Mike Luoma , Zeb Norris , John Mullet , Ed Flanagan , Tim Lewis , radio , Image , Web Only

Posted By Kymelya Sari on Sat, Feb 3, 2018 at 6:30 AM

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Kymelya Sari

Deb Reger, host of "Moccasin Tracks," at WRUV

When Deb Reger began her weekly radio show, "Moccasin Tracks," on WRUV 90.1 FM last Tuesday at noon, she reminded her listeners where she was. "We recognize this area where we broadcast from as N'Dakinna, the ancestral homeland of the Abenaki nation," she said from the radio station's studio in the University of Vermont's Davis Center in Burlington.

As the song "Grandmother" by Navajo artist Radmilla Cody played in the background, Reger told listeners that her guest for the week was Grandmother Nancy Andry, an elder who lives in Connecticut and is of Algonquin and Metis heritage.

It took a couple of tries before Reger got through on the phone to her guest. So the seasoned radio host adjusted her playlist to include longer songs. She wasn't too frazzled, though. "It happens," she explained.

Tags: Moccasin Tracks , Deb Reger , Grandmother Nancy Andry , Melody Walker Brook , Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs , WRUV 90.1 FM , Abenaki , N'Dakinna , Black Hawk Singers , Image , Web Only

Posted By Dan Bolles on Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 3:57 PM

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Courtesy of 'Take Magazine'

'Take Magazine'

Take Magazine is calling it quits. In a December 15 post on its website, the arts and culture mag announced that it would cease publishing online content by the end of the year and publish one last physical issue in early 2018.

The reason for the abrupt closure should come as little surprise to anyone familiar with the modern print media landscape: declining revenue.

"We just didn't didn't get the traction, particularly with advertisers," Take publisher Michael Kusek told Seven Days. "And with readers."

Tags: Take Magazine , Michael Kusek , publishing , magazines , Image , Web Only