WVKR-FM ''(Independent Radio)'' is a college radio station owned by and primarily staffed by students of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. The station broadcasts on 91.3 MHz at 3,700 watts ERP from a tower in Milton, New York with a directional signal to the south. The station also streams on the web.

History

When Vassar College became a co-educational institution in 1969, the school began plans to launch a campus radio station to serve both the campus and the nearby communities. Originally, the college planned to apply for a low-power license, however plans soon changed to a full-power licence when the tower site of WEOK-FM was donated to Vassar College after the construction of a new tower in Illinois Mountain in Marlboro. WVKR signed on from this tower on a test basis in December 1971 with full operations commencing after upgrades to the tower were made in March 1972. For its entire existence, WVKR has been a primarily student-run station with a core staff of community volunteers running some programs on the station. Key programming on the station includes blues,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, hip hop, vintage rock,

polka music Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The te ...

, world music, classical, Cajun/Zydeco, talk, and

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

, among others. One of the longest running programs on the station, "Pete Clark's Orphanage of Rock and Roll," features rare rock and pop from the 60s 70s and 80s. It has run on WVKR for close to two decades on Friday afternoons from 3pm to 5pm. Doug Price and his Friday night Blues After Hours have been known and loved by Blues fans throughout Dutchess County since the late 1980s. WVKR also streams its broadcast on the internet, accessible through its website, thus serving not only the

and

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

communities, but also anyone else in the world who chooses to listen to the webcast. Through its history WVKR has had several notable disk jockeys (DJs) who went on to further success in the music field; these include: * Pete Clark (major market DJ and programmer, currently also doing a Sunday show at WPDH) * Mark Ronson (DJ, Musician, Producer) * DJ Ayres (Noted Club DJ) * John Conway (Member The Bravery) * DJ Mr. Vince (DJ/Co-host of internationally syndicated radio show "Full Throttle Radio World Wide" Hosted By

Fatman Scoop Isaac Freeman III (born August 6, 1971), better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop, is an American rapper, promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw loud voice. He is known for the song " Be Faithful", which topped the c ...

& Mixshow DJ On 96.1FM

WPKF WPKF (96.1 FM, "Kiss FM") is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts from a tower mounted on the roof of the Ros ...

)

External links

Official website
*
Official WVKR BlogWVKR's Live-Updated Playlists on Radioactivity
{{coord, 41.6404, N, 74.0207, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Vassar College VKR-FM VKR-FM Radio stations established in 1971