About

We're right where you want us to be.

It's popularly known as Michiana, but whatever you want to call the region of southwestern Michigan and north-central Indiana, WVPE has it covered.

• Dial Position 88.1 FM
• Power: 11,500 watts, with a coverage area of 60 - 70 miles.
• WVPE serves 17 counties in north central Indiana and southwestern lower Michigan with a total population of approximately 1,000,000.

Our Mission
The mission of 88.1 WVPE Public Radio is to be a vital communications resource that educates, entertains and inspires the communities we serve.  We do this through programming, services, and events reflective of our culture and diversity to create a more informed public.

Our Distinctive Format
We're pleased to be Michiana's voice for award-winning National Public Radio (NPR) news and locally produced programming. In addition, our listeners are treated to a variety of entertaining shows, plus the unique sounds of jazz, blues and folk music. They also receive comprehensive world, national and regional news, and the latest information on a variety of topics - everything from health and science to changing technology, business and beyond.

From our humble beginning in 1972 as a student-run broadcasting lab at the Elkhart Area Career Center, we have become one of the top NPR member stations in the country by share (percentage of local audience listening to radio that listens to the local NPR affiliate). 

WVPE Milestones:

• 1972 - WVPE-FM signs on as a Student-run broadcast laboratory
• 1983 - Jazz, Blues and Folk music become a regular part of programming schedule
• 1984 - A Prairie Home Companion joins WVPE programming as the station becomes an affiliate of American Public Radio (now Public Radio International)
• 1991 - WVPE becomes a member of National Public Radio
• 1995 - WVPE moves to an all-NPR news format with the addition of The Diane Rehm Show and Talk of The Nation
• 2003 - WVPE receives 11 awards for news coverage including an Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Sports Reporting
• 2007 - Michiana Chronicles wins an Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence.
• 2009 - WVPE completes significant power increase and moves antenna to new tower doubling our signal area.
• 2012 - Ol' Harv receives the 'Keeping the Blues Alive' award from the Memphis based Blues Foundation.
• 2012- WVPE celebrates 40 years
• 2015- WVPE launches 2 additional HD channels. One is more news/talk—NEWS2. One begins as a collaboration with Elkhart Area Career Center's Audio/Video Production class and 'Ol Harv to develop an all-blues channel—BLUES3.
• 2022- WVPE's celebrates 50 years.

The Friends of WVPE, Inc.  is our Community Advisory Board. They hold periodic open meetings. Please call the station for more information at 888-399-9873.

WVPE is licensed to, and is a member-supported service of, the Elkhart Community Schools. WVPE's ultimate supervision comes from the elected ECS School Board which regularly holds open meetings. Further information about upcoming board meetings is listed below: 

Regular Board of School Trustees’ Meetings - 2024

Regular meetings will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the J. C. Rice Educational Services Center 2720 California Road, Elkhart, Indiana unless otherwise noted.

A public work session is held at 6:00 p.m. preceding each regular meeting in the J. C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, Elkhart, Indiana unless otherwise noted.

Meeting and Work Session Dates:

The Board’s meeting site is accessible to all persons. Any person requiring accommodation or assistance should contact the Administrative Assistant to the Board of School Trustees with the School Corporation’s administrative office, located at 2720 California Road, Elkhart, Indiana 46514, at 574-262-5506. Additionally, those meetings are livestreamed, and available here on YouTube.

WVPE's public financial, EEO, and service records are published here.

Link to WVPE's Privacy Policy is here.