Our History
The Forge of the Airwaves: The Story of WDVR
In the quiet village of Sergeantsville, tucked away in the rolling hills of Hunterdon County, there stands a once weathered building on Main Street that rang with the rhythmic strike of a hammer against an anvil. It was an old blacksmith shop—a place of grit and iron, where neighbors brought their broken tools to be mended and where the heat of the forge was the literal heart of the community.
But as the decades passed and the fire in the forge dimmed, a new kind of energy began to stir within those thick walls.
The Vision of Frank and Ginny Napp
In the early 1990s, Frank and Ginny Napp saw that the local community was facing a different kind of "break." The airwaves were being overtaken by distant, corporate broadcasters—automated voices from big cities that didn't know the name of the local creek or the date of the town's harvest festival. The "tools" of community connection were becoming rusty.
They decided to spark a new fire.
Frank and Virginia (Ginny Lee) Napurano
Frank and Virginia (Ginny Lee) Napurano founded WDVR. For twenty-five years Frank acted as President and General Manager while Ginny Lee was Operations Manager. Throughout those years he and Ginny Lee co-hosted The Country Store, Juke Box Saturday Night and Tidbits ‘n’ Tunes. Also, Ginny Lee hosted a talk show called Horizons early on.
The transformation was an exercise in "necessity as the mother of invention." Where horseshoes were once cooled in water, miles of copper wiring were coiled. Where the heavy scent of coal smoke once hung, soundproofing was installed. The blacksmith shop didn’t just change its trade; it blossomed into WDVR, a listener-supported sanctuary for authentic, non-commercial radio.
A Hand-Curated Craftsmanship
Just as a blacksmith hand-forges every nail, WDVR’s programming became hand-curated by volunteers. There are no algorithms here—just neighbors sharing the music they love, from traditional Bluegrass and Celtic folk to R&B and Jazz. Every program provides insight into where the music came from and its value to the culture, treating every broadcast like a custom-made tool for the listener.
The Lifeline in the Storm
Frank’s Ham Radio ID
The shop’s history as a place of refuge continues today. During Superstorm Sandy and the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, the station proved it was still a "repair shop" for the community. When the digital grid went down and the internet failed, the old blacksmith shop stayed up. Broadcasting to battery-powered and hand-crank radios, the station provided real-time updates on road closures and safety, proving that in an emergency, a local voice is a literal lifeline.
A Legacy of "The Shepherd"
Ginny Napp famously described her management style as that of a "shepherd." She believed in letting people’s passions lead them, using a "gentle hook" only to bring them back if they stepped too far outside the bounds. This culture created a "Town Square" where a neighbor could "Take the Mic" to host their own show, and where everyone who tunes in is considered a member who belongs.
The Heartbeat Today
Frank and Ginny Napp are no longer with us to walk through those doors on Main Street, but their vision hasn’t faded; instead, it shines brighter than ever.
Today, the anvil is silent, but the airwaves are more vibrant than ever. WDVR remains a sanctuary where the community’s voice is forged daily. Through its online archives and its 24/7 broadcast, the station continues to provide a local alternative to the corporate world—proving that the warmth of a local heartbeat, once sparked in an old stone building, can illuminate an entire valley for generations to come.
“WDVR is my kinda place. Such diversity of music, great personal knowledge by all the hosts, and it really perks up my mind to recall songs not heard for ages as well as learning the ones new to me. Thank you all!”
