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Vice City Public Radio, abbreviated as VCPR, is hosted by Maurice Chavez (voiced by Philip Anthony Rodriguez), with supervisors Jonathan Freeloader (Patrick Olsen) and Michelle Montanius (Kelly Guest). Along with KCHAT, the other talk radio station in the game, VCPR has not been released as part of the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack.

Chavez's name and voice suggest that he is of Cuban origin, and he becomes irritated when his name is pronounced incorrectly. In one edition of his program, he is held at gun-point by the power-crazed Pastor Richards, but he survives through quick thinking and flattery. Although normally calm, he loses his patience when his guests don't "press the issue," and even hits one of his guests, Jeremy Robard, with a paperweight.

Chavez is oblivious to the fact he is commonly degraded by Jonathan Freeloader and Michelle Montanius, the announcers at VCPR who call him a "useless, talentless asshole". Over the course of several editions of the show, it is learned that Chavez made a living as "Sal, the Wheat-Free Clown" circa 1980, an occupation that earned him less than $2000 a year. Around the same time, he also tried to become a movie star, and despite going up for 17 auditions that year, he only got a job as a fluffer in a sex education video. He became so desperate that he even considered a sex change at one point. However, according to Vice City Stories, he was rescued by Montanius and in return he impregnated her. It is implied that she became part of the main VCPR crew not long after, and her pregnancy would account for her abrasive behavior to Chavez.

Freeloader is probably a reference to the website Freeloader.com, which at one point offered "light" versions of the Original GTA as well as GTA: London 1969 (i.e. without in-game music), but later moved them to a paid subscription service. It currently offers Grand Theft Auto 2 as part of its free subscription service [1], though full versions of both GTA and GTA2 are now offered as free downloads from Rockstar Classics.

Pressing Issues

Much like KCHAT, VCPR features "live" interviews; unlike the celebrity interviews on KCHAT, however, the show broadcast on VCPR within the game is called Pressing Issues, and focuses on exactly that—particular issues are chosen, and Maurice Chavez mediates an informal debate between selected guests. Three such issues are broadcast within the game.

Also on VCPR are the frequent donation drives by Michelle Montanius and Jonathan Freeloader, who beg for support money between shows (as VCPR is a public station, it relies on donations) and try to make the listener feel as guilty as possible about listening to, yet not supporting Public Radio. Obviously, this is a parody of actual public radio stations in the United States like NPR.