Branding NHPR Translator(s) see table below | Frequency see table below | |
Broadcast area New Hampshire and bordering areas of Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Quebec Slogan "News and information for the Granite State" First air date August 4, 1981 (1981-08-04) | ||
New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) is the National Public Radio member network serving the state of New Hampshire. NHPR is based in Concord and operates seven transmitters and six translators covering nearly the whole state. All signals carry the same programming, which comprises NPR news and talk shows on weekdays and a mix of cultural and music programs on weekends.
Contents
- History and listenership
- Stations
- Programming
- Writers on a New England Stage
- Notable employees
- References
NHPR's news staff of 21 is one of the largest in the state and is the only statewide source of radio news.
History and listenership
NHPR's original station, WEVO, signed on from Concord on August 4, 1981. It was originally known as "Granite State Public Radio," after New Hampshire's state nickname. WEVO had 500 members at its start.
Over several years the station grew in size. In 1991, the newly renamed NHPR began broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Between 1992 and 2011, six other stations joined the network. In 1995 NHPR launched The Exchange, hosted by former NPR reporter Laura Knoy.
Until 2000, NHPR broadcast a mix of NPR news and classical music. However, in 2000 it switched its weekday schedule to all news and talk.
In Spring 2007 NHPR had a weekly audience of 161,100 listeners and about 16,000 contributing members. It had an annual budget of $4.5 million, with contributions from listeners, local businesses, grants and funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Contributions from listeners and businesses in New Hampshire make up more than 90 percent of NHPR's revenue. NHPR does not receive funding from the state of New Hampshire.
In 2014, NHPR bought WCNH, a classical music station. Since WCNH operates at only 190 watts, it is simulcast on WEVO's second HD channel.
Stations
Notes:
Programming
At first, NHPR broadcast a mixed format of news and information programming from NPR during drive times, and music mid-days, evenings, and overnights. As has been the case with most other NPR member stations over the past decade and a half, the network dropped music programming (except for a handful of weekend features) by 2001 to carry news and information programming around the clock.
Local staff produces three hours each day of newscasts and feature reports on local New Hampshire news and two daily interview programs. The Exchange, hosted by Laura Knoy, is a one-hour morning news and public affairs call-in show. Word of Mouth, hosted by Virginia Prescott, is a one-hour midday general topics interview show. NHPR also locally produces The Folk Show, a live show featuring performances by local musicians, on Sunday evenings and hosted by Kate McNally.
NHPR broadcasts the major daily news programs produced by NPR, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. The statewide network also broadcasts programming from American Public Media, including A Prairie Home Companion and Marketplace, as well as programs from Public Radio International, including The World and This American Life. NHPR also airs programming from international broadcasters, such as As It Happens, a production of Canada's CBC Radio One, and the BBC World Service from Britain.
Writers on a New England Stage
NHPR, in conjunction with the Portsmouth Music Hall, has produced a series on New England writers and authors. So far the series has had such authors as John Updike (Terrorist), Doris Kearns Goodwin, Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), Alan Alda, and Mitch Albom. Virginia Prescott of Word of Mouth is the interviewer, and the trio Dreadnaught is the house band. The River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth is also affiliated.
See also Writers on a New England Stage at the Music Hall's website