Building Stronger Communities

Deepening Civic Knowledge For All Ages

In the fall of 2023, Civics 101, NHPR’s podcast about the workings of our democratic institutions, launched a broadcast segment, Refresher Course. With the nation gearing up for a presidential election, the team also put together an Election Tool Kit, featuring 10 episodes about the electoral process. This series was broadcast by stations around the country. Hosts Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy were also featured on It’s Been A Minute, an NPR podcast that also airs on more than 400 public radio stations.  

The podcast is a resource for students and teachers in all 50 states. Nick and Hannah appeared on the NHPBS show Granite State Challenge, posing civics questions to the student competitors. They also presented at the National Council for Social Studies conference in Nashville, TN, and in NH classrooms. Recently we received a message from Will, a social studies teacher from Connecticut, expressing his gratitude. His students took part in an essay project on the Constitution concluding with the creation of an e-book with student narrations. The students utilized and cited Civics 101 as a resource in this educational experience.

Expanding Community Partnerships and Arts Programming

Recognizing that listeners come to us for more than news, we invested in expanding our arts programming as well as our presence at community events. We launched a dedicated newsletter for Writers on a New England Stage. We also published the series’ back catalog, making it available on demand on our website and as a podcast. This was also the first full year of NHPR Reads, a monthly blog series highlighting literary recommendations from the NHPR staff.

This year saw the launch of several new literary projects. In partnership with Gibson’s Bookstore and the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, we launched a live author interview series, Authors on Main. In partnership with the Howe Library in Hanover, the seasonal on-air series Check This Out premiered. Hosted by award-winning author Rachel Barenbaum, it spotlights emerging and diverse writers. We also teamed up with the Word Barn in Exeter to bring new musical programming to our airwaves. Live from the Word Barn is broadcast twice weekly, turning local performances into statewide events. Our growing number of community partnerships isn’t limited to broadcast programming. Over the last year we collaborated with 3S Artspace and Ava Gallery as part of the 13th Step Live Tour, Portsmouth NH 400 and the NH Brewers Association.

Committing to the Mission

In February of 2024, the Lenfest Institute, a non-profit focused on creating solutions for the next era of local news by investing in sustainable business models, selected NHPR as one of three statewide nonprofit newsrooms to include in a study about community impact. The goal was to measure the influence of NHPR’s journalism on public discourse around important issues in the state. Some of the report’s conclusions: NHPR has a meaningful impact on the communities it serves; a significant portion of NH residents regularly hear, read or learn about NHPR’s journalism; NHPR users express trust and appreciation for our coverage and are among the state’s most civically engaged residents.

Recognizing the importance of understanding audience needs, NHPR commissioned SmithGeiger Group, a prominent market research and strategy organization, to complete an assessment of our current and potential audience. The study looked at many areas, including what is most important to news and media consumers in NH. The insights from this study will inform our strategies so NHPR can continue to best serve our users and reach new audiences.

Banner photo: Colson Whitehead joined Morning Edition host Rick Ganley on July 20, 2023, for Writers on a New England Stage at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. (Will Zimmerman)