WKXL - New Hampshire Talk Radio

It was an honor to get to speak with Daniel Masciari via phone about his stunning and beautiful Christmas film “Stationed at Home”. From the website: "Stationed At Home is award-winning writer/director Daniel V. Masciari's debut feature film, which has just been recently completed. The film is made in the spirit of 70s and 80s independent films, with a raw and unfiltered approach that captures the essence of storytelling without compromise. It is a personal and unique embrace of creative freedom, resulting in a truly uplifting, one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.” It's currently available on Apple TV and Prime. "As covered in Variety for its North American acquisition by Freestyle Digital Media — Stationed At Home is NOW AVAILABLE on all cable, satellite, and digital platforms!”

Wednesday's show celebrated the first significant snowfall of the meteorological calendar as we played some of the great snow songs of all-time from the Carpenters to Frank Sinatra to Rosemary Clooney and many in between.

Deborah Ricci is back in studio chatting with Veronica about a special event happening around midnight merriment in Concord NH!

The first Tuesday of every month means a visit from the New Hampshire Insurance Department and today we chatted with the Department's Compliance and Enforcement Counsel Josh Hilliard. The topic was the annual open enrollment period for health insurance plans on Healthcare.gov where the deadline for enrollment in order to have January 1st coverage is December 15th.

Let's usher in the holiday season, and join Jane as she pulls some wonderful selections from The Tabernacle Choirs Christmas specials! Join us for some beautiful Christmas music.

The first program of December featured the local musical duo of Lee and Doctor G who will be appearing this Thursday night at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord. Also, correspondent John Leahy brought us up to date on Hockey East and University of New Hampshire head football coach Rick Santos assessed his teams' 2025 season which came to an end over the weekend in the FCS playoffs.

Executive Director Corinne Benfield of Stay Work Play dives into their Quality of Life Index and Policy and Pints series, what young people are looking for in New Hampshire, and the importance for the rest of the population in keeping them here.

It's time of year again! Nope, we're not talking about football. We're talking “Next Seasons Production Schedule Reveal”. And today we're highlighting the upcoming season of The Interlakes Theatre located in the heart of the Lakes Region in Meredith. The Interlakes Theatre boasts an impressive 90+ alum that have gone on to sign contracts for Broadway and National Touring Companies. Nancy Barry, Producing Director and Founder, stops by the Taj Mahal like digs of the WKXL studio and drop all the delicious details of productions. We also get around to topics like choosing the right productions for your demographic audience against lesser known shows.

Today is Thanksgiving and we will celebrate the holiday with an old time vintage radio program. Join our Old Fashioned Thanksgiving!

Mushrooms seem to be all rage these days and I'm not talking about the ones we Beatniks like to highlight. Mushroom coffee, tinctures, powders, blends, capsules, etc seem to be popping up in all of my social media. Soooo I reached out to Eric Milligan at the NH Mushroom Company (didn't know that there was a NH mushroom company) to get all the details on why there's so much chatter lately. They have a 5000 sqft warehouse in Tamworth so it seemed like they would know a little about the subject. From their marketing material: "NHMC has been a leading source of specialty mushrooms, with educational programs on fungi enjoyed by many. It has been recognized in WMUR's cook's corner and New Hampshire Chronicle. Additionally, it was featured in the documentary “The Line that Divides Us.The NHMC has experienced a growing interest in mushroom education, providing an array of educational programs year-round. From the Cooking with Mushrooms, to the enchanting Friday Forage, Fungi and Fibers, and Mushroom ID Class. Not to mention the highly sought-after Can You Eat It Class”

It was a pre Thanksgiving One Hit Wonder Wednesday on the program featuring co-host Emily Gagnon. To celebrate National Jukebox Day we had songs from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's and a special Turkey Day surprise at the end of the show.

Jason Demakis returns once again to discuss the services his business provides in regards to personal training. And Veronica chats with him about client education and many more.

Join us as we celebrate 60 years of the movie, and the wonderful music from "The Sound of Music" on Artful Living with Jane Cormier!

Tuesday's show featured State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey to talk about holiday and winter fire safety regarding cooking precautions and the importance of having smoke detectors and carbon monoxides detectors in use. We also mentioned the recent St.Anselm poll regarding early numbers for the 2028 New Hampshire Presidential Primary. 

It was a Monday filled with sports on the show as we were joined by our correspondent John Leahy to discuss the latest happenings in Hockey East and the NFL. Also with us on Monday, University of New Hampshire head football coach Rick Santos who will be leading his Wildcats into "the field of 24" FCS Playoffs this coming Saturday on the road to take on the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State.

Reporter Will Skipworth of the New Hampshire Bulletin discusses his series covering New Hampshire's intellectual and developmental disability care system, revealing tragedy after tragedy and exposing systemic failures in oversight and prevention.

Time to show some love to a few venues that I somehow always manage to overlook in our “What's Happening in the Entertainment Scene” segments. But, first stop is me showering kudos and love on Greg Gaskell's production of “Ye Merry Gentlemen” taking place at the Players Ring in Portsmouth. Then some deep admiration for Ernest Thompson for his kind and voluminous shoutouts to folks that he has worked with (it honestly caught me off guard). Then a tip of the hat to the various Christmas Carol productions about to take place around the state (humbly highlighting the version at Jean's Playhouse where I play Scrooge) and then off we go. The Tupelo Music Hall (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Capitol Center for Arts (Cookies, Cocoa & Kindness) & (Stand By Me: The Film and Its Stars 40 yrs Later), Bank of NH Stage (Safe Haven Ballet Charlie Brown Christmas), Palace Theater (Nutcracker, Christmas Carol, Footloose, Cabaret) all get some NH Unscripted love.

It's Friday, which means the Friday Fun Bunch is in the WKXL Studios! Ken Cail interviews Tom Raffio, President & CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, Ellen Raffio, and Kitty Rae the OFFICIAL “Flick Chick."

Ken Cail and Alex Posani are back after a tough weekend, where the Mountain Kings dropped both games against Rochester, and they welcome in defensemen Cael Knutson and Marco Boccardi to discuss their season, the paths that led them to New Hampshire, and much more! Don't forget to play along with Mountain Kings trivia and submit your answers to aposani@nhtalkradio.com to win 4 tickets to a Mountain Kings game and a goodie from Steph's grab bag!

This week on Facing the Future, we look at the daunting agenda facing Congress after passing a budget deal to temporarily reopen the government. Our guest is Ben Ritz, Vice President of Policy Development at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Josh Collier is the Director of Opera Vermont and he joins Jane Cormier again today on WKXL Artful Living to discuss his travels and experinces, as well as what's coming up for Opera Vermont.

It was “Small Business Matters” segment on Thursday. We were joined in studio by the Small Business Manufacturer of the Year in New Hampshire, Joshua Velazquez. Joshua is the founder and C.E.O. of Shire's Natural based in Peterborough, N.H. Shire's Natural is a purpose-driven food company and New England's largest 100-percent plant-based cheese company.

I love it whenever I get the chance to invite friends into the studio!  "Ye Merry Gentlemen”, written by G Matthew Gaskell and directed by Sam Smith, is up and running at the Players Ring in Portsmouth Nov. 14 - 30. Knowing absolutely nothing about it I thought it was time to get Mr. Gaskell back into the studio and dissect the production for me. From the promo material: “...This heartwarming new play is a joyful reminder that believing can bring a little magic into our lives… especially during the holidays. A decade after its first production, Ye Merry Gentlemen returns with some of the original script and original cast—now ten years older, and maybe a little wiser. Get ready to laugh, feel, and leave with your heart full.” I know and have worked with about half of the cast and so it was a treat to get to hear about how they've handled his work.

Wednesday's program featured Dan Weed of Weed Family Automotive in Concord celebrating 30 years of service to the area. Dan had some great advice for winter driving in regard to tires, wipers and emergency supplies for your vehicle. We also discussed some of the news coming out of the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Fest held recently in Las Vegas. www.weedfamilyautomotive.com

Alex Posani and Tyler Dawaliby are back for the third episode of the first ever NA3HL radio show, Mountain Kings 3Wind. The boys invite Defenseman Gabe Williams and Goaltender Jacob Sorenson to talk about the NA3 Mountain Kings season, the upcoming NAPHL event in Marlboro, and the roads in life that led them to becoming Mountain Kings.

Today, Veronica talks about the arts, and their ability to heal, uplift, and overall affect our spirit. She talks music and it's effects on the nervous system.

On Artful Living today, Jane has a very fun and informative chat with Lisa LaVenture from Cardinal LaCroix Academy in Manchester. Join us for this wonderful discussion.

Tuesday's show featured a tribute to lifelong Concord resident Paul Brogan who recently passed away. Brogan chronicled the history of Concord in several books and was a frequent contributor on local radio and TV programs including WKXL's “Downtown Dialogues”. Correspondent John Leahy joined us on the program to talk college hockey, the Patriots and a little known fact about legendary sportscaster Al Michaels.

Medicare and football were the topics discussed on the Monday program. Christian Troy of Woodpecker Insurance of Concord joined us to remind those people who are in search of a Medicare Advantage plan that the Open Enrollment Period will come to an end in just three weeks. If you want a plan after January 1, the time to act is now at www.woodpeckermedicare.com And Head Coach Rick Santos of the University of New Hampshire football team discussed UNH's fourth consecutive win, their regular season finale with Maine in Durham and a possible playoff spot.

A. J. dives into recent headlines on the NH Republican plan to improve voting access while keeping ID requirements, the government shutdown is on course to end (causing Shaheen family chaos?), and how SCOTUS is not going to overturn Obergefell.

Rhonda Shear, one of the busiest women in show business, took some time today to chat about her latest project. That project is to re-fire up the engines on her immensely popular previous USA Network television series “Up All Night”. Here's some info about her from her press release: "The late-night hostess with the mostest! For 8 years and over 450 episodes of USA: Up All Night, Rhonda Shear kept America UP every Friday with outrageous comedy, over-the-top characters, and campy fun. Known for her big hair, quick wit, and playful style, she introduced a generation to horror, B-movies, and late-night laughs.  In 2017, Rhonda came out with memoir Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell to Lingerie Mogul, Life Lessons from an Accidental Feminist”.

It's Friday, which means the Friday Fun Bunch is in the WKXL Studios! Ken Cail interviews Tom Raffio, President & CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, Ellen Raffio, and Kitty Rae the OFFICIAL “Flick Chick."

Today Ken and Alex chat with Vladimir Nikitin and Gavin Wilkie, and they talk favorite foods, what the players do in down time, family and trivia!

This week on Facing the Future, Peter Fisher, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy, describes the potential consequences of America's “untethered fiscal policy” and the risks of hyperinflation or default on the debt.

On Artful Living today, Host Jane Cormier chats with Katelyn Gagnon of GoodLife NH to discuss all their upcoming events and presentations at GoodLife. We hope you will join our "chat"!

Theatre was in the spotlight Thursday as we discussed the upcoming production of the Concord Community Players, The Addams Family Musical. Joining us in studio were the actors portraying Gomez and Morticia Addams, Christopher Graham and Nora McBurnett. The show will be on stage next weekend at the Concord City Auditorium. For more information and tickets it's www.communityplayersofconcord.org

Ken and Alex chat with Corwith Simmers & Tyler Dahms, and theyre talking abouthockey, as well as music, BBQ, and travelling!

There is so much talent and entertainment in this little state and it's time once again to shine a spotlight on some goings on. First up, I show a little more love than usual to the show's sponsor The Law Offices of Shaheen & Gordon. There local community involvement is dang impressive and we get to highlight some of it. Then it's time to shower some praise on recent and upcoming productions from The Players Ring (Ye Merry Gentlemen), Powerhouse Collaborative (Fezziwig's After Dark & A Christmas Carol), The Community Players of Concord (The Adams Family), Lend Me a Theater (Dinner theater at Kimball Jenkins), The Village Players of Wolfeboro (Sweeney Todd) and The North Country Center for the Arts aka Jean's Playhouse (Ghostlight and Christmas Carol). We toss in some great songs from the 60's, a little bit of rambling from yours truly and bingo, bango, bongo we got our selves a show.

Wednesday's guest on the program was 5-time New York Times best-selling author Shea Serrano. His latest book was released recently and it's a terrific read if you're a fan of professional basketball. The book is “Expensive Basketball” and it has nothing to do with ticket prices. There are chapters in this book dedicated to Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Sue Bird, Kobe Bryant and so many more.

Veronica has a wonderful chat with Coreen Furgoson, and they are talking hair! And not just styling, but healthy ways to take care of our hair.

Today on Artful Living, we welcome Christian Copeley and discuss his new position as Music Director at Christ the King Parish, in Concord. Join us as we discuss all the beautiful music happening at Christ the King Parish..

Tuesday's guest was author Yaron Weitzman who just released his latest book, “Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers”. Also discussed Tuesday was the passing of a bill in the U.S. Senate that would end the record-breaking U.S. Government shutdown. The resolution now must pass the U.S. House of Representatives. And, we honored our veterans and current service men and women on this Veteran's Day with a spirited rendition of the official songs of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.

A sports oriented Monday on the program with correspondent John Leahy on the hockey border battle between the University of New Hampshire and UMass-Lowell. UNH head football coach Rick Santos joined us to talk about his team's big win on Saturday over Monmouth and we paid tribute to Sesame Street and the United States Marine Core, both celebrating anniversaries today.

A. J. and Dexter break down the impact of local elections in New Hampshire, how Zohran Mamdani's win in NYC is bad for the nation, and the craziness around Nick Fuentes joining the Tucker Carlson Show. Watch the Tucker Carlson interview with Nick Fuentes: https://youtu.be/efBB0D4tf1Y?si=96iXBfA7mfT64o6F Brett Cooper on the conservative chaos: https://youtu.be/M0PmW4od7z4?si=PjzU_tx1uJkwPNWEFollow Dexter Tarbox: https://x.com/DSDexterTarbox

My wife and I have questions about putting our garden beds to rest now that it's the end of the growing season and that means it's time to bring on Ethan and Amy Sager from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamsworth. What I prize about talking with them is that they are live in a rarified world known as “permaculture”. And when I say they live in that world I mean exactly that. Soil preservation, water capture, wool pelletizing, worm castings and biochar are just some of the techniques employed on their farm. Every chat them delivers an education in how to garden the right way. It's never, ever boring spending time with these two friends. Their respect and knowledge for proper land use absolutely amazes me. And their newsletter is like an encyclopedia. In this episode they've even kindly provided a coupon code for free shipping on anything from their website. Luv these guys!!!

It's Friday, which means the Friday Fun Bunch is in the WKXL Studios! Ken Cail interviews Tom Raffio, President & CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, Ellen Raffio, and Kitty Rae the OFFICIAL “Flick Chick."

This week on Facing the Future, we focused on tax policy with Howard Gleckman, non-resident fellow at the Urban Institute and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. He explained his recent column, "What The Ugly History of Tax Policy Over The Past Four Decades Means For The Future."

This week on Facing the Future, we looked at the major impact of health care spending on the federal budget with Anna Bonelli, Director of Health Policy at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The discussion included expiring enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare insolvency and Medicare Advantage overpayments.

Join our host Jane Cormier as we conclude our Western Music History series with composers of the 1800's. Such beautiful music - hope you can join us!

Thursday we were joined in studio by Mike and Karen Donnell. Mike is a coaching legend in New Hampshire and most recently, his Pembroke Academy Boys Basketball team won the NHIAA Division 2 championship in March at the Lundholm Gym in Durham. Last week Coach Donnell resigned his post at Pembroke Academy as he experienced a period of feeling tired and lacking the energy of which he's always had plenty. Later that day he received a call from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute informing him that cancer had returned to his liver and lungs. He now will be going for biopsies. His wife, Karen, a cancer survivor, has been his “rock” through this journey and a tremendous source of support for Mike throughout the years in their many endeavors and adventures.

God knows I love bbq and today Dan Lloyd, Founder and CEO of Big Dog Sauce Company, and Brian Bowman of Hot Mess BBQ NH stop by the studio to chat about their latest bbq news updates. Dan let's us in on a little secret concerning Big Dog's website upgrade and where the company is headed (and believe me, it's great to hear). Hot Mess BBQ, voted Northeast Barbecue Society's “Rookie Team of the Year”, shares some year end team updates and tells us what it's like to be in these competitions. Meat selection, sauce and rub use, presenting to the judges, team placement, etc are on the menu. See what I did there?