WKXL - New Hampshire Talk Radio

Sooooo much is happening in the arts spaces right now. Today's show includes “You Can't Stop the Beat” from Hairspray, mentions of the following upcoming productions: “Ghostlight" at Jean's Playhouse, “Mutiny on the Mount” a Winni Community Theater production, “A Clockwork Orange” - Actors Coop, “The Importance of Being Earnest” - M&D, Andrew Lippa's “Wild Party” - Seacoast Rep, “Journey Through Neverland” & “Granite Orpheus” - Powerhouse Theatre, “Company” - Actorsingers, “The Rocky Horror Show” - Divein Productions, “Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons” -tKapow. I toss in some tv shows I'm following (I know nobody asked!) as well as start some chatter about the New Hampshire Film Festival. Phew.

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, Dr. Kent Smetters, Faculty Director of the Penn-Wharton Budget Model discussed a new report on the potential economic and budgetary impact of generative AI. He also described an illustrative package of tax and spending reforms to reduce future budget deficits and grow the economy.

Jane and Katelyn from Artful Living discuss GoodLife classes and events for Oct. - Dec. Join and hear all about the amzing things that GoodLife has to offer!

A potpourri Thursday on the program as we highlighted some of the great local theatre productions coming up in the near future and we celebrated World Bamboo Day. Also included, the busy schedule of events this weekend throughout the state including the Scottish Games in Lincoln and race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon which will actually get underway on Friday with the first “Hauler Parade” in downtown Concord when all the big trucks that haul NASCAR vehicles and equipment on display on Main Street starting at 1 PM.

Flying solo and a veritable potpourri of topics rattle through my brain today! Some of the items on the table are the trailer for the movie “The Smashing Machine”, tKapows upcoming production of “Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons” at the BNH Stage Sept 19-21, m&d playhouses new season choices, Powerhouse Theatre's presentation of “Granite Orpheus” Sept 26, a new restaurant in Eagle Square and music by Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

It's NASCAR Week in New Hampshire and our Wednesday guest was local racing expert Zac Guercia. Zac discussed Sunday's Mobil 301 NASCAR Cup Playoff Race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in addition to giving insight on the Craftsmen Truck Series and Whelen Modified races which will be run on Saturday on the Magic Mile. Listen for Zac's educated opinion on who Sunday's winner is going to be.

The first ever NA3HL radio show in history is kicked off with Alex Posani and Tyler Dawaliby hosting the head coach of the North American 3 Hockey League's New Hampshire Mountain Kings, Clint Cassavaugh, and the assistant coach of the Mountain Kings, Chris Pollini. Alex, Tyler, Clint and Chris help get you ready for another exciting season of NA3 Mountain Kings hockey ahead of tomorrow's 12:00pm game against the Maine Nordiques.

Veronica sits with Wayne Hall on a return visit to discuss all the wonderful things coming up at the Concord Farmers Market for the fall!

Today, Jane will chat with Ansley Frachiseur, Director of Great East Music Festival. Jane and Ansley will talk about the opportunities offered for all students who participate in Great East Music Festival!

A busy Tuesday on the program. In the leadoff spot was our correspondent John Leahy who gave us some Patriots and Hockey East insight. Next up was NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon who be racing in the Mobil One 301 Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. University of New Hampshire head football coach Rick Santos discussed his team's loss to Ball State last Saturday and previewed this Saturday's matchup in Hanover, NH between U.N.H. and Dartmouth College. Our final Tuesday guest was the Executive Vice President and General Manager at N.H. Motor Speedway, David McGrath, who highlighted all of this week's events leading up to the races on Saturday and Sunday including the first-ever parade of the NASCAR Cup Series haulers starting Friday at one in downtown Concord.

It was a Medicare Monday as we were joined in studio by Christian Troy of Woodpecker Insurance in Concord. Very soon, by the end of September in most cases, Medicare recipients will be receiving their A.N.O.C. or Annual Notice of Change in their Medicare coverage. In some cases it could be adjustments in Medicare coverage but in others, it could be a notice of non-renewal. Christian guides us through all of the scenarios since it can be a difficult task to review all of the options and alternatives available in a specific areas of the state as coverage does vary from county to county. For more information please refer to www.woodpeckermedicare.com

New Hampshire House Majority Leader Jason Osborne gives a preview of what to expect for the fall session, with topics ranging from education funding, school choice, judicial reform, and economic development. And, A. J. dives into the tragic, political assassination of Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk. Does this open the door for more violence and toxicity? 

Season number two, program number one of Mountain Kings Catchup featured a pair of Mountain Kings players, forward Alex Gelhar of Hastings, Minnesota and defenseman Thomas Malawski, a Boston Bruins fan that hails from Montreal. Hosts Ken Cail and Alex Posani chatted with the players about the prospects for the coming season, their off-ice athletic endeavors and even their favorite meals. For season two, the program has added a trivia segment. To respond to the trivia question and perhaps win a Mountain Kings Four Pack of tickets, send your answers to Aposani@nhtalkradio.com

Culture has been thrust upon us here at the studio! Callum O'Neill, dancer with the now touring production of “A Taste of Ireland” calls in to give us all the deets on their  US tour. Currently in Maine, but, coming to Concord on Sept. 14th at the CCA, Callum goes into tremendous detail about the cast, musicians and crowd reactions. From the press release: “Combining traditional Irish music given a modern twist with jaw-dropping dance performances, and vibrant storytelling. This high-octane show features stars from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance as well as other World Champions, plus live musicians, to transport audiences through the heart and soul of Ireland's culture and history.”

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, Rachel Snyderman and Caleb Quakenbush of the Bipartisan Policy Center discuss the prospect of a government shutdown, the growth in tariff revenue and the president's "pocket rescission."

On Artful Living today, we chat with Joshua Collier, Artistic Director of Opera Vermont. Come and enjoy our discussion on opera - and all that Opera Vermont is offering.

Thursday we took time to reflect on the tragic events that took place 24 years ago on 9/11/2001 in New York City at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The observance of the events in 2001 came one day after another horrific event in this country, the assassination of the founder of “Turning Point USA”, Charlie Kirk. Kirk was killed Wednesday on a college campus in Utah at the age of 31. Northeast Delta Dental President and CEO Tom Raffio also joined us to reflect on 9-11 and to give out important information regarding dental coverage to those on Medicaid and Veterans who are in need of assistance.

It's time to take a stroll around the state and see what's a happenin'. This state is still just chock full of theater activity and so Andrew and I chat about upcoming auditions, summer shows that are still being produced AND we toss in some fun tunes for folks that can't stand our chatter!!!

The local minor league baseball season is winding down as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Eastern League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, have just five games left in their season, all at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. We chatted with one of the “voices” of the Fisher Cats, Chris Jared, about the season and what to expect for the rest of this week. Also on Wednesday's program we started our NASCAR Cup Series Playoff ticket giveaway which will continue through early next week!

Today Veronica speaks with Chris Hutchins about AI and the importance of it's applicable and responsible use in healthcare, and the pros and cons that come with it.

Today on Artful Living Lorrie Carey returns to discuss the Concord Community Concert Association and their 95th Anniversary! Join us as we discuss their upcoming events and history!

Tuesday we looked ahead to the 50th anniversary of the New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival being held September 19-21 at the Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln, New Hampshire. We were joined by the Program Director of the event, Andrew MacLeay who explained that one of the goals this year is to beat a Guinness Book of World Record mark for most bagpipers in a single performance. The old record was set in Bulgaria and organizers are looking for over 400 participants to crush the old standard. If you have a set of bagpipes, you could be a part of history. For more information or to sign up log on to www.nhscot.org

It was a Monday program with sports from start to finish to mark the first weekend of the NFL season, a University of New Hampshire football win, the return of football to New England College in Henniker in 51 years and a come from behind Red Sox victory in Arizona. Our guests included correspondent John Leahy and the head coach of football at UNH Rick Santos.

Granite Goodness creator Andy DeMeo dives into his vision for fixing our discourse and the media, as well as the importance of breaking through alleged political barriers.

Ernest Thompson, Oscar winning playwright, director, actor, teacher, mentor and author drops by the studio to chat about some of his latest projects. His one man play “Archie Parish's Parting Words”, his sequel to "On Golden Pond", his latest film “The Constituent” (w/costar Gordon Clapp) plus a heck of a lot of name dropping were all on the table during this wonderful interview. More info about Ernest and his projects can be found here: https://ernestthompson.us/

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." We were also joine by the academy award winning Ernest Thompson!

This week on Facing the Future, Kurt Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy at Americans for Prosperity, explained why he thinks a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution is needed, why past efforts failed and how a new effort could succeed.

Today we will have a program on parenting. As we get back to school, parenting is more important than ever! Come join us as we engage the challenges of parenting with Artful Living!

Always fun to get together with terrific musicians and that was the case on the Thursday program. We were joined in studio by former U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes and New Hampshire's “First Call” drummer Eddie “Sticks” Raczka, two of the members of The Blue Buddha Band. The band is in the process of releasing a new album very soon and we previewed some of the music featured on it. They will be performing this Sunday at 2 PM at Pembroke City Limits in Pembroke, NH.

Academy Award winner Ernest Thompson was with us in studio for the entire hour on Wednesday. The author of “On Golden Pond” will be appearing this Sunday at the Rex Theatre in Manchester at 2 in the brand new show “Archie Parish's Parting Words”. The new play is for all ages and has already received plaudits from theatre-goers from 14-91. Mr. Thompson also talked about his return to the Broadway stage in the Norman Thayer role in “On Golden Pond”, his new book, “Out Clause” and the upcoming film, “Home on Golden Pond”, which is scheduled to be produced in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

This past summer I had the honor of being among the cast of “Tootsie” up at the award winning Interlakes Theatre in Meredith and took that opportunity to chat with a couple of cast members. Jason Winfield and Hailey Aviva drop by to brighten our acting lives and sharing their perspective on their craft.

On todays episode, Veronica chats with Jessica Unger about not only keeping a happy home through de-cluttering, but also from a spiritual side and what that means in terms of faith and family.

On Artful Living today we speak with Jim O'Hara, Director of Boys and Girls Club on Bradley Street, in Concord as well as offer some interesting upcoming Fall events. Feel free to join us!

A busy Tuesday on the show leading off with our monthly visit with the NH Insurance Department. We were joined by the State Insurance Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt to discuss the importance of life insurance during "Life Insurance Awareness Month". Also Mr. Bettencourt talked about the departments financial contribution to New Hampshire's General Fund in Fiscal 2025. Also with us Tuesday, correspondent John Leahy on the Red Sox and the upcoming NFL season plus our first visit with UNH head football coach Rick Santos discussing his team's win on opening weekend, and a preview of Saturday night's home opener vs. Holy Cross.

Professor of Law Seth Oranburg, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, breaks down the importance of the GENIUS Act, how it takes steps to fix the cryptocurrency system, and why your average American should care that Trump made this law. Learn more about the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law: https://law.unh.edu Read his article in Bloomberg Law: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/genius-act-revives-civil-war-era-banking-problem-for-states Read his law review article: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5366627

Part 2 of my trip out to Tamworth chatting with the Barnstormers Playhouse. And on this episode I wanted to chat with Jordan Ahnquist the new Artistic Director for them. I thought it would be great to look back at his first year as the AD and see what he thought about the season. We start with the seasons opening gala (what an event!) and talk through the seasons productions. I pick his brain about the upcoming season, possible plays he's thinking about and what the future might look like for the Barnstormers.

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, tax expert Bill Gale of the Brookings Institution discussed the effects of higher tariffs and a new commentary he co-authored on the idea of using earmarked revenues as a deficit reduction strategy. Concord Coalition Executive Director Carolyn Bourdeaux joined the conversation.

Join WKXL Artful Living with Ashley Bathgate from Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen as she speaks with Jane and a special guest about exciting upcoming events!

A wide-ranging program ranging from baseball to drug busts. We talked baseball with one of voices of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Chris Jared. Three of the top 40 prospects in professional baseball will be on display from tonight through Sunday at Delta Dental Stadium playing for the Erie Seawolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers against the Cats. We celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Guinness Book of World Records by mentioning some of the world records that have yet to be attempted. Also today, the story of a sweeping drug bust by the D.E.A. in Franklin and the loss of a long-time educator in New Hampshire, Kathleen Murphy, who led the Concord School District for the past five years.

Sometimes the stars just align correctly this past weekend I had a chance to head out to The Barnstormers Theater in Tamworth got a chance to speak with some of the cast members out there about their upcoming production of the 25th annual Putnam County spelling bee, and I'll tell you what after seeing the show it is hysterical, absolutely hysterical. By the time you hear this interview, they'll have already finished their first weekend but their second weekend is coming up. You really should get out there if you get a chance to see this production hey you know what is a good idea go to the matinee on Saturday check out the Tamworth farmers market first they give you a little chance to walk around. It's a beautiful beautiful setting for Theater and then going on over to the matinee and enjoy yourself. You'll laugh like you haven't laughed in years. It's just tremendous.

The final Wednesday of each month is our “One Hit Wonder Wednesday” on the program, a chance to bring back some memories and get some songs stuck in your head for the next couple of days. Thanks to Merrimack County Recruiter Emily Gagnon for being with us and supplying some terrific back stories that come with the music and to find in many cases that although these artists had only one major hit, their careers and impact on the music world would be around for generations to come!

Veronica sits down with Nathan Lavallee of Flexable Assisted Stretching and Wellness, they discuss his journey, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, why assisted stretching can help, and living with wellness in mind.

Artful Living offers BBC Radio Theater with a show called "Thirteen Watches". This radio drama is a wonderful Sherlock Holmes radio presentation. Hope you can join us.

It was a New Hampshire Department of Safety Tuesday on the program with a focus today on the state's 9-1-1 program with the Director of Emergency Services and Communications Mark Doyle.  We were also joined in studio by the 9-1-1 Public Information Officer Patrick Cavanaugh who told us, on average, how many calls the 9-1-1 centers in Concord and Laconia receive each day. Also discussed was a new program from Emergency Services and Communications, “9-1–1 Cares”

We kicked off the week with correspondent John Leahy discussing a successful Red Sox weekend in New York and looking ahead to the NFL season which is just 10 days away. Also mentioned Monday, a Concord Monitor story from Monday which detailed the proposed casino for Concord near the junction of Loudon and Sheep Davis road in close proximity to Route 393. Concord's Planning Board last week granted a year's extension for approval for the first phase of the project from September 1, 2025 to September 1, 2026.

Manchester, New Hampshire's At-Large Alderman Joseph Kelly Levasseur discusses viral and ridiculous situation of Dan Mowery being served a cease and desist from the city for selling pickles to his neighbors. Also, how did the Democratic stronghold of Manchester start to turn red?

Today I finish up my on site interview with the Peterborough Players with an absolutely great chat that I had with Brendon Fox about their production of Noel Cowards “Hay Fever”. Just a one on one with an AD that loves what he does and shares that passion, especially concerning “Hay Fever”. It was a fantastic trip to Peterborough and a wonderful interview to wrap-up that refreshing visit.

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." With special guest NH Representative Michael Moffett!