WKXL - New Hampshire Talk Radio

A. J. is joined by Making Media Now's Michael Azevedo to discuss the impact of private equity buying news outlets, shifting business models, and whether public funding going away was the right path.

Mention the movie “Jaws” and adrenaline instantly pours into my system! It's an iconic movie with a crazy amount of adrenaline pumping scenes. It was released 50yrs ago this year. The NH Theatre Project is showcasing the stage production of “The Shark is Broken”. Directed by Todd Hunter and starring Jeff Ripley as Robert Shaw, Dan Kelly as Roy Scheider, and Aaron Bencks as Richard Dreyfuss, this spectacular comedy co-written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, the short tempers of Jaws stars Robert Shaw (father of co-writer Ian), Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider take center stage as they bond, argue, drink, gamble, and pray for an end to the shoot, not knowing it will change their lives forever. October 17- Nov 2nd in Portsmouth.

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."

On todays show Ken and Alex chat about the upcoming games this weekend, some trivia with prizes, and a couple of surprise guests stop by!

This week on Facing the Future we talked with Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) about two bills they have co-sponsored. One would create a bipartisan fiscal commission and the other would dock the pay of members of Congress for not doing their budget and appropriations bills on time.

It is Classical Thursday and we discuss some of the most legendary composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. We hope you will join us!

Thursday's show was all about sauces with Dan Lloyd from Big Dog Sauce on Hillsboro. The company was founded by Dan and his wife Phyllis who run the operation along with partner Mike Diamond. The company was founded four years ago and has grown over the years to include outlets as far south as Tennessee and as far west as Buffalo. In addition, Big Dog was recently invited to an exclusive event at the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee and been the recipients of several awards for their distinctive and flavorful sauces.

Our final episode about the New Hampshire Film Festival features the President and CEO Tina Sawtelle. Some of the items on the docket were Tina's background and involvement with the NHFF, the relationship between the NHFF and the Music Hall, the excitement about the “Immersive Virtual Production Experience"  of The Studio Lab of Derry, highlights of the festival that you should see (think talkbacks, coffee with the filmmakers, etc.), evening events that are not to be missed, why she's hyped on Thursday (and why you should be too) and……much, much more. As always!

Wednesday's show featured our correspondent John Leahy as we discussed the return of long-time Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand to the TD Garden on Tuesday on what turned out to be night that brought tears to the eyes of the man they call “The Little Ball of Hate” and thousands of fans at the Garden.  We were also joined by New Hampshire Fisher Cats broadcaster Chris Jared for a preview of the 2025 World Series between the parent club of the ‘Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the L.A. Dodgers. Chris pointed out that up to 11 former Fisher Cats players and coaches will be seeking a Series victory including manager John Schneider who led the Fisher Cats to their 2018 Eastern League Championship

Alex Posani is joined by NA3 Mountain Kings captains Noah Levesque and Jacob Landry as they discuss the Mountain Kings season, the NA3HL as a whole, and the paths in life that led them to becoming Mountain Kings. The NA3HL's New Hampshire Mountain Kings return home on Wednesday, October 29th, for a 12pm game against the Norwich Sea Captains. All home games are played at Delta Dental Arena in Hooksett.

Artful Living is about all things Fall through Oct. 31! Come and hear what is happening the next two weeks in Concord and beyond on WKXL NHTalkRadio.com

Andrea Woolverton of Twin Engines Coffee makes a return visit! She and Veronica have a great discussion talking about their process in making great coffee, and even tea!

Medicare Tuesday on this edition of the program. Christian Troy joined us from Woodpecker Medicare of Concord to discuss the importance of getting your Medicare plan in place during this Open Enrollment period which ends on December 7. From Original Medicare and Medigap plans to Medicare Advantage Plans there are many options to choose from. Helping to simplify the decision making process is what Woodpecker does and they do it for free. www.woodpeckermedicare.com

It was a Sports Monday on the program focusing on some of the positive news involving the Patriots and the Toronto Blue Jays, the parent club of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. We were joined by University of New Hampshire head football coach Rick Santos who is coming off a weekend victory over Campbell University and looking ahead to this Saturday's home game versus The Tribe of William and Mary.

A. J. breaks down the fracturing of Trump's MAGA movement stemming from populist arguments from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on the Tim Dillon Show and Senator Josh Hawley against Amazon. Also, what do the Maine senate race candidates Graham Platner and Governor Janet Mills actually stand for.

Ever been to The Big E in West Springfield MA? We have (that was another life ago) and so has our friend Rubin Lichtenstein of Rubins Hot Sauce and he's come by the studio to tell us what his experience was as a vendor for 18 days as over a million visitors filter on through. As a bonus for our NH Unscripted listeners Rubin drops some inside info about an upcoming cooking show AND a cookbook that he's working on. Oh and wait to hear his story about fairgoers putting his hot sauce on their ice cream!! Yup you read that right.

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, former CBO director Doug Elmendorf of Harvard's Kennedy School discussed the state of the economy, the government shutdown and why policymakers should not rely on economic growth alone to rein in the unsustainable growth of debt.

As part of Classical Thursday, Jane will discuss famous composers from the Baroque music era. If you like classical music, this is a segment for you. Join us.

A delightful Thursday morning spent with members of the cast and crew of the upcoming presentation of the incredible Steven Sondheim musical “Sweeney Todd” at the Village Players Theater in Wolfeboro, NH premiering on October, 31. Joining us on the program were Director Paul Stewart, Olivia Lee who plays Sweeney's daughter Johanna, Louis Laurendeau in the role of Anthony Hope, Anna Loos from the ensemble and our own Andrew Gibson who will be playing the role of “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, Sweeney Todd. For more information it's; www.village-players.com

CABA returns!! I really love honey and so Jamie Jobin and Heather Moynihan from the Capital Area Beekeepers Association swing by to answer some questions I've had about the various types of honey (dark, types of infused, seasonal, creamed, etc) and help me to understand certain terminology that I've come across while traveling down some rabbit holes doing research. They even brought some samples for us to try!!! Oh yeah, daddy's a happy camper.

A wide-ranging variety of topics discussed on the Wednesday program with my guest,Alex Posani, the “voice” of Delta Dental Stadium and Delta Dental Arena. We featured some food and fun talk on the show touching on some “National” days like “I Love Lucy Day”, “Roast Pheasant Day” and “Mushroom Day to name just a few.

Jason Demakis stops by for another visit! Veronica chats with him about strength training, dieting, and how these things work synergistically together.

Today on Artful Living, Jane discusses a little bit of the history regarding the Bronte sisters Charlotte, Anne, and of course Emily who is most known for writing Wuthering Heights. Join us!

It was a potpourri Tuesday on the program as we discussed the ongoing success of two entertainment phenomenons, Taylor Swift and the Savannah Bananas. Also on Tuesday, an update on the bizarre story out of Indianapolis involving former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez who could be facing a long prison term and just how similar are the American and Canadian Thanksgiving celebrations?

It was a sports oriented Monday on the program with our correspondent John Leahy with us to discuss the latest win for the Patriots and the local college hockey scene. Also joining us was the head coach of football at the University of New Hampshire Rick Santos on his team's loss to Rhode Island on Saturday and a preview of the Wildcats' next game coming up this Saturday in North Carolina against the Camels of Campbell University.

A. J. Kierstead breaks down a crazy CNN Health article that guilts inhaler users for climate change, Chinese players buying New Hampshire property, Vermont has 552 public employees living out of state, and the saga of NH Supreme Court Justice Marconi returns to the bench.

In our continuing mini-series chatting about the New Hampshire Film Festival happening Oct. 16-19 in Portsmouth with spend some time with Ian McCarthy, Lead Programmer for the Festival. Ian talks to us about the film selection process for him and his team and gives a couple of film titles that he's excited about and why. Toss in a little chatter about the various ticket levels (and trust me they're a bargain) plus a lot more and we're off and running!

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 looked at the federal government shutdown from political and economic perspectives. Our guests were David Lerman, Editor of CQ Budget, who covers Capitol Hill, and Gordon Gray, Vice President for Budget Analysis at the Peter G Peterson Foundation, who tracks the economy.

Thursday's program was dedicated to the upcoming production of “Something Rotten Jr.” which will be performed next weekend at the Concord City Auditorium as The Children's Theatre Project of the Community Players of Concord is celebrating its' 30th Fall production. We were joined in studio by the show's director, Karen Braz, along with two members of the cast from Concord High School, Connor Weeks who will be playing Nick Bottom and Daniel Devine who will portray Nigel Bottom in the upcoming production. For more information it's www.communityplayersofconcord.org

We all know that there are many types of art. And truthfully, I've never thought much about furniture as art and had no idea that a group of furniture makers fall in a category called “Fine Furniture Masters”. But they exist and not only exist, but, will have some of their works on display at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester from October 9th through February 8th. Today with the help of Richard Oedel, Fine Furniture Master from Wolfeboro, we take a little detour into some of the most incredible pieces of furniture that I've ever seen. We talk about the exhibit called "Joined Together: 30 years of the Furniture Masters”, the accompanying book, other Furniture Masters around the country, the Prison Outreach Program they've created and, as always, much, much more.

Wednesday we were joined in studio for the entire show by Dan Weed of Weed Family Automotive in Concord. Among the topics was the elimination of the state's inspection and emissions programs effective January 31, 2026. Without emissions testing there is a possibility that New Hampshire could lose some or all of its' Federal highway budget. Also discussed, the length of usage that a driver can feel safe while operating with a spare “donut” tire after suffering a flat.

Veronica sits with Pastor Phil Tuttle of The Zeal Movement in Manchester NH. They chat about his walk in faith, and how it brought him to where he is now.

On Artful Living today, we begin our series on Classical Fridays. We will listen to a splattering of classical composers todal, all within their historic time frames. Hope you can join us!

Insurance was the topic of the Tuesday program as we were joined by New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt. Among the topics discussed were the dwindling number of options in the state for seniors seeking supplement health care coverage in addition to regular Medicare, cybersecurity protection and flood insurance. In addition, we updated the Major League Baseball Playoffs and the bizarre story from Indianapolis concerning a confrontation between former New York Jets quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez and a 69-year-old truck driverin the early morning hours of this past Saturday.

It was a Sports Monday on the program with correspondent John Leahy and University of New Hampshire head football coach Rick Santos. We talked with John about Sunday night's Patriots victory over the Buffalo Bills in addition to discussing the pair of former New Hampshire Fisher Cats who led the Toronto Blue Jays in putting the New York Yankees on the verge of elimination in the Major League Baseball playoffs. Coach Santos joined us on “National Coaches Day” to analyze his team's loss on Saturday to Villanova and their preparations to bounce back this Saturday on the road against the University of Rhode Island.

AJ is joined by Dr. Jason Aziz, Director of Health Economics at the New Hampshire Insurance Department and Adjunct Lecturer at The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. They discuss the role of public health, the lessons from COVID, and how fixing its public perception will lead to better outcomes. Let's get back to original MAHA!

One of the most popular Stephen Sondheim musicals, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, will be hitting the stage of The Village Players of Wolfeboro for two weekends beginning (quite appropriately) October 31st. And we just happen to get the director Paul Stewart (yes I get his name wrong during our interview! Sue me.) and several of the cast members to break down the progress of this tremendous show. Andrew Gibson (Sweeney himself), Erin Balestrieri (Mrs. Lovett), Louis Laurendeau (Anthony Hope) and Janice Knepp (Ensemble member) give us all the details. Synopsis for those who aren't familiar with it: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a dark musical about a barber named Sweeney Todd who returns to London after being wrongfully imprisoned. He seeks revenge on the corrupt Judge Turpin, who framed him, and teams up with Mrs. Lovett, who runs a failing pie shop, leading to a series of gruesome events as Todd's thirst for vengeance escalates.”

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 and Alex fly solo today and talk glizzys, music, but most importantly great hockey! Tune in to Mountain Kings Catch Up!

This week on Facing the Future, we discussed expiring premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans with Matt McGough of KFF and a new fee proposed by President Trump for high-skilled worker visas (H-1B) with Theresa Cardinal Brown of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

On Artful Living today, we hear some wonderful presentations on Ted Talks! We discuss the greatness of classical music, with Mozart and Vivaldi mixed in! Join us as we hear majestic music while understanding the importance of classical music in our world today!

It was a potpourri Thursday on the show as we updated Major League Baseball's Wild Card Round, the introduction of Maxwell House Coffee's “Apartment” canisters, the death of Jane Goodall at the age of 91 and celebrated the life of Julius Henry “Groucho” Marx who was born on this date in 1890. Featured on the program are two of Groucho's signature songs from the Marx Brothers' movies, “At the Circus” and “Animal Crackers”.

It's hard to believe that it's that time of year again. One of NH's premier events is happening right around the corner. The 23rd Annual New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth is October 16th - 19th and we're having a small mini series talking with some of the folks involved. First up is Mark Pruett the Cinema Curator for the festival and he's kind enough to answer my questions about how films get selected, which films may be the highlights of the festival, about the connection between the NHFF and the Academy Awards. International films, animated films, films with a NH connection are all in our chat. The topic of the use A.I. in film making is particularly interesting. Great first episode to kick off our series!

On this first day of October we presented some “Haunted Halloween Hits” on the program. From Ghostbusters to Witchcraft to Don't Fear The Reaper, Twilight Zone and many more. So enjoy some seriously spooky and often kooky songs and get ready for witches, ghosts and goblins on October 31st!

Deborah Gates returns to talk about her business Club Pilates with Veronica. They chat about the benefits the pilates can provide regardless of anyones age!

On Artful Living today, our guest is Marie Gervacio, an artist and teacher at Kimball Jenkins School of Art.  Marie and her friend, Ronnie, will discuss their endeavors to offer humanitarian aid to the worn torn country of Ukraine by bringing her artwork to the community.  Join this uplifting conversation!

September is National Preparedness Month and we concluded the month on National Prepare-Athon Day with some great safety tips from the New Hampshire Department of Safety. We were joined by Vanessa Palange, the Master Public Information Officer and Community Outreach Coordinator of N.H. Homeland Security and Emergency Management also on the program, Rebecca Cowser, Community Risk Reduction Specialist for the N.H. Division of Fire Safety. More information is available at www.Readynh.gov

It was a Sports Monday on the program as the Red Sox head to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, the Patriots had their most decisive win since the departure of Tom Brady and the University of New Hampshire football team won their conference opener! We were joined by correspondent John Leahy and the head coach of football at UHN, Rick Santos.

NH Rep. Joseph Sweeney joins A. J. and Dexter to discuss the shooting in Nashua, New Hampshire and the impact extreme language has on the most unstable people in our country. Also, the 2018 bail reform has been rolled back, what happens now?