Frequently Asked Questions

New Hampshire Public Radio is a public radio station serving the state of New Hampshire with news, information and cultural programming. Visit our About NHPR page to learn more.

There are full-power radio stations and lower-power translator stations across New Hampshire that deliver NHPR's programming to your radio. The station or frequency you should tune to depends on where you live. Visit the Radio page to see our frequencies.

You can also listen to NHPR online; see our Listen Online page to find out more.

National Public Radio, based in Washington, D.C., is a radio production and distribution company for programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered. NPR has more than 500 member stations nationwide.

Public Radio International, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, distributes public radio programs such as The World and This American Life.

American Public Media, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, distributes public radio programs such as A Prairie Home Companion and Markeplace.

NHPR purchases programs from these companies at a significant cost and also produces its own programs like The Exchange and Word of Mouth.

NHPR and NHPTV are independent organizations. Some states have what are called "joint licensees," in which the same organization broadcasts public television and public radio services. (Maine Public Broadcasting Network is such a service.) NHPR and NHPTV, on the other hand, are separate organizations.

NHPR is a community licensee with a statewide Board of Directors. It is not affiliated with public television or any college or university. The majority of NHPR’s funding comes from local businesses and members like you.

NHPR does not receive any regular direct funding from local, state or federal governments. It receives an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which gives grants to public radio stations across the country. This grant generally makes up less than 10% of NHPR annual income.

Yes we do. Corporate foundations contribute generously to NHPR. For more information regarding corporate foundation support, please contact Alexandra Urbanowski at aurbanowski (at) nhpr dot org.

Our broadcast schedule is filled with programs from a variety of sources. The best way to track down something you heard is to go to our schedule page and look for the day and time you were listening. Click on the name of that program and you will be redirected to that program’s homepage, where you can find a program schedule, archives and contact information.

CD’s of NPR news programs are available by calling 877-NPR-TEXT. Be sure to note the name of the program and the date and time it aired. For questions about NPR programs, call NPR Audience Service at 203-234-5678.

CD’s are available for $15. To order, please call 603-228-8910 or use the downloadable CD order form.

NHPR’s new broadcast center has three rooms available for meetings or for events, perfect for your next board meeting, off-site retreat or small gala. For more information, please contact rkates (at) nhpr dot org.

We would be more than happy to give you a tour of our beautiful state-of-the-art studios. Contact bszelog (at) nhpr dot org to set up a visit.

There are full-power radio stations and lower-power translator stations across New Hampshire that deliver NHPR's programming to your radio. The station or frequency you should tune to depends on where you live. Visit the Radio page to see our frequencies.

You can also listen to NHPR online; see our Listen Online page to find out more.

Many of NHPR's frequencies currently broadcast in HD.

The infrastructure we are putting in place will enable us to move to digital channels in the future to provide additional programming choices for our listeners through the HD Radio system. At that point if you want to listen to those additional channels you would have to buy an HD radio. Even then, though, you will still be able to receive our regular NHPR FM signal just like you do now.

Use the contact form to let us know about any problems receiving NHPR's reception. Select "Engineering and reception" as the category on the form.

While NHPR would love to add a full-powered station everywhere its signal is weak, the decision of where and when we add a station is not entirely within our control. The FCC strictly regulates where a radio station can be built, how powerfully it can broadcast, and where it will be located on the dial. Additionally, the span of radio signals reserved for non-commercial stations is limited to a small percentage of the radio dial.

Because we are located in a very crowded corner of the country, it is difficult to find available non-commercial frequencies, and commercial frequencies are very expensive to acquire. NHPR has searched continuously for available frequencies throughout New Hampshire, as well as in Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. However, we've always run the risk of interfering with other non-commercial broadcasters already broadcasting. The FCC won't allow us to cause interference with another station. Additionally, international treaties prevent us from interfering with Canadian stations.

Generally speaking, radios in your automobile are better receivers of radio signals than those in your house. Typically, clock radios use the power cord as an antenna. They might also have a flexible, whip antenna built into the radio. The location of the power cord, or whip antenna, will affect your reception. If you've recently moved your radio, this can affect reception. Try repositioning the radio and/or power cord.

Because radio waves do not stop at state lines, you might be able to hear another public radio station more clearly than you will NHPR. If you are located closer to another station's transmitter than to one of NHPR's, you will receive their signal better.

NHPR works hard to maintain its network of transmitters, translators and satellite downlinks. Occasionally, problems pop up and we do our best to address them as quickly as possible.

Common problems include transmitter outages, when no signal is received and you only receive static when you tune to NHPR. Another common problem is loss of programming, when you tune to NHPR only to hear silence. Another frequent problem is interference. With the onslaught of wireless communication devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, wi-fi networks and two-way radios, we have experienced an increase in interference-related problems. This manifests itself by brief chirps, whistles or drop-outs. The problem can last from a few seconds to several minutes.

This is usually caused by a temperature inversion in the atmosphere. It occurs when there is an odd collision of weather and atmospheric conditions, causing radio waves to act strangely. It is temporary, lasting from a few minutes to an hour. The problem should correct itself soon, so please stay tuned.

A few listeners have an issue with the playlist files we use to stream our archived audio. We are developing a new system to serve audio that will address this issue, but for now, you can avoid the problem by changing the file extension at the end of the streaming audio link. For example, an episode of The Exchange from July 1st, 2009, might have the following audio link:

http://www.nhpr.org/audio/audio/ex070109.m3u

Copy the audio URL and paste it to the address bar of your browser. From there, change the "m3u" at the end of the link to "mp3." In our example above, you would change the link to:

http://www.nhpr.org/audio/audio/ex070109.mp3

This workaround will let you access NHPR's archived audio until our new system is in place.

Error messages can come up for a number of reasons. Make sure that your computer's internet connection is still working, and that your audio player is upgraded to the latest version. You might try testing another source of online audio to verify that your player is working. If everything is working, we may be a server issue that's causing the error. Use NHPR's online contact form to let us know about the problem and we'll do our best to help.

You'll need a sound card and speakers or headphones.

We have two file formats. Windows Media audio is optimized for use with the Windows Media Player. MP3 audio is compatible with most media players, including Winamp, iTunes, Windows Media Player and Songbird.

NHPR is a community licensee with a statewide Board of Directors. It is not affiliated with public television or any college or university. The majority of NHPR’s funding comes from local businesses and members like you.

NHPR does not receive any regular direct funding from local, state or federal governments. It receives an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which gives grants to public radio stations across the country. This grant generally makes up less than 10% of NHPR annual income.

Yes! Please click here to visit our secure pledge page. Thank you!

Yes it is. However, if you chose a thank-you gift (such as a t-shirt or a mug), then you must deduct the fair market value of the thank-you gift from your contribution. For example, let’s say you contributed $100 to NHPR and asked for a NHPR grocery bag. The fair market value of the NHPR grocery bag is $5. You must deduct $5 from your $100 contribution. Therefore, $95 of your contribution is tax-deductible.

That gift is not tax-deductible. When you contribute to NHPR’s annual summer car raffle, you are buying a chance valued at $50 (it’s kind of like a thank-you gift, except this thank-you gift’s fair market value is $50). For example, let’s say you contribute $100 to NHPR’s annual summer car raffle and ask for two chances. The value of the two chances is $100. Therefore, your $100 contribution is not tax-deductible.

It’s easy! Visit the list of matching gift companies. Check with your Human Resources Department for the appropriate form to fill out and mail to NHPR, Attention: Membership Department, 2 Pillsbury St., 6th Floor, Concord, NH 03301

If you don’t see your company on this list, visit your Human Resources Department and ask if they will consider matching your donation to New Hampshire Public Radio.

You sure can! NHPR's Vehicle Donation Program helps NHPR and can help you pick up a tax deduction! You can also donate your scooter, motorcycle or boat.

The process is easy - just call 1-877-393-6477 or visit the Car Donation page to get started.

A bequest is a gift of property or assets to a beneficiary as defined in a will. Planned Giving is an area of fundraising that refers to several specific gift types that can be funded with cash, equity, or property.

Visit the Planned Giving page to learn more.

Yes we do. Corporate foundations contribute generously to NHPR. For more information regarding corporate foundation support, please contact Alexandra Urbanowski at aurbanowski (at) nhpr dot org.

No. NHPR does not share or sell its members names with other non-profit organizations.

Read NHPR's Privacy Policy.

NHPR does periodically conduct telephone appeals for renewing and rejoining members. We use an outside firm, ComNet, to conduct these appeals. Contact the Membership Department if you wish to be taken off the list for telephone solicitations.

When your business becomes an underwriter on NHPR not only do you contribute to the success of a valued community service, you reach an exceptional audience. We have many underwriting opportunities to meet your needs and your budget. Learn more about Business Support | Contact Business Support

We would love to have you join our volunteer pool! We have a wonderful group of volunteers who help in several areas of our office, mainly for pledge drives, the Development Department and the reception desk. We provide training and a whole lot of fun. Learn more or sign up to volunteer

NHPR’s new broadcast center has three rooms available for meetings or for events, perfect for your next board meeting, off-site retreat or small gala. For more information, please contact rkates (at) nhpr dot org.

We would be more than happy to give you a tour of our beautiful state-of-the-art studios. Contact bszelog (at) nhpr dot org to set up a visit.

Our broadcast schedule is filled with programs from a variety of sources. The best way to track down something you heard is to go to our schedule page and look for the day and time you were listening. Click on the name of that program and you will be redirected to that program’s homepage, where you can find a program schedule, archives and contact information.

CD’s are available for $15. To order, please call 603-228-8910 or use the downloadable CD order form.

We don't have the resources to create transcripts of our interview shows and segments. We do post the audio for all shows and stories, as well as the full text of most news stories, on NHPR.org.

CD’s of NPR news programs are available by calling 877-NPR-TEXT. Be sure to note the name of the program and the date and time it aired. For questions about NPR programs, call NPR Audience Service at 203-234-5678.

Use the contact form to send us questions, comments or suggestions. Select "Programming" as the category on the form.

The Public Insight Network is a new approach that NHPR's reporters and producers are using to find diverse sources and a broader range of information. In short, we partner with the public through our Network, a group of people across the state who have agreed to help us cover the news as "public sources."

Many of our public sources have told us about their work, education, passions and expertise. We ask some of these public sources in the network to share their observations and knowledge with us on specific stories. Our public insight analysts take that information and pass it on to our reporters and editors. Analysts may follow up with a request for more information, or perhaps an interview with a public source.

We also ask public sources to tell us about stories that we should be covering - stories that matter to them and are not on our radar. And we ask people to participate in online interactives where they share ideas and stories and reason through tough issues.

These public insights help us set our agenda for coverage and inform our reporting. We believe this partnership creates more diverse and in-depth news and cultural coverage. It also makes NHPR's programs even more trusted and credible sources of news and information.

Our journalists are always trying to find the best sources and the best information to tell their stories. Yet it's challenging to find sources who are beyond the usual spokespeople, officials and experts. And it's tough to survey a wide range of knowledge quickly under a deadline.

Now, e-mail and the internet make it possible for us to interact with people more quickly - even with breaking news. Those same technologies also allow us to keep track of information in a central database and distill it into a powerful storehouse of intelligence.

Our Public Insight Network partner American Public Media has created specialized software for us to gather knowledge and insight from the public and then manage that information so it is available to help our journalists.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our public sources. NHPR will not quote anyone on the air or online without first getting permission.

Personal information shared with us is tightly restricted to a small group of public insight analysts and other journalists working directly on stories using public sources. No one else will use this information to contact our sources. (For more, read our Privacy Policy.)

We will use the knowledge, observations and expertise people provide to inform our news and cultural reporting. Our public insight analysts maintain relationships with public sources, distill the information we receive, check it and pass the best information and sources to our reporters. From there, reporters do what they have always done - research and interview to produce balanced stories that get at the truth, and put it in context.

In general, we will ask for your help by e-mail. We'll tell you about a topic we're researching. If you have expertise on the topic or relevant experience, we'll ask you to share that information in a brief survey. If you don't have knowledge on a particular topic, you should ignore the request or forward it to someone you think might have expertise on the topic.

We will also occasionally ask you to share your ideas for stories we should be covering. We will consider every idea that comes in, especially if you provide specific information to help us pursue the story. Of course, we can't cover every story people suggest.

You can e-mail us anytime with questions, ideas, criticism or suggestions at publicinsight (at) nhpr dot org.

We ask for information about you so that we can better target our requests to you and focus on topics where you are likely to have experience and insight. Sometimes we will ask you for help on varied stories to explore new areas where you have expertise we don't know about.

Rest assured, we will not share this private information beyond the public insight analysts and other journalists working on stories based on your insights.

If you have questions that this FAQ didn't answer, please email us at publicinsight (at) nhpr dot org. You can also go to our sign-up page to become a public source now. Thanks for helping us strengthen our journalism by sharing what you know.

When your business becomes an underwriter on NHPR not only do you contribute to the success of a valued community service, you reach an exceptional audience. We have many underwriting opportunities to meet your needs and your budget. Learn more about Business Support | Contact Business Support

Messages can be 10 seconds in length and usually consist of 15 to 20 words. FCC guidelines allow messages to include company name, a value-neutral description of products or services, and either a web address, location or phone number. An NHPR representative can assist you in preparing your message.

Messages can be scheduled during specific times of day, during specific programs or they can be rotated to reach all available audiences. NHPR has many underwriters that air one or two News announcements per week and others that air up to 10 announcements per day. An NHPR representative can assist you in developing a schedule to meet your company's reach, frequency and awareness needs.

An underwriting schedule on NHPR can be designed to fit any budget. Announcements in specific programs range for $24 to $80 new. Quarterly and Annual Package Plans are available at reduced rates and provide reach to all NHPR audiences.

Yes, In fact over 95% of NHPR underwriters choose to be billed monthly. Other underwriters prefer to provide advanced payment and receive a discount.

To learn more about underwriting and to receive the NHPR Media Kit please contact Jim McCann, Director of Corporate Support through our online contact form or by calling 603.223.2470.