Story Archives of 'Public Insight'

Voters in half a dozen New Hampshire cities may see a question on their November ballots asking whether they want to put a permanent lid on tax increases. Supporters say it’s the best way to keep municipal budgets lean and mean…but opponents worry these caps will derail vital community investments.

Guests

• Jody Reese, publisher of the Hippo Press
• Mike Biundo, President of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition

We'll also hear from

• Fred Keach, city councilor in Concord, where a tax cap has been proposed
• Brian Chirichiello, town councilor in Derry, which has a municipal tax cap
• Tony Giunta, former mayor of Franklin, which has a municipal tax cap

Across the country, bad news abounds on the real estate front.

But there are bright spots, and one of them shines right here in the Granite State.

The Vermont Standard's Kevin Forrest reports:

Network television is in trouble. Viewers are flocking to the Internet and cable channels, and they're skipping over commercials with TiVo and other on-demand services. The recent writers' strike and the dispute over Internet distribution rights showed how vulnerable TV is to competition from other media. Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott talks with Robert Thompson about the new ways networks are looking to make money and how it will affect programming. Dr. Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

Pop-culture junky Laura Murphy also joins the conversation to discuss some of the best guilty-pleasures available on the tube. Laura is co-owner of Best Company Ever, a branding, strategy and production company.

(Photo by Matt Parsons)


Dr. Thompson's favorite guilty-pleasure TV show was FOX's Temptation Island (but he says he doesn't feel any guilt about it at all.)

Here are Laura's favorite guilty-pleasures on TV:
High School Reunion
High School Confidential
Quarterlife
Dirt
Lipstick Jungle

For The Exchange's program on The Blizzard of '78, we turned to members of our Public Insight Network for their recollections of the storm. You can share your own stories through the Network, or read others' experiences here.

The lighter side of the Primary! A new musical in New Hampshire examines the more humorous…and at times, ironic moments – of our Presidential contest. We’ll speak to the show’s creator and producer…and an array of longtime Granite State primary watchers with their tales of first-in-the-nation funnies.

Guests

• Blair Hundertmark, Producing Director of the New Hampshire Theater Project and Director of "The Primary Primary!” playing at The West End Studio Theater in Portsmouth.
• Robert John Ford, Playwright and Producer of “Caucus, the Musical” and “The Primary Primary!”
• John Clayton, Columnist for The Union Leader and the New Hampshire Sunday News and author of several books on New Hampshire

We'll Also Hear From

• Rebecca Hutchinson, Former State Representative from Deerfield
• Carol Sheehan, Owner of the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester
• Mary Hill, Longtime Employee at Capital Convenience in Concord
• Danny LaChance, Cook at Chez Vachon in Manchester
• Nancy Petrillo, Owner of Lindy's Restaurant in Keene