NHPR’s Innovation Brings News, Art, and Authors
New Hampshire Public Radio’s partnership with The Music Hall extends to years of working together on Writers on a New England Stage and the Innovation + Leadership series. In 2020, the station’s reporting and coverage were first-rate and inspiring. We spoke with Patricia McLaughlin, Director of Communications and Marketing, about this partnership.
Thank you to New Hampshire Public Radio for all of its reporting during COVID-19, the 2020 Election, and throughout the state.
It starts and ends with the shared commitment to excellence by our staff. From politics to public health, these are stories that involve profound stakes for individuals, for our communities, and for our nation. We take that responsibility seriously. The pandemic required us to quickly acclimate to working remotely and reporting in a new-fashioned manner, and we will continue to be creative and flexible in our approach as the pandemic continues and other key reporting initiatives emerge.
What does the partnership between NHPR and The Music Hall bring to New Hampshire? Why is it essential, especially during such difficult times?
Cultural and artistic institutions like The Music Hall provide richness and color to our everyday lives here in New Hampshire. Beyond The Music Hall, NHPR is proud to work with a number of artistic, cultural, and nonprofit organizations in our state. Collectively, these relationships allow us to expand the reach of our offerings and share information and relevant programming with both established and new audiences.
In challenging times, when things seem gray—it’s important to seek and find color! Art, music, ideas, authors, and creative individuals prompt us all to create, question, converse, and bring new perspectives to our world—perspectives that are so important right now. Writers on a New England Stage is one such endeavor that does just that.
Due to the pandemic, Writers on a New England Stage went virtual. How has this changed the landscape of the series and what doors have been opened?
I think it’s really important to focus on silver linings these days. We certainly miss the connection and immediacy provided by a live event with the community. But on the other hand, anyone from anywhere can now boot up their computer and be a part of this experience. Being able to be an active participant in the online conversation and seeing authors up close brings a new intimacy to the platform, and we’re excited to continue to explore the possibilities around this new set-up.
NHPR is also an Innovation + Leadership series sponsor, which includes the global lecture series, CreativeMornings PKX. How does engaging in this series benefit NHPR’s mission?
Public media is an exchange of information, ideas and we like to say—inspiration! The Innovation and Leadership series offers participants the chance to delve into a topic of interest, or learn something new. Always learning, always exploring syncs up exactly with the interests of public media listeners, who tend to be curious knowledge seekers as well.
CreativeMornings is a place for inspiration and for ideas. It’s a place to reflect and to learn new things, and to hear personal heartfelt stories – but stories with valuable learnings attached.
CreativeMornings brings people together from all walks of life – entrepreneurs, chefs, creators, artists, strategists, designers, marketing and communications types like myself, retirees looking for a creative outlet, and plenty of others. There’s never been a time when I haven’t attended a CreativeMornings session (in-person and now in the virtual space), without walking away feeling better for the day to come. Speakers bring their stories and openly share their ideas, their vulnerabilities, their challenges, and their solutions – all built around the common global theme. That spirit of openness and inclusivity really fuels a community feel, not only for the community of Portsmouth attendees, but as a part of feeling connected to this broader global movement. It’s truly something special for us to have the smallest worldwide chapter of CreativeMornings – right here in New Hampshire in the Seacoast region! NHPR is proud to be able to have a presence at this event through our partnership with the Music Hall, as a way to share our mission, our news, and our programming with a wider audience.