The Granite Beat

The Granite Beat: Investing in the Future of NH Journalism

On this episode of The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Matt Mowry, Executive Editor, and Christine Kerrigan, Chief Creative Officer, of Business New Hampshire Magazine. After many years with the magazine Matt and Christine became its owners last September. They joined us to talk about the transition and about investing in New Hampshire media in the modern day. 
PODBEAN: The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter. 

The Granite Beat: The Granite Beat: Republican? Democrat? No. A Reporter.

On this episode of The Granite Beat, hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with State House reporter Rick Green. Currently a reporter for The Keene Sentinel, Rick previously spent nearly 20 years with the Associated Press covering Oregon and Oklahoma before coming to New Hampshire where he worked for The Laconia Daily Sun and The Granite State News Collaborative.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter. 

Shedding Light on the Valley: How Daymond Steer helps tell small town stories that may otherwise go untold

On this episode of The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Daymond Steer, a general assignment reporter widely recognized and honored in New England, who covers the Mount Washington Valley for the Conway Daily Sun. His unique position allows him to shed light onto the happenings of various small towns in the Valley, telling stories – both critical and lighthearted – that would otherwise go untold.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter.

The Granite Beat: Connecting Community : A conversation with Manchester Ink Link founder and publisher Carol Robidoux community centered journalism

In this episode of The Granite Beat, hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Manchester Ink Link founder Carol Robidoux, a veteran journalist who left behind the legacy outlets to create her hyperlocal news website to supply residents with local, reliable, and community-driven stories in a central hub. They discuss some of her recent stories, such as the Harmony Montgomery case, the affordable housing crisis and community-centered reporting. 
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matte

The Granite Beat: For The Love of The Game: A conversation with an early career journalist on loving to write, serve and why there is a future in journalism

This week, The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Eric Rynston Lobel, an early-career journalist who already has an impressive breadth of experience. Since graduating from Northwestern he has written for Sports Illustrated as well as the Concord Monitor. They  discussed how he chooses his stories, sought his view on where the industry is heading, and heard what advice he would give an aspiring journalist. 
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter.

The Granite Beat: Through the Lens; Local photojournalist Gary Geoffroy talks humanity in front of and behind the camera

A picture is only worth a thousand words if the photographer did their job right. To do that, they need to see a scene as more than just a jumble of shadows and light. A good photojournalist knows they must try to accurately tell the story of a human being’s experience in that moment in time. Whether those experiences are triumphant or tragic, the photojournalist must capture the context and humanity with each quick click of a button in order to provide information that a written article alone may just not be able to on its own. It’s not easy and the camera is not a shield. The job can take a toll.
In this week’s episode, The Granite Beat’s hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart chat with seasoned photographer Gary Geoffroy, whose 40+ year career  includes 12 years of freelancing in photography and videography for news outlets, most recently in the Lakes Region. Drapcho and Hart discuss with him what it’s like covering breaking, often traumatic news from behind the lens, how it compares to his decades as a firefighter, and who’s best suited for this line of work.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter. 

The Granite Beat: We need to talk about this

As mass shootings and deaths by suicide involving firearms become a greater part of the public conversation, journalists find themselves tasked with reporting on these issues while also providing context. While these topics are never easy to cover, the uneasiness some people feel about discussing these issues with reporters, and thus publicly, not only make that harder, but can make it more difficult for a variety of points of view and experiences from becoming part of that public discussion.
In this week’s episode The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart spoke with Sheryl Rich-Kern, a writer, editor, producer, and journalism instructor at Southern NH University, about her extensive career in the industry. She shared insights into her recent piece Guns and suicide: A search for common ground to save lives in New Hampshire  and previewed what she’s working on next.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter. 

The Granite Beat: Tech, Local News and The Awesomeness of Culverts

Our modern world advances at an ever-increasing pace and the news industry is not immune from the impacts. How do these shifts in technology and public sentiment change the media landscape? How can we keep up? We speak with David Brooks, the “Granite Geek” and columnist for the Concord Monitor, about the obstacles and opportunities of the union between tech media.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter.

Granite Beat: Reimagining Local News Funding Leads to a Different Kind of Journalism

As financial pressures push news outlets to take a hard look at their payroll, alternative funding sources have come into play as a way to bolster reporting positions. At The Keene Sentinel, Olivia Belanger holds one of those positions. She leads the paper’s Health Lab, and she said the position doesn’t just add another position, it allows whoever holds that position to do a different kind of work.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter.

The Granite Beat: Journalism Meets Lived Experience: A conversation with Anthony Payton

Anthony Payton is a columnist and community activist whose work is informed by his experiences with the criminal justice system. He also writes about race relations, and how he finds that what people share in common often transcends their differences.
The Granite Beat, is a project of The Laconia Daily Sun in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative, of which Laconia is a partner, and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. Each week hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart explore with local reporters how they got some of the most impactful stories in our state and why they matter.