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Since FDR, a president's first hundred days have taken on special significance - especially when a new president is dealing with an economic crisis. We'll talk about the "first first hundred" and what Franklin Roosevelt accomplished, as well as what people hope Barack Obama can do.

Guests

• Dean Spiliotis, New Hampshire-based political analyst and author of NHPoliticalCapital.com"
• Jean Edward Smith, author of FDR, an award-winning presidential biography

Gambling has come up many times in the Statehouse, and each year it’s been voted down. But with an economic crisis, huge state budget cuts and a call from many Granite Staters for new revenues, proponents hope to convince legislators that this may be the time to bring gambling to New Hampshire. But opponents say slots and scratch tickets would fuel addiction, destroy families and ruin the quality of life in the state. We revisit the gambling debate and see how it may play out in 2009.

Guests

• Lou D’Allesandro, Democratic state senator from Manchester
• Mike Marsh, former Democratic state representative from Greenland
• TBA

As of Friday, FairPoint Communications will be fully in charge of landline telephone service in New Hampshire. They are taking over from Verizon after a long transition period and several delays. We’ll look back at this year-long journey, what FairPoint pledged to bring to the Granite State and how today’s economic climate may affect those promises.

Guests

• David Darman, NHPR business reporter
• Jeff Allen, executive vice president for external relations at FairPoint Communications
• Kate Bailey, Director of Telecommunications for the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission

Even before the economic slowdown, newspapers everywhere were struggling to adapt as more readers turned to the Internet for news. Now, as once reliable advertisers go belly up, papers have had to cut pages and jobs, especially here. We’ll get the scoop on the newspaper business in the Granite State.

Guests

• Bill Gilman, Editor of the Derry News
• Bob Sanders, Reporter for the New Hampshire Business Review
• Jody Reese, Publisher of the Hippo Press and the Manchester Express

We'll also hear from

• Dave Solomon, Executive Editor of the Nashua Telegraph
• Mark Guerringue, Publisher of the Conway Daily Sun , Laconia Daily Sun and the Berlin Daily Sun
• Jim Rousmaniere, publisher of the Keene Sentinel

As we prepare for the swearing in of our nation’s 44th President, we’ll look at what Americans hope to hear from his inaugural address. So we want to hear from you: what do you hope President Obama focuses on in his speech? What key points do you want him to make and what would you like his overall message to be?

Guests

• Wayne Lesperance, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at New England College
• Kurk Dorsey, associate professor of History at the University of New Hampshire