Story Archives of 'Business'

Granite State business has been forced to think outside the box in order to survive. We'll see what businesses are doing to adapt to our ever-changing economic times.

Guests

• Matthew Lowry, editor of Business NH Magazine
• Jon Greenberg, NHPR executive editor and curator of our Working It Out project

We'll also hear from

• Arthur Learned, owner of Things Are Cooking, a kitchen supply store in Concord and board member of the New Hampshire Retail Merchants Association
• Kathryn Underwood, president and CEO of Ledyard National Bank in Lebanon

The restaurant business is a crap shoot. Three out of four restaurants close within three years. So, it might seem downright nuts to open a new restaurant during the worst recession since the great depression.

Food writer Regina Schrambling discovered that some savvy owners of new eateries are doing brisk business by serving up simplicity. She wrote about the trend in Entrepreneur magazine, and she joins us as part of NHPR’s Working It Out project. We also hear from Diane Downing, owner of Firefly American Bistro & Bar, which opened in downtown Manchester, NH the day after Christmas of last year.

Entrepreneur: Why Now is the Time to Open a Restaurant

The Eagle Tribune: New Restaurants Replace Closed Eateries

Forbes: So, You Want To Open A Restaurant

(Photo courtesy Joe Penniston via Flickr/CreativeCommons)

Thanksgiving is just over a week away. A day when many of the grateful wash down turkey and stuffing with a glass of wine, or celebrate visits from old friends over a cold beer, or two.

One New Hampshire farmer hopes we’ll try sipping on artisanal cider instead. Hard cider is a New England tradition that dates back to the Founding Fathers, and as falling apple prices leave orchard owners struggling to stay afloat, a cider revival could provide a lifeline to New Hampshire growers.

Word of Mouth producer Avishay Artsy went to taste for himself.

(Photos by Scott McIntyre)

Think back to the pre-cable days when three networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC ruled the air warves. NBC is the oldest – founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, back when television was a mere twinkle in Philo Farnsworth’s eye.

Since then NBC has been home to hits like The Cosby Show, Friends, The Olympics, and the first Academy Awards Show. The network invited viewers to “Come Home to NBC,” where everybody knows your name. The peacock’s feathers have faded in the ratings in recent years, and audience share plummeted when Jay Leno moved to the 10pm slot this Fall.

Now media giant Comcast plans to swoop in and buy NBC universal, a move that could signal the beginning of the end for network TV. Joining us with more is Mark Harris, who wrote about the beleaguered network for New York magazine.

New York Magazine: Is Broadcast TV Too Big to Fail?

The Associated Press: Broadcast Pioneer NBC Prepares for Cable Takeover

Backstage: Is Broadcast TV Too Big to Fail?

(Photo by Jezlyn26 via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Yesterday ten editors and publishers from Granite State papers met to discuss the challenges of keeping newspapers competitive and profitable in the age of web and social media. We'll talk with some of the panelists about what they learned and what the newspaper of tomorrow might look like.

Guests

• Mark Guerringue, publisher of the Daily Sun newspapers in Portland, Conway, Laconia and Berlin
Terry Williams, publisher of the Telegraph of Nashua
• Susan Hertz, director of the University of New Hampshire's journalism program

We'll also hear from

• Geordie Wilson, publisher of the Concord Monitor