Sparking Connections
The Green Mountain Treatment Center in Effingham, as reported by Lauren Chooljian, is Granite Recovery Center's flagship facility. (Photo by Allegra Boverman for NHPR)
The 13th Step: It started with a tip…
Eventually, multiple sources said it was an open secret: The founder of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network, Eric Spofford, was sexually harassing or assaulting women, allegations he denies.
How did he get away with it? Investigating this question resulted in the podcast, The 13th Step. Hosted by Lauren Chooljian, the critically acclaimed series from NHPR’s Document team uncovers a longstanding — and long tolerated — culture of sexual misconduct in the recovery world. The podcast went beyond the team’s initial reporting about Spofford, exploring how the phenomenon of “13th stepping” undermines efforts to stem the toll of the addiction crisis across the country.
The 13th Step podcast also covers the serious legal and safety challenges Lauren and the rest of NHPR’s editorial team faced during this reporting. As a precursor to the podcast, NHPR broke a story in March 2022 about the sexual misconduct allegations against Spofford. Six months later, Spofford sued NHPR, its journalists and some of our sources for defamation. There were also multiple acts of vandalism at the homes of some NHPR journalists involved in this reporting and their families, including Lauren and her parents.
As of June 30, 2023, the podcast was beginning to gain traction. Just one day after The 13th Step was released on June 6, it rose to the top 10 on the Apple charts in the “news” category; less than three weeks later, it was in the top 20 of all shows. The series also began garnering accolades from listeners and affirmation from people in addiction recovery communities.
““ A call to action for all of us in the recovery ecosystem.” ”
Paul Pires, Sr. and his family have been coming to the NH Ice Fishing Derby since 2009. As reported by Mara Hoplamazian, they travel up from Connecticut, where there wasn't enough ice to fish in the winter of 2023. (Mara Hoplamazian/NHPR)
Climate and Environmental Reporting
In its third year, NHPR’s newsroom initiative By Degrees takes our audience directly to the people and places experiencing the impact of climate change. For reporter Mara Hoplamazian that meant exploring a year defined by high energy costs and a state that’s getting warmer and wetter. They reported on how this affected Granite Staters including farmers, snow plow drivers, and people who simply want to enjoy the winter season. Coverage followed the effects of climate change into the fall harvest.
By Degrees reporting strives to explore climate change solutions such as community power programs. Hoplamazian is adept at crafting stories that break down the potentially complicated structure of these programs, showing how they look when implemented and what happens when community and industry interests don’t align. In collaboration with NH PBS, NHPR brought together people from across the region for the first By Degrees Climate Summit. The evening’s robust discussion on opportunities for transformative action was moderated by Hoplamazian, and the audience stayed well past the formal event to engage with the guests and event sponsors.
Climate change is easily relatable when we are considering the joys and curiosities of the natural world. For 25 years and over 900 episodes, Something Wild has been exploring the wonder of the New Hampshire landscape; to mark the anniversary, we shared some of Chris Martin and Dave Anderson’s favorite episodes. Meanwhile, the Outside/In crew was busy this year. In Spring 2023, the show transitioned to releasing episodes on a weekly basis. Outside/In also produced two series. Yard Work tells stories about our relationships with the land around us. The team won awards for part one, “Lawn and Order,” and part three “A bitter melon grows in Boston.” For The Underdogs, Nate Hegyi traveled to Alaska to investigate the business practices of a pair of professional mushers in the usually-guarded world of competitive dog sledding. This three-part series won a Signal Award Gold, as well as the hearts of many listeners.
““Today I finished the climb from episode 1 to CURRENT of @OutsideInRadio. The Underdogs introduced me and listening to years of back episodes was a real joy. You don’t need to be a New Englander or an outdoorsy person - if you like long-form storytelling and good production, you’ll be hooked.” ”
Singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah performs at the Live from Studio D series. (Zoey Knox/NHPR)
Beyond Words, Expanded Musical Programming at NHPR
This was a terrific year to enjoy music on NHPR as we expanded our musical programming. ClassicalNH included a more global, diverse set of musical performances, such as Rhapsody in Black and Fiesta with Elbio Barilari, and special series events such as Gateways Radio and The Sound of 13. These new shows celebrate NHPR’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through our programming. Our local in-studio performances have been equally inspiring. The Folk Show had an impressive list of live performances this year, including Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, Senie Hunt and Todd Hearon. In the Fall of 2022, Live from Studio D made its official debut with a performance by Amythyst Kiah. The series provides listeners a chance to hear, and hear from, musicians performing in our state. Interviews are featured on Morning Edition with host Rick Ganley, while full performances are available on NHPR’s YouTube channel. Operations Manager Joe Boehnlein has been a guiding force in many of our new musical programs, including the Juneteenth Music Special and the Pride Music Special. The feedback we received from listeners was proof of the power of music to connect communities.
““Thank you to Joe Boehnlein for the amazing music tonight in honor of Pride Month, and for your honesty and courage of heart.””
Banner Image: Outside/In host Nate Hegyi meets a sled dog team during a reporting trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. (Courtesy of Nate Hegyi/NHPR)