2015 New Hampshire Public Radio Strategic Plan Refresh

Approved by the Board of Trustees

March 2015
The value for news organizations now increasingly lies in providing context and
verificationreporting the "how, why and what it means"and facilitating communities
around that news and information.
Clayton M. Christensen, Be the Disruptor
The Neiman Reports, Fall 2012
NHPR AS JOURNALISTIC LEADER
Over the past decade, virtually every New Hampshire-based newspaper has downsized, but thanks to
the intense loyalty of more than 18,000 contributing listeners and 450 corporate sponsors and local
foundations, NHPR is an exception to the otherwise downward trend in journalism. In fact, the reach
and caliber of NHPRs news coverage has increased steadily through the years.
From its modest beginnings above a storefront on Pleasant Street in Concord, through the development
of a $6 million state-of-the-art broadcast facility in 2008, NHPR has experienced steady growth over its
33-year history. We now boast 21 content-related staff, with broadcast and digital reporters and editors
in Concord, the North Country, and the Seacoast, as well as hosts and producers for the shows we
produce (The Exchange, Word of Mouth, The Folk Show, Something Wild and Giving Matters).
Along the way, NHPR has steadily built its journalistic reputation. Today, we are consistently recognized
as setting the standard for covering stories that matter, as validated by numerous Edward R. Murrow
and other national and regional awards for outstanding achievements in journalism.
What sets NHPR apart is our commitment to reporting on New Hampshire issues; curating the finest mix
of New Hampshire, national, and international news; and our relationship with our listenerspeople
who trust and value the service we provide.
At NHPR, our public service mission is to help create a more informed public. Our purpose is to
strengthen our community by providing the information citizens need to understand and actively
participate in civic life. Our opportunity is to provide national-caliber, in-depth, contextual reporting
about New Hampshire issues, delivered in a way that engages a growing number of people across
generations and throughout the state. Developing knowledge, connecting with listeners on issues
through a variety of means: this is an engaged, connected New Hampshire. And this is our future.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
In March 2015, the NHPR Board of Trustees endorsed a strategic blueprint for the future positioning
NHPR as the states unquestioned journalistic leader. To accomplish this goal, we will focus on four
priorities:
1. Create Excellent Content About and For New Hampshire
2. Expand, Engage and Diversify Audiences
3. Grow Net Revenues
4. Continue to Build an Organizational Culture that Combines Creativity with Strategic, DataBased Decision Making
The following principles will guide our work as we move forward:
1. Ground Everything We Do In the Core Values of Public Media
Our bottom line is to provide our audience with high quality, in-depth news and information they can
trust. We hold ourselves accountable for ensuring that our content is fair, unbiased, accurate, complete,
and honest.
2. Never Take Our Audience For Granted
In the digital world, consumers have unprecedented access to content from every corner of the globe.
That means we must work harder than ever to respect and engage our audience and provide distinctive,
compelling content.
3. Infuse Our Programming Day with National-Caliber, Locally-Produced Content
While our audience values the national shows we broadcast and the content we curate, these services
alone are no longer sufficient. To remain competitive, we must provide high-quality, unique, and
inspiring content that our audience cannot get anywhere else.
4. Harness the Power of Technology and Embrace the Multi-Platform World
To thriveor more accurately survivein the new media marketplace, we must continue to build a
multi-platform approach into the DNA of our work. Each time we create or curate content, we must
think about how we can structure, enrich, and extend that content by taking advantage of all the
delivery platforms at our disposal. The digital delivery options we have today provide us with freedom
from the constraints of the hourly clock and opportunities to provide the level of access and
customization that our audience has come to expect and demand.
5. Engage, Engage, Engage
We have an extraordinarily smart, thoughtful audiencepeople who are connected and engaged with
their communities and a universe of resources and engagement builds audience loyalty. We also know
that our audience can connect us with the content, perspectives, people, and communities we need to
provide rich and relevant news, stories, and information. We will use our on-air programming, social
media, live events, interactive content tools (infographics, data journalism, polls, etc.), and hyper-local
content to enrich and expand our service, deepen our relationship with our audience, and allow our
audience to customize their user experience. In addition to engaging with our audience, we are
committed to engaging with the broader New Hampshire community. This expands the reach of our
mission and is one more way that we can give back to the people and communities we serve.

SP Executive Summary, Public 2015

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6. Provide Content That Is Of Interest Both Here at Home and Beyond
We remain steadfast in our commitment to cover the stories and issues that matter to our New
Hampshire audience. In addition, we will take advantage of our new opportunities to reach a broader
audience by providing content that is of interest both here at home and that appeals to the interests of
those beyond our borders.
7. Nurture an Organizational Culture of Creativity & Innovation
We are committed to fostering a culture of innovation and making NHPR a great place to work. To that
end we will recruit, support, and retain a talented, creative, and motivated workforce. We will
encourage our staff to imagine possibilities, risk new approaches, and continually learn from their
experiences. We will put into place the professional development, systems and processes that support
innovation and provide the flexibility and agility needed to adapt to the changing needs and demands of
our audience.
8. Provide an Exceptional, Responsive User Experience
We will create intuitive, user-friendly ways for our audience to quickly and easily find the information
and ideas they are seeking.
9. Use Data, Metrics, & Disciplined Thinking to Improve Our Service
We will use agreed-upon metrics and rigorous measurement standards to set goals, evaluate our
progress, and make course adjustments. We will put into place the systems and algorithms that allow us
to connect with, understand, and learn from our audience so that we can provide better content and
service. In addition we will strive to develop tools that measure the impact of our reporting in the
broader community.
10. Employ Strategic Marketing and Strong Brand Management
We recognize that brand management and consistent, strategic marketing are essential tools for
deepening our relationship with people who already know us and connecting with those who dont. We
will use traditional and digital marketing to introduce the broader community to NHPR and attract new
audiences. We will work to reduce NHPR/NPR brand confusion, strengthening our role as content
creators and curators - NHPR as New Hampshires home for exceptional content on the radio, online,
and across digital media.

SP Executive Summary, Public 2015