President Michelle opened the meeting at 7:30 and greeter Matt Gatzke welcomed members to Bow Rotary with recollections of childhood observances of Memorial Day in a small town and then read a prayer about the sacrifice of others (and their families) who gave their lives in the service of our country. On a lighter note, World Red Head Day was noted for May 26.

 

Attendance: 

Birthdays:  no birthdays

Logo Fines: Ken Moulton was called out for recent photos in the Monitor and on WMUR (see below)
Pins & Badges:   none reported

 

Happy Bucks:  

Program:  
Peter Imse introduced our speaker Laura Knoy. 

 

Laura Knoy has been a member of the media and a journalist for nearly 30 years. She retired in mid-2021 and is now working part-time as director of community relations for UNH Law. One of her most recent efforts has been the development of Read Local, a podcast version of a book club focusing on NH authors. 

 

This is one of her first opportunities to speak in front of a Rotary Club. In the past, her early morning on-air schedule prevented her from speaking at such meetings. 

 

She offered a history of the evolution of The Exchange which she created and had hosted since the mid-90s. She wanted to offer a show that was more in touch with the news and current events and invite the community to talk about the topics. It was a form of early “social media.” Station Manager, Mark Handley felt NHPR could benefit from a talk show. Given that the station was primarily a classical station, at first listeners were a bit skeptical about a “call-in show” and did not want to give an our of music time.   Change was hard at first back in 1995, but with over 100K listeners when it ended, it was clearly a formula that worked here in NH. She got to have as guests all presidential candidates over the years with the exception of Bill Clinton who was unopposed as the Democratic candidate and as a result spent little time in NH.  She enjoyed very willing first guests. The value of the conversations began to grow. Education funding was huge (Claremont Decision) and again in  mid-2000s with similar trends such as education; lots of shows about the environment (Climate Change e.g. the incidence of ticks and Lyme Disease and late 2000s housing and the mortgage market.  Early warning signs about risky mortgages. Opioid addiction and increase of hate-based violence and intolerance.  News reporting has become more difficult but people are still at it today.  The size of NH requires us to work together and we often have shared goals and understanding. The show became a voice for many!

 

She worked from home during the pandemic, no time for bread-baking or self-improvement videos. 

She is now speaking to groups that wanted someone to moderate, speak and raise the professionalism of their events.  She conducts special interviews and moderates panels of experts. She has worked on a story about wrongful imprisonment – Justice in Journalism. She hosted two podcasts of Read Local NH which seeks to create community through reading. She also recently completed her first work of fiction…seeking an agent or publisher.  

 

She lauded her team of producers who created packets of information and articles about each guest. They helped her interpret the information and research about the interviewees. The pandemic itself required a great deal of preparation given the many unknowns and related topics it brought forward. 

 

When asked about her most favorite or least favorite guests, she could not state for sure, but she did offer that the more recent political candidates seen to rehearse and scripted. Party politics and money from big interests changed things for the worse. 

 

She confessed that she does not follow the news much today after 30 years. As the child of a minister, she always strives to be kind to all people, no matter their position or stance on an issue they were calling in about. 

 

President Michelle closed the meeting with a toast to Rotary the world over.

 

Respectfully Submitted,
Matt Gatzke