Hot Off the Press

Written by by Edward J. Bennett

When radio stations began to move into smaller communities after World War II, they were staffed by an engineer to run the station, some salespeople, and an announcer or two.

Most radio people had no newspaper experience. They were not equipped to gather, edit and process news. In many cases the stations in small communities relied heavily for their news on the hometown daily; so fortunate indeed was the broadcaster with a newspaper in town.

One early radio station licensed to broadcast in the western part of New Hampshire was located at Claremont. WTSV was fortunate to have in town the Eagle which has been published there as a daily since 1913.
Soon after I became publisher of the Eagle in 1961, its managing editor, Nelson Bryant, complained frequently – and often bitterly – that WTSV was cribbing local news from our newspaper, then broadcasting it over the air; of course with no attribution to the Eagle.

Bryant explained that the station would send someone up to the Eagle’s pressroom right after the papers began to roll off the press around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. With a copy hot off the press, the radio station messenger would hightail it back to the station, just in time for the 1:30 PM news which would be read over the airwaves, direct from the pages of the Eagle.

“You can even hear the pages rustling,” complained the disgusted Bryant. The managing editor was outraged at this blatant plagiarism and argued with ingenuity that we manufacture a special edition, “just for the radio station”.

The Eagle’s news staff were pitched into this project with alacrity. Assignments were handed out by Bryant for all sorts of bogus stories, and when the work was done and set into type, it was a work of geniuses, motivated in their work as never before.

Before the plates of the regular afternoon edition of the Eagle were strapped to the press, this very special page passed through the stereotype room to the pressroom, where only one or two were in fact run through the press.
When WTSV’s representative arrived at the Eagle on schedule, he unknowingly picked up this bogus edition and hurried back to the station. Everyone at the Eagle gathered around the radio that afternoon for the news. And startling news it was.

“The fire department had been called out for suspicious fires at the Moody Hotel,” one story read. The broadcaster continued, “And the police report that the chief’s car was stolen right in front of the station.” Also, “the school superintendant was apprehended for impaired driving – and in a school bus.”

WTSV had swallowed the Eagle’s bogus front page hook, line, and sinker. The entire newspaper’s staff was rolling in the aisle. It was the best show to hit Claremont in a year.

Pretty soon the radio station’s phone was ringing off the hook. “What the hell do you mean,” asked the chief of police, “that my car was stolen? And the school superintendent (a known teetotaler) driving a bus under the influence?”

The station’s distraught manager soon admitted that its source of information had been that afternoon’s Eagle. “Blame them,” he said, “not us.”

But no copy of the Eagle to match the one at WTSV could even be found, and for good reason: Theirs was the only one extant.


Hot Off the Press is taken from "Yankee Editor" Vignettes & Anecdotes by a New England Country Editor and Legislator by Edward J. Bennett. The first printing of Yankee Editor was sold out and a second printing has been released by HNH Publishing.

"Yankee Editor"
Vignettes & Anecdotes by a New England Country Editor and Legislator
By Edward J. Bennett.
227 pp
$25.00 Plus $4.95 Priority Shipping & Handling
Heart of New Hampshire Publishing
Second Printing

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Littleton Profile Part III Two Evolutionary Phases

Part III of a five part series
Parts [I] [II] [III] [IV] [V]

When one looks at the evolution of Littleton, one cannot help but notice that the prosperity of today came from the completion of two distinct phases of development. The first with an emphasis upon physical infrastructure; and, the second with an emphasis upon human resources. Following on the heels of the Littleton Industrial Park, leaders within the community, led by Ed Hennessy of the Littleton Coin Company, began to address the issue of energy costs. Littleton’s independent municipal power company, Littleton Power and Light, became the first to participate in the NH deregulatory process that allowed it to “buy out” uncompetitive agreements and put their wholesale power needs out to bid competitively. The net result has been power costs that are among the least expensive in all of New England. The competitive advantage of this cannot be understated when it comes to well-paying industry jobs.
Investing in People

Most communities would assume that development of the physical infrastructure was enough. The Industrial park was moving forward and a critical mass of businesses were beginning to develop on Main Street. But not so Littleton. As King Covey puts it: “The quality of jobs is as important as the quantity and we knew that we had to focus on building our social infrastructure as well as our physical. You build community by investing in people - affordable housing, quality healthcare, strong schools and educational opportunities that strengthen the quality of the workforce.”

According to attorney and former state representative Brien Ward, who in 1992 was the spark plug behind the formation of the Littleton Economic Development Task Force, you also build bridges. “We had to Stand and Deliver, “ says Ward. “We couldn’t afford to have local food fights between the business community and the citizens or the town government. We needed to create an atmosphere of community and communication – to build local support and partnerships. We have made a concerted effort to eliminate turf, to develop a unified vision and to create a strong partnership between our schools and our community. We no longer talk “AT” each other, we now talk WITH one another.” And the atmosphere is infectious. Local dentist John Grisham, a Chicago transplant, is just one example of this. Grisham, who is President of the local Little League baseball program and donates mouth protection to local sports teams, recently announced that he would provide no cost dental services to victims of domestic violence. “I came here because of the community spirit of this town,” Says Grisham, “I want to play a part in keeping that spirit alive and vibrant.”

Barbara Ashley, who recently left a management position at a local bank to take over the helm of the Chamber of Commerce is a fixture at local events including dressing as Frosty the Snowman to the delight of children attending Littleton’s Frostbite Follies. These folks are just the tip of an iceberg of community involvement and volunteerism.

Parts [I] [II] [III] [IV] [V]