# Regional Competitor Monitoring — New Hampshire News

**Date:** August 13, 2026  
**Analyst:** Aaron R. Davis / Shepherd  
**File:** `~/Desktop/INDNH/editorial/competitor_monitoring.md`  
**Purpose:** Track competing NH news outlets, their beats, paywalls, and monitoring methods so InDepthNH can identify scoops and gaps.

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## 1. Executive summary

InDepthNH competes with a mix of **legacy newspapers** (Union Leader, Seacoast Online properties), **public media** (NHPR, WMUR), **a nonprofit digital outlet** (NH Bulletin), **local independents** (Manchester Ink Link, Concord Monitor, Keene Sentinel, Valley News), and **a collaborative** (Granite State News Collaborative). Most legacy outlets have paywalls and are owned by chains or hedge funds. Public media and nonprofit outlets are free. InDepthNH’s best opportunities are in **accountability, courts, environment, data-driven service journalism, and statewide angles** where bigger outlets are thin or slow.

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## 2. Competitor matrix

### New Hampshire Union Leader
- **URL:** `https://www.unionleader.com/`
- **Ownership:** For-profit, local/New England ownership (formerly owned by New Hampshire Union Leader Corp.)
- **Primary beats:** State politics, Manchester, courts, business, sports
- **Paywall:** Yes; soft paywall, subscription required for full access
- **RSS:** `http://www.unionleader.com/search/?f=rss` (multiple topic feeds available)
- **Newsletter:** `https://www.unionleader.com/newsletters`
- **X/Twitter:** `@UnionLeader`
- **Bluesky:** `@UnionLeader.bsky.social`
- **Facebook:** `facebook.com/UnionLeader`
- **Monitoring method:** RSS for #topstory; newsletter; Paul Feely (courts/environment) byline watch; AM/PM email alerts if available.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Paywall limits reach; chain cost-cutting reduces investigative depth; strong on breaking/courts but less on data and environmental accountability.

### Seacoast Online (Foster’s Daily Democrat / Portsmouth Herald / Exeter News-Letter)
- **URL:** `https://www.seacoastonline.com/`
- **Ownership:** Gannett / USA Today Network
- **Primary beats:** Dover, Portsmouth, Exeter, Seacoast news, high school sports
- **Paywall:** Yes; Gannett paywall
- **RSS:** Limited; Gannett properties often block or obscure RSS
- **Newsletter:** Gannett subscription newsletters
- **X/Twitter:** `@seacoastonline`
- **Facebook:** `facebook.com/seacoastonline`
- **Monitoring method:** Seacoastonline.com home page via jina.ai or curl; individual reporter bylines (Jeff McMenemy, Hadley Barndollar); Gannett network feeds.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Severely hollowed out by Gannett; thin on statehouse and environmental accountability; useful for Seacoast local baseline only.

### NH Bulletin
- **URL:** `https://nhbulletin.org/` (States Newsroom outlet; verify current URL and publication status)
- **Ownership:** States Newsroom / 501(c)(3) nonprofit network
- **Primary beats:** State politics, policy, legislature, social issues
- **Paywall:** No
- **RSS:** Check `/feed` or `/rss`
- **Newsletter:** Daily/weekly roundup via States Newsroom
- **X/Twitter:** `@NHBulletinNews`
- **Bluesky:** `@nhbulletin.bsky.social` (verify)
- **Monitoring method:** Newsletter signup; site home page; social; States Newsroom syndication.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Strong on statehouse policy but may lack courts, environmental, and hyperlocal North Country coverage. Different nonprofit model; potential partner as much as competitor.
- **Note:** Domain resolution was inconsistent during research; confirm current URL before relying on it.

### NHPR (New Hampshire Public Radio)
- **URL:** `https://www.nhpr.org/`
- **Ownership:** Nonprofit public media (NPR member station)
- **Primary beats:** State politics, environment, education, health, elections, New England News Collaborative
- **Paywall:** No; donation-supported
- **RSS:** `https://www.nhpr.org/index.rss`
- **Newsletter:** `https://www.nhpr.org/newsletters` — The Rundown, Weekender, news quiz
- **X/Twitter:** `@nhpr`
- **Bluesky:** `@nhpr.bsky.social` or `@nhpr.org` (verify)
- **Monitoring method:** RSS main feed; The Rundown newsletter; election database; reporter bylines (Sarah Gibson, Todd Bookman, Annie Ropeik).
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Strong audio and daily news; less likely to do deep document-driven accountability or hyperlocal courts coverage. InDepthNH can beat them on FOIA-based stories and visual/data presentations.

### WMUR (ABC affiliate, Manchester)
- **URL:** `https://www.wmur.com/`
- **Ownership:** Hearst Television
- **Primary beats:** Breaking news, weather, crime, politics, NH Chronicle
- **Paywall:** No for website; TV broadcasts free
- **RSS:** Limited; some topic feeds
- **Newsletter:** `https://www.wmur.com/newsletters`
- **X/Twitter:** `@WMUR9`
- **Facebook:** `facebook.com/WMUR9`
- **Monitoring method:** Home page; newsletter; Adam Sexton (politics), Mike Terry (weather), NH Chronicle segments.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Broadcast-first, thin on depth; great for spotting breaking stories but rarely does investigative follow-through.

### Manchester Ink Link
- **URL:** `https://manchesterinklink.com/` (currently returning 404/unclear; may have moved or ceased)
- **Ownership:** Independent local digital (Bill Southworth / Carol Robidoux)
- **Primary beats:** Manchester, city government, schools, business, culture
- **Paywall:** No
- **RSS:** WordPress feed likely at `/feed`
- **Newsletter:** Email signup if site active
- **X/Twitter:** `@ManchInkLink` (verify)
- **Monitoring method:** Direct site check; note site instability as of Aug. 2026.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Manchester-only; if inactive, InDepthNH can fill Manchester accountability gap.

### Concord Monitor
- **URL:** `https://www.concordmonitor.com/`
- **Ownership:** Newspapers of New England / local family-owned
- **Primary beats:** Concord, statehouse adjacent, local government, schools
- **Paywall:** Yes; soft paywall
- **Newsletter:** `https://www.concordmonitor.com/newsletters`
- **X/Twitter:** `@ConcordMonitor`
- **Facebook:** `facebook.com/concordmonitor`
- **Monitoring method:** Newsletter; RSS if available; reporter bylines (Ethan DeWitt, Michaela Towfighi).
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Focused on Concord and Monitor-area suburbs; less statewide; paywall limits audience.

### The Keene Sentinel
- **URL:** `https://www.keenesentinel.com/`
- **Ownership:** Independent / family-owned (Sentinel Printing Co.)
- **Primary beats:** Keene, Monadnock Region, education, local government
- **Paywall:** Yes; subscription-based
- **Newsletter:** `https://www.keenesentinel.com/newsletter`
- **X/Twitter:** `@KeeneSentinel`
- **Facebook:** `facebook.com/keenesentinel`
- **Monitoring method:** Newsletter; RSS if available; reporter bylines.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Local/regional only; no statehouse depth; InDepthNH could cover Keene State / Monadnock issues more.

### Valley News
- **URL:** `https://www.vnews.com/`
- **Ownership:** Newspapers of New England / local family-owned
- **Primary beats:** Upper Valley, Dartmouth, Vermont border, Lebanon/Claremont
- **Paywall:** Yes; subscription-based
- **Newsletter:** `https://www.vnews.com/newsletters`
- **X/Twitter:** `@vnews`
- **Facebook:** `facebook.com/valleynews`
- **Monitoring method:** Newsletter; RSS if available; reporter bylines.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Strong on Upper Valley local; less on statewide accountability; paywall.

### Granite State News Collaborative / NH Front Page
- **URL:** `https://www.granitestatenews.com/` or `https://nhfrontpage.com/`
- **Ownership:** Nonprofit collaborative of NH newspapers
- **Primary beats:** Shared statewide stories across member papers
- **Paywall:** Mixed; individual member papers may have paywalls
- **RSS:** Check site feed
- **Newsletter:** Possible shared digest
- **Social:** `facebook.com/nhfrontpage`
- **Monitoring method:** Site home page; member paper front pages.
- **Weaknesses / gaps for InDepthNH:** Collaboration of legacy papers; unlikely to break accountability stories; good for seeing what the legacy ecosystem is covering.

### InDepthNH.org (self)
- **URL:** `https://indepthnh.org/`
- **Ownership:** 501(c)(3) nonprofit — New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism
- **Primary beats:** Statehouse, courts, environment, health, education, accountability, columns
- **Paywall:** No
- **RSS:** `https://indepthnh.org/feed/`
- **Newsletter:** Mailchimp (evening + morning resend)
- **Social:** Facebook `InDepthNH`; X `@InDepthNH`; Bluesky `@indepthnh.bsky.social`
- **Monitoring method:** Own CMS analytics; RSS; social.
- **Weaknesses / gaps:** Tiny staff; over-reliance on Nancy; inconsistent categorization; limited photography; needs sustainable revenue and better tools.

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## 3. Monitoring strategy for InDepthNH

### Daily checks (5–10 minutes)
1. NHPR RSS main feed.
2. Union Leader RSS / top-story page.
3. InDepthNH own feed and analytics.
4. WMUR home page / newsletter.

### Weekly checks
1. NH Bulletin newsletter.
2. Seacoast Online / Foster’s / Portsmouth Herald front pages.
3. Concord Monitor, Keene Sentinel, Valley News newsletters.
4. Granite State News Collaborative home page.
5. Competitor social feeds (Bluesky/X/Facebook).

### Story-alert triggers
- **Union Leader courts scoop** → Is there an InDepthNH angle (statewide impact, document, follow-up)?
- **NHPR environment or education story** → Can InDepthNH add accountability angle, data, or local voice?
- **NH Bulletin policy story** → Can InDepthNH localize to a person or place?
- **WMUR breaking crime/politics** → Is there a deeper accountability story behind it?
- **Any competitor misses a story** → That’s InDepthNH’s opportunity.

### Tools to use
- **RSS reader:** Inoreader, Feedly, or local RSS aggregator.
- **Browser bookmarks:** Competitor home pages.
- **jina.ai fallback:** `https://r.jina.ai/http://URL` when direct curl is blocked.
- **Social lists:** Create private Bluesky/X lists of competitor accounts.
- **Newsletter email:** Use `aarondavis.indepthnh@proton.me` to subscribe to all competitor newsletters.

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## 4. Where InDepthNH can win

| Beat | Competitor weakness | InDepthNH opportunity |
|:-----|:--------------------|:------------------------|
| **Courts / jails** | Union Leader covers but paywalled; WMUR shallow | FOIA-driven jail conditions, court access, Laurie List |
| **Environment / PFAS / climate** | NHPR good but audio-first; legacy thin | Data + maps + expert accountability (eelgrass, PFAS) |
| **Elections / voting rights** | NHPR fast; legacy inconsistent | Service journalism + litigation follow-through |
| **State procurement / Executive Council** | Barely covered | Contracts, patronage, influence-peddling |
| **Housing / homelessness** | Column-level only | Data-driven series on zoning, shelters, evictions |
| **Mental health / NH Hospital / SPU** | Spotty | Institutional accountability, deaths in custody |
| **North Country / rural issues** | Paula Tracy already strong; Valley News local | Expand to policy impact on rural NH |
| **Education / EFA spending** | Zach Laird starting | Public-money accountability, audits |

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## 5. Uncertainties / follow-up

- [ ] Confirm NH Bulletin current URL and newsletter signup.
- [ ] Verify Manchester Ink Link status (site was returning errors Aug. 2026).
- [ ] Identify individual reporter bylines to watch at each outlet.
- [ ] Subscribe `aarondavis.indepthnh@proton.me` to all competitor newsletters.
- [ ] Set up RSS aggregator or bookmark workflow for daily checks.
- [ ] Add competitor monitoring to editorial workflow doc.

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*Last updated: 2026-08-13*