By Insider Staff - May 30, 2017 | 1 comment

Josh Hardy was recently named station manager at ConcordTV. COURTESY

If you’re a fan of ConcordTV, and we know you are, you know who Josh Hardy is.

But what you might not know is that recently Hardy was given the title of station manager within the community television organization, moving up from his previous gig as production and training coordinator.

Hardy has been with ConcordTV since 2012, first as a college intern and for the last four years as a full-time employee.

Last week, we caught up with Hardy about his new job, responsibilities and of course, a few odd things that you’d never know about him.

So what kind of responsibilities does a station manager have?

As station manager I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations of the station. I oversee production, training, marketing, programming and technology. That sounds like a lot but we have an incredible staff that works together to make it all happen.

Was the step up to station manager something you had been looking for? How have your years at ConcordTV prepared you for this?

I don’t think job titles have ever been my motivation, though I’m incredibly grateful to be in my new role. I’ve been fortunate to learn from many others before me, so I really know ConcordTV inside and out. Equally important is the connections and friends in Concord that I’ve made throughout my time here.

How has ConcordTV changed since you started working full-time in 2013?

The technology here has improved significantly in just the past few years. We’re always trying to battle the “public access” stereotype that some people still associate us with. Over the past two years we’ve upgraded our broadcast server and production studio, which has really stepped our game up! We’re recording in full HD and our three channels all stream at yourconcordtv.org in HD, which I think would surprise a lot of people out there who are skeptical about public access television.

What kind of ideas do you have for the future of ConcordTV? Is there any programming secrets you can tell us about?

My big-picture vision for ConcordTV is to get even more volunteers through the doors to help expand our programming from what we’re already doing. As for programming secrets, hmm . . . does everyone already know about the ConcordTV webcam on Mars? But seriously, we’ve got some exciting technology upgrades for the studio coming up this summer that I can’t get into specifics now, unfortunately.

Do you think a show featuring the Insiders would be something people would watch?

That would be a must-watch video! But if you become world-famous, don’t ditch us to become a Netflix show!

What do you feel makes ConcordTV so unique?

A well-run community television station like ConcordTV is the heartbeat of a community. It’s really the only media resource that allows residents to be their own media, especially since we are non-commercial. We’ve never been in the business of competing with other news organizations because that’s not why we exist. I’m proud that we have created an environment that enables community members to have their voices heard!

If you could create a new show, what would it entail?

We’ve been kicking around an idea for a show similar to James Cordon’s “Carpool Karaoke.” We’d be driving around in the ConcordTV van but making up lyrics to stock music that we actually have the rights to use! I also recently watched a 2014 documentary from NHPTV about N.H. craft brewing and I thought that would be such a fascinating concept for a show here in Concord since we’ve got several new microbreweries.

When you’re not creating quality television for the people of Concord, what do you like to do?

In my free time I enjoy going for runs, often times out in the Winant Park trails and can also be found playing basketball (poorly) at the White Park court. I really enjoy live music, so I try going to as many concerts as I can.

What is your go-to snack food?

Oh boy, now you’re asking the hard-hitting questions . . . I’ll go with Combos, especially the buffalo blue cheese flavor.

Do you enjoy watching other TV programming or do you always look at it from a person who’s in the business perspective?

Well, aside from ConcordTV Channels 6, 17 and 22, there’s some other shows I enjoy watching. I don’t have a lot of free time to “binge watch” shows but The Man In The High Castle was fantastic and I’ve been re-watching Friday Night Lights lately. Since I’m so involved in production on a day-to-day basis I don’t have the same suspension of disbelief as regular viewers do. It’s a blessing and a curse I suppose!

Tell our readers a few fun facts about yourself:

Baseball has always been a passion of mine and I’m one of the biggest Red Sox fans you’ll ever meet. As a kid, I would go around to card shows getting autographs and meeting players like Carl Yastrzemski, Kevin Youkilis, Bernie Carbo, etc. I was a pitcher for Pembroke Academy (2006-09) but that feels like forever ago. I co-wrote and co-directed an original full-length musical in college, which was an exciting yet random venture for me at that time.

What is your favorite ConcordTV event/program?

We’ve got such a wide variety of programming, but the event I always look forward to is Concord On Air, which is produced live from our studio. It’s fun, fast-paced, and really showcases ConcordTV to the public!