The Montpelier Happy Hour

This award-winning show, The Montpelier Happy Hour usually starts with a question and ends with a toast. Each week's conversation explores the stories, beliefs, and assumptions behind the policies that shape our lives. Host, Journalist Olga Peters and Regular contributor State Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, share their unique perspectives on Vermont, their communities, and government. Bring your curiosity, your inner geek, and your favorite beverage.Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker.

The Montpelier Happy Hour is a news podcast hosted by Olga Peters, with 200 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Olga Peters hosts The Montpelier Happy Hour, a news show with 200 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #27

  Amanda Janoo on strong communities, building an economy that serves Vermont, and managed decline

  Jul 31, 20261 hourS8

  July 31, 2026: Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Amanda Janoo joins the conversation this week. She discusses increasing local control, remaining optimistic, her experience with The Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership (WEGo), and building a unified vision for Vermont. A reminder to voters: Vermont's primary is August 11. The state holds open primaries so you don't need to register with a party to vote. To learn more about Amanda Janoo: https://www.janooforvt.com/ Information on WEGo: https://weall.org/wego/ Here is a recent debate between Richards and fellow gubernatorial candidate Amanda Janoo: https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2026-07-23/vermont-2026-democratic-primary-debate-governor Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #26

  Aly Richards on empathy, defining affordability, and the devil you know

  Jul 24, 202659 minS8

  July 24, 2026: Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Aly Richards stops by The Montpelier Happy Hour. We discuss core values, what it means to be program rich and systems poor, activating leadership, and making Vermont more affordable. A reminder to voters: Vermont's primary is August 11. The state holds open primaries so you don't need to register with a party to vote. To learn more about Aly Richards: https://alyforvt.com/ Here is a recent debate between Richards and fellow gubernatorial candidate Amanda Janoo: https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2026-07-23/vermont-2026-democratic-primary-debate-governor Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #25

  REBROADCAST: Our Political Ancestor: Governor Deane Davis

  Jul 17, 202648 minS8

  December 27, 2024: In our final episode of 2024, Amanda Kay Gustin, Director of Collections & Access at the Vermont Historical Society, shares her thoughts on Vermont's 74th governor. Davis is known for enacting the state's sales tax and land use law, Act 250. In this conversation, we use Davis' farewell address as a touchstone. Read Davis' 1973 farewell address here: https://sos.vermont.gov/media/guclccwd/davis1973.pdf Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #24

  A deep dive into the Vermont Primary, campaign money, and polling with John Walters

  Jul 10, 202653 minS8

  July 10, 2026 (prerecorded 7/9): With the Vermont Primary only weeks away, John Walters of The Vermont Political Observer shares his takeaways from candidates' recent campaign filings. We also discuss recent poll results from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Check out John's work at https://thevpo.org/ Read the University of New Hampshire Survey Center's Green Mountain State Poll: https://scholars.unh.edu/survey_center_polls/970/ Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #23

  America at 250 and Celebrating the Ongoing Experiment with John Hagen

  Jul 3, 202654 minS8

  July 3, 2026 (prerecorded 7/2): John Hagen, retired Air Force Officer and chapter head of Indivisible Porto, shares his insights on America's 250th anniversary. In this episode, we discuss civic identity, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith's Declaration of Conscience, and the role of "othering" in US politics. Read the Declaration of Conscience here: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/SmithDeclaration.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net/

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Montpelier Happy Hour. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.