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On Radio and TV Talk Shows
More than 4,000 talk, interview and local public affairs shows are aired daily in the United States. They reach audiences totaling millions of people. Many radio stations in the USA are exclusively "talk." This forum represents a huge resource for you, the ARRL Public Information Officer. Here's how you can tap it.
Celebrities Only?
Fame never hurts, but isn't strictly necessary to be famous to be booked on talk shows. While a well-known amateur such as the late Senator Barry Goldwater (K7UGA) would get the approving nod in a heartbeat, there are thousands of opportunities for lesser celebrities - like you. An average of half a million interviews annually, on thousands of shows, makes a lot of space for the right people. So who are these "right people?" They are people who talk show producers believe will 1) interest listeners or viewers, and 2) are a good, reliable interview. Your IQ (Interest Quotient) hangs heavily on whether or not people want or need to hear what you have to say. Depending upon the type of show, you must either be controversial, or able to offer them something that can change their lives for the better. Your IQ takes a nosedive, however, if you are a mere poor imitation of someone else; it soars to the heights if you are unique and well-spoken. That "well-spoken" remark comes from the opinion of talk-show experts who believe that how you say it is often more important that what you say. For promoting Amateur Radio we need to convince producers that listeners will find "hamming" an interesting and vital hobby that they might like to join.
A good, reliable interview is several things. First, it is an interviewee (you!) who shows up on the right day, at the right time and in the right place. For a telephone interview (a "phoner") it means that you are at the phone at the right time - and were smart enough to make it a phone in a quiet location and without the "Call Waiting" service. After all, your hollering kids and the "alert" of the Call Waiting signal go out over the air right along with your most eloquent profundities!
A story about Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, involves an incident that happened at a White House party. "Silent Cal" was a man of few words. He was approached during the party by a woman socialite who told him, "Mr. President, I bet Mrs. Smith that I could make you say three words." The dour reply was, "You lose." Don't be a "Silent Cal" interview unless you want some ticked off host to say, "you lose." A "good interview" is one in which you do most of the talking. A "good talk" is able to carry the conversation because he or she is an expert on the topic ... and has lots of material on hand.
A teacher at George Washington University offered his students one piece of advice that should be tattooed on the forearms of all who seek talk show appearances: don't ever speak impromptu. Always be prepared for contingencies in case things don't go the way they were planned. Have a talk or line of questioning planned, and be prepared to talk on it at length. Too much preparation is never a problem, but too little is a disaster.
Types Of Talk Shows
Talk and interview shows come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some are call-in shows, during which listeners telephone the studio and ask their questions live on-the-air. Although this format attracts its share of "interesting" callers, it is also a vigorous arena that taxes you to the limit.
Another format is the cross-the-table interview with no call-ins. This type of interview is typically pretaped for airing at a later time, although some shows do it live.
How To Handle The Tough Interview
Inevitably, if you do a lot of interviews you will encounter either the hostile host or a call-in jerk who wants to make life difficult for you (probably someone with an unresolved TVI complaint). Pioneer TV talk show host Joe Pine sometimes told his guest to go "...gargle with razor blades." Journalist Dan Wooding (Open Doors News Service) said that a person does not really come of age in the interview biz until they have survived an interview on Britain's BBC. According to Wooding, a BBC interview is a vicious rite of passage into the adulthood of the talk show circuit.
But Dan also offered advice on how to handle that kind of interviewer. When he asks a provocative, outrageous or embarrassing question ... ignore it. Answer in a happy, chipper, comfortable and thoroughly congenial manner, but answer by asking a question of your own. You can then burn up about five minutes of that broadcaster's equivalent of a bear trap with your own answer to your own question.
In other cases, the interviewer will ask legitimate questions that, although designed to lead you out onto a shaky verbal pier above a school of man-eating barracudas, are nonetheless in your best interest to answer. Keep it cool, be amiable, and skewer the rogue with a well thought out answer. After all, you have had a lot more time to think about the topic than that overworked talk show host.
Another tough interview is the incompetent host. Guests on talk shows are a dime a dozen, and press releases and PR material comes into the station by the box load. Far too many talk show hosts never even see your stuff until you hand him or her a copy five minutes before airtime. The interview then degenerates into a discussion of the major headings ("Joe, what do you mean by..." as he reads a title to 500,000 listeners). The only hope for the "incomp" interview is to take command and run away with the host's show: yak it up! I suspect that the host will actually be relieved. After all, if he is too lazy to at least speed-read the material that you sent in beforehand, then he is probably too lazy to keep the ball rolling: it's your show from the minute you realize that the host is taking the table of contents route.
How To Get Invited
Fortunately, getting invited on radio and TV talk shows is not too difficult. First, you will have to identify the shows that fit your goals. Is the audience a group of people you're trying to reach? Does amateur radio fit in with the general sorts of topics the covered? There are several avenues open for learning this information. The first step might be to listen to your local radio station to find out what shows are aired locally. You could also ask the local station manager for advice. You can also look in the standard broadcasting industry directories. Although some libraries might have them, in most cases you will have to spend some bucks to buy your own copies. Click here for a list of recommended resources.
Second, you must prepare a press kit. (This is a press kit promoting you as a talk show guest, as opposed to an amateur radio press kit, which you should have as well.) According to Mitch Davis of Broadcast Interview Source, there is a "two-ounce" rule for the press kit. If it weighs more than two-ounces in the envelope, (requiring more than two units of postage) then it is too big.
The press kit should demonstrate that you are experienced with the media (list even one little local interview); if clips are available, include them. Demonstrate why your topic, or your experience, is timely and newsworthy. For example, if Amateurs helped with communications for a storm emergency recently, contact the station or show producer about doing a story. Exploit any seasonal or annual aspects of your topic (Field Day, for example).
Also, if the station or show has a narrow range of listeners, then there might be an Amateur Radio angle that can be exploited. For example, if there is a local Christian radio station in your town, then tune in on and become familiar with the Halo Missionary Net (21.390 MHz, 1800Z). This topic can also be exploited for personal appearances, lunch and breakfast talks, and other gatherings of local religious groups. I found that both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches are eager to hear talks on their missionaries from a radio perspective. it's fresh, different, and so relevant to their own interests.
Expand your topic to include the greatest number of listeners. ALWAYS be a primary source ("I'm kinda like So-and-So" won't cut it - they'll go get ol' So and-So instead of you). Make sure that your phone number appears in at least three places in the press kit.
In a seminar for Washington's Open University, Mitch Davis and his associate Joe Shafran stressed the importance of a little hype to get the producer to actually open your letter (many - maybe most - wind up in the circular file unopened). Use a real stamp, not a postage meter stamp, and a well-designed envelope that stands out (but not too much glitz, please). Don't use computer generated mailing labels. In fact, Davis recommends hand writing the address on the envelope. Above all, address the press kit to a real person - not just "guest coordinator" or "producer." If you have to call the show or station to find out the correct name, then do it. In fact, it is a good idea to call the person anyway. Ask for about thirty seconds of time, and then use it (and no more unless invited to do so) to tell him why you would be a good guest, and state that "some additional information" (the press kit) will hit his desk any day now.
Make yourself visible. A press kit, although very valuable, is a temporary asset at best. It dies (if not on arrival) very soon after arrival. The "we'll file it against the day when..." is the kiss of death. "The day when..." never comes.
Cable TV Public Access
Most areas served by cable TV have a "Public Access" channel that can be used by just about anyone. Rules for getting the program sent over the system vary from locality to locality. Some system operators may require you to record the program using your personnel. This can be a great club project! Your program should be lively, entertaining and engaging enough to pique the viewer's interest. Having some visuals, which could be equipment, graphics, photos, videos of Field Day or other activities also adds to the presentation. The less time spent on just "talking heads" the better.
Like all programs, your cable access show should have a topic and a beginning, middle and end. Good planning is a must. With all that's going on in Amateur Radio, your club could produce an ongoing series!
Conclusion
The radio-TV interview is one of the most powerful and rewarding methods to promote a book, a cause, an idea ... or Amateur radio. It works, it is accessible and it's for you.
