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“What Makes a Guest GREAT?” By Roberta Gale Vanderslice Vanderslice Media Coaching If you’re a typical author who wants to start promoting your book on radio or TV shows, you’ve probably watched or listened to hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews over the course of your life. But how many of those interviews truly stand out? If you’re lucky, perhaps a handful. If you’re very lucky, perhaps a larger handful. The point is, that elusive butterfly we call the great interview doesn’t happen often, and it rarely happens by accident. In an attempt to help authors attain that interview nirvana a bit more often, I’ve asked a number of top talent and producers to share their thoughts on guests they considered to be the cream of the crop. I’ve made an effort to interview a broad spectrum of talent, from Hot Talk to Conservative Talk to Women’s Talk to Sports Talk to talk-intensive music morning shows. Obviously, the nature of the individual talent as well as the target demographics of the station will determine some of the answers. But you will find that some basic qualities of a great guest transcend format and individual differences. Here are the questions I asked. 1, What are the qualities of a great guest? 2. Could you give specific examples of guests you thought were great, whether or not they are well known? 3. If you could give one tip to a guest who was going to appear on your show, what would it be? A great guest has energy, an interesting topic, is conversational and says either very intelligent or very stupid things.
My great
guest list: Chris Matthews (politics), Leo LaPorte (computers), GraceAnn Walden
(restaurants), Rev. Lou Sheldon (family values), Willie Brown (politics). A great guest shouldn't think of themselves as a guest. In other words, they shouldn't have a preconceived idea of where the conversation is going to go. They should trust that the host knows to give out the website and the book name. Don't try so hard. Follow the host's lead and just let go. Baseball hall of fame announcer Ernie Harwell was a great guest because he was comfortable with himself. Another great guest was a guy who was selling this bizarre device that was supposed to add inches to your manhood by hanging weights on it. My partner and I doubted this was a real product so we called a number and sweet talked this guy into coming on the air with us with no notice whatsoever. He was funny and honest and interesting, all because he did NOT have time to think about it. He was just himself. My guest tip: don't have your guard up. Accept that even a less than stellar interview as a real person will be far more memorable than one as a polished, slick ”‘guest.” Jeff Deminski Afternoon drive host Live 97.1 FM, Detroit
A great guest is upbeat, passionate and REAL about whatever they are on the
show to discuss. Some people forget that they are ON THE AIR, so they just talk,
without any FEELING. They drone on.... Speaking of which, when interviewing
novelists, why is it that the art of conversation is lost? Often, many authors
forget that their on-air performance should be as interesting as the XM Satellite Radio
A great guest
has passion, convictions, and a touch of a chip on the shoulder. Any two of the
three will get you a pretty good guest. Evening talk host Westwood One Radio.
A great guest makes a story or issue come alive. Hearing them connects the
audience much more than the host simply setting up the topic or issue. We are in
the conversation business and the guest advances it in the same way a witness
does in a trial. Dom Giordano Evening host WPHT-AM, Philadelphia A great guest is concise, funny, someone who speaks in sound bites but is happy to embellish if asked. We want someone who can fit into the show and have a real conversation with us rather than give us an interview. Sadly, many authors are bad talkers. If I had a dime for every time some publicist said “He/she is GREAT, WITTY and ENTERTAINING on the air!!” I’d be wealthy, because they almost NEVER are. Tom Bergeron, host of Hollywood Squares, is an awesome guest. He’s not famous, but he is funny and he “plays along”. If we’re talking about Polish sausage on the show for some reason, he will have five minutes of polish sausage stories, and he can still creatively sell his show without it sounding like a commercial. I would tell a guest that you must know what kind of show you’re going to be on. Is it a male locker room, a soft rock music show, or hard core news/talk? Be ready to adlib and have some fun. John Scott Morning producer STAR 101.3 FM, San Francisco
Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, is the best sports
talk guest in the history of radio. His passion for the game and for what he
does is second to none. He has the ability to create the moment in your head
with his words, and the images that his company has created over the years fills
in the rest. He is wonderful. My favorite interview, and one of the toughest,
was the late Charles Schulz, the author of "Peanuts." I had him on a talk show
one night during a baseball strike to discuss Charlie Brown's team, since they
weren't on strike. He was ultra shy, and couldn't believe the topic. However, he
knew that I was prepared and that I was a fan, and he began to trust the
premise. I can still hear him laughing at the thought of Charlie Brown's team
not striking. On television, the best guest is somebody who is not afraid of the
camera and who embraces it. I can think of a few NHL players, like Jeremy
Roenick, who steal the camera and that's fine with me. KDKB-FM, Phoenix Have some energy!!!! There is a zero-tolerance policy on boring guests on our show, I don't care who they are. If one slips on, we'll hang up on him. Without an engaging delivery, you have no chance to get on. Most two-bit activists are great guests because they
know what they want to say and have a strong passion for it. Some have
psychological disorders, but mental illness always plays well on the radio. The John and Ken Show KFI, Los Angeles. First off, a guest needs to "get it"; that is, a guest needs to realize that this is a talk radio program, not a lecture or public speaking. The guest needs to listen to figure out what the host needs from him. Guests also need to realize that talk radio is entertainment. That doesn't mean that they need to be something they are not. But if they aren't entertaining, the host isn't going to want to have them on very long, won't have them back again, and won't recommend them to others in the industry. A guest also needs to be knowledgeable and credible. Claiming what you say is fact when it's not is "guest suicide". Many of the "name" guests haven't proven to be very good talk radio guests. I hear far too many hosts booking a guest because they are a “name”, and the guests end up being lame. One guest that stands out on our station is a local attorney by the name of Joe Friedberg. He understands what a host wants: smart and honest answers, little or no "spin", natural, entertaining conversation, a sense of humor, and a wonderful ability to explain the complex in entertaining, understandable terms. Ann Coulter also comes to mind. She might not always pass muster on the "spin" criteria, but she is entertaining, strong in her convictions, and has a great ability to explain her points while not sounding like a boring college professor. Understand that radio is an intimate, one-on-one medium. You're not standing at a podium talking to an assembled audience. You're talking to a host, and being listened to by one audience member at a time. Be real, be you. Joe O'Brien, Program Director/host AM 1500 KSTP Minneapolis/St. Paul I treat guests the same way I treat callers to my show. That is, the guest and I engage in a conversation for the purpose of informing and entertaining the audience with pacing and content sufficiently strong to stimulate further callers and development of the topic(s). Whether it has been John Lott on gun control or Arnold Schwarzenegger on running for governor, these guests (just like callers) last only so long on the air as they continue to stimulate me through interesting information provided in an entertaining way. My producer prepares guests for their time on my show by prompting them to answer questions quickly, urging them to make their major points as rapidly as possible, and warning them that there’ll be plenty of rapid-fire interaction between what they are saying, what I’m asking, and the comments of other callers. Roger Hedgecock Afternoon Host News Radio 600 KOGO San Diego I hope you found the words of these professionals helpful. Use them as a guide to help you choose the way you tackle an interview or understand why a particular interview did or didn’t go as planned. And my advice for guests? Trust your instinct, never forget who’s listening, and do everything you can to make the interview entertaining. Roberta Gale Vanderslice holds a Master’s degree in journalism and has spent 27 years as a talk host in the New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, Baltimore, Atlanta, Washington DC, and Cleveland markets. She was nationally syndicated by Westwood One and has hosted shows for the ABC Radio Network. Roberta has interviewed thousands of people from Cher to Jesse Jackson, and is co-owner of Vanderslice Media, which offers an individualized program to develop or improve the on-air skills of authors and experts, and provides supporting promotional material. www.vanderslicemedia.com
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