Confronting confrontation in radio interviews
Having finished a confrontational radio interview, Lowell Massachusetts school committee member, Jackie Doherty attends a breakfast meeting and is introduced to one of the radio station’s owners:
We talked about whether radio had to be nasty to attract listeners. He said you can have “provocative” radio without being overly negative (wouldn’t that be something).
The culture of radio in the United States over the last couple of decades has grown increasingly confrontational. Whether you experience this, of course, depends on how controversial your subject matter is, but I think some radio personalities will look for controversy and confrontation on any subject because they feel that’s what their listeners want. It’s yet another reason for making sure you’re familiar with the style and personality of your host before going into an interview.
Posted: October 13th, 2007 under Ambush Interviews, Guest Experiences, Interviews Gone Bad, Media Interview Preparation.