TCC Analysis • August 19, 2024
By Art Harman, Senior Vice President – Policy · August 19, 2024
Here’s how you can give your viewpoint on talk radio shows. Radio talk shows are an excellent way you can bypass liberal media bias to educate or rally to action thousands or even millions of people with one phone call or message.
Call the local talk shows in your area—those will be the easiest to reach. You can also call the national shows such as those hosted by Dan Bongino, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, and Mark Levin. You can even set listeners straight on liberal shows!
Sometimes hosts will invite more calls by saying “we have a line open” or by repeating their call-in number. Add talk show call-in numbers to your phone contacts so you can instantly call when they discuss an issue to which you wish to add your comments.
Post Your Comments: Some talk shows read on-air questions and comments that were posted on their X/Twitter, Facebook and other social media pages, or emailed to the station. Take advantage by posting your questions, comments, and links to articles. You can alert the host about issues they haven’t discussed.
Be Prepared: Work out what you want to say or what questions you want to ask. You’ll have some time on hold waiting to go on the air, so use that time well. You may find that writing down and/or rehearsing what you want to say will make it easier; or just write down a few talking points.
Be Concise: All shows have a limited time per call (some shows are very fast-paced), and you may have only a few seconds to make your point before they take another call, so get in your most important points immediately. Example: “Congress is going to vote next week on H.R. 1234, the bill which would (describe bill). I urge everyone to call their Congressman today in support/opposition to H.R. 1234.”
Don’t introduce yourself unless you are calling as a representative of an organization. If you have more than one question or statement, say so at the start: “I’ve got two quick points,” otherwise the host may hang up after you make your first point, assuming you were done.
Don’t Get Ambushed: If a hostile host asks a question that is not what you want to talk about, just say what you were planning to say regardless. Be polite but don’t answer their (sometimes leading) question at all, and don’t sound defensive.
The Call Screener: Talk shows have screeners who will ask what your question or comment is, so be prepared with a very brief summary.
The more calls they have waiting, the more tightly they may screen them (selecting only the most interesting questions/comments). National shows will screen even more tightly than local shows. Sound confident and prepared or you’ll lose the first test of a screener.
Some shows offer an “open microphone” day or hour where they’ll take calls on any topic.
Some shows can be very difficult to reach, particularly nationwide shows, as well as local shows when discussing a hot topic. If it takes you dozens of redials and half an hour on hold to reach thousands or even a million listeners, you can look at it as a good investment to educate so many people about your issue.
You can use the “7-second delay” to your advantage: dial or redial the number several seconds before a call is over–listen for the clues from the caller and host–and you may connect just as the caller hangs up.
Be a Guest. If you are particularly knowledgeable and articulate about an issue, ask local talk show producers to be a guest on their show. You could educate a great many people about your issue in detail.
Call the station’s regular business line and make your pitch to the show’s producer why you would be an interesting guest. Point out any credentials you have as an expert on your topic, and send your bio and links to any published works (which could include letters to the editor, blogs, college papers, etc.). National shows look for representatives of an organization or a recognized expert.
Promote it: Post on your social media the podcast link of your time on the air from the station’s website.
X-Spaces: You may have heard about or listened to Elon Musk’s ‘X (Twitter) Space’ discussion with President Trump. There are many ‘Spaces’ every day, each on different subjects, and you can join in to listen or make a comment. You can also create one of your own.
Podcasts: You can start a podcast or video show at little or no cost. It could be live or pre-recorded. You can host the show with one of many podcasting companies. A podcast focusing on local politics may attract considerable numbers in your city. A laptop or phone is all you need to host the show anywhere.
Technology has opened up many avenues for everyone to reach great audiences. You can help counter the lies on the liberal media, and help voters learn who the best candidates are.
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