Medical Library Association | Publications : Making A Difference

Making A Difference

Working with Broadcast Media—TV or Radio

Broadcast media, particularly television, have grown in influence among most Americans. In the United States today, more than 98 percent of all homes have television sets. Ideas, information and opinions are transferred through these sets to millions of viewers by more than 1,400 commercial stations and more than 9,900 cable systems, each with 20 stations or more. Additionally, more than 9,220 AM and commercial FM stations transmit programs to more than 533 million radios.

A total of 56 percent of Americans say local TV news is extremely important to them and 50 percent say the nightly network news is extremely or very important.

Television and radio allow your audience to see and/or hear you directly. Not only are the facts of your message delivered, but you also have the opportunity to establish credibility with gestures, intonation, delivery, speed and appearance. If not taken into consideration and utilized properly, these audio and visual effects can weaken your message.

First and foremost, before any broadcast interview, you should watch or listen to the show. A professional athlete would never dream of playing an opponent without seeing him in action to analyze his style. A physician would not dream of performing a procedure without analyzing the particular patients' situation. It makes sense to watch or listen to the show and see or hear your interviewer in action before you are interviewed.

Types of Programs
Tips and Tactics
What to Avoid

Types of Programs
Different types of programs offer various lengths of air time. For instance, if you are interviewed on a news program, your comments will probably be limited to 30 seconds or perhaps one minute. A radio call-in program may last for a full hour with interviews and audience phone calls. Guests on television and radio talk shows may appear from five minutes to 15 minutes or a full hour, depending on the format and the number of other guests.

The actual length of your interview also will vary according to how the show is produced C live, taped or taped live. It is important to have an idea of approximately how long your "on-the-air" interview will be.

News Programs
Interviews for news broadcasts require planning. News show interviews are generally brief and to the point. For this reason, you will want to get your main messages across to the news audience in a minimum of well-chosen words.

Anticipate questions you may be asked and picture your reply in the form of a newspaper headline. Try to completely answer a question in no more than 10 to 15 seconds.

Each reply should be a self-contained message, independent of any prior statement or any comment that may follow. If your interview is being broadcast live, the self-contained message approach will work very well for you. If the interview is taped, the context of your message will not be lost when the tape is cut and edited.

Live Interviews
A live news interview rarely lasts longer than one or two minutes and the reporter will be looking for one or two quotes that are memorable, concise and interesting to the viewing or listening audience. In a live interview, the viewing or listening audience sees or hears the broadcast exactly as it takes place. For that reason, a live broadcast allows no margin for error.

Taped Interviews
A taped interview may run as long as 10 or 15 minutes, even though the actual broadcast time may be the same as for a live interview. This means that as much as 80 percent of what you say will never reach the audience because it will be edited out.

Consequently, your individual comments and delivery should carry maximum impact. Again, the reporter will look for the best quote that delivers a memorable, concise and interesting message to the audience.

Taped Live Interviews
When an interview is taped live, a tape is being made for editing while you are being interviewed live. Portions of the interview may be rebroadcast at a later time or date. A live interview of two-minute duration that is broadcast on the 6 p.m. news may have a 30-second question and answer segment rebroadcast on the 11 p.m. news.

Location Filming
Television stations sometimes prefer to tape interviews on location rather than in a studio setting. Stations usually have a mini-camera as part of their standard broadcasting equipment. Rather than have this expensive piece of equipment stand idle in the studio, an enterprising producer may decide to use it for an on-location interview to add to the presentation.

Some of the visuals that work well are scenes of people using the computer to visit sites such as PUBMED or MEDLINE. Shots of a medical librarian typing on a computer keyboard or consulting with a library patron are good visuals since they clearly show medical librarians at work. Be sure to receive approval from any library patrons who may be seen on camera before you allow any filming.

There are only a few preparation details to worry about for an on-location interview. Producers may want to walk through the setting in advance or they may just appear at the appointed time with crew and dollies of equipment.

Although the approach may seem casual, produces know their business and will not risk wasting expensive time and equipment by not being prepared. Although the mini-camera is not a large piece of machinery, sound equipment and lights are sometimes also needed.

You can expect an interviewer, a camera operator and, probably, a crew member for lighting and sound. A producer may accompany the "talent" or on-air person, and "crew" when a longer piece is being produced.

Don't be surprised, however, if only one person shows up to run the camera, ask the questions and do whatever else needs to be done. Many stations have very tight budgets and run on skeleton staff.

The "Nightline"/Remote Camera Format
If you've watched Ted Koppel on "Nightline" or Larry King on CNN, you've probably seen segments where Koppel or King are in their studios interviewing people who are in other parts of the country, viewed on a monitor.

The "Nightline" or remote camera format is one of the most difficult for spokespersons to deal with. Situations differ, but most often, the person being interviewed is alone in a studio—often a dark studio—with nothing other than a chair, perhaps a table, a television monitor and a camera.

It is not unusual for the camera to be aimed at the person's head and locked into position so it cannot move and so a camera operator is not necessary. The spokesperson hears the questions and conversations through an earpiece. The monitor in the studio often shows the picture of the spokesperson, whether the person is on the air or not.

Spokespersons report feeling isolated and disconcerted by this setting. Because you're alone and very often cannot see the other speakers, you feel as though you have no control over the situation, no opportunity to interact or to draw attention to the fact that you'd like to speak.

There are a number of steps you can take to be successful. As with any interview, prepare for the remote camera interview with these important steps:

Decide your message. Know what you are going to say and summarize it in a brief sentence that you can say again and again throughout the interview.
Prove your message. Your message is only your opinion until you prove your point with facts, statistics and other information that backs up what you have to say.
Use examples. Your message will be more meaningful and memorable to your audience if you use one or more examples that illustrate your point.
Remember these remote interview tips. Don't expect to say very much. Very often, remote interview shows pit a person with one point of view against another person with another point of view. The idea is to give viewers various points of view and let them decide the matter. The format is more informational than many others in the broadcast media, but you still are confined by the medium to tackle complex subjects in a very short period of time.

Focus your comments around your single primary message rather than loading in a lot of information. Repeat your main message several times. Keep your sentences short. Use as many memorable examples as possible to illustrate your message. It will be the examples that the audience remembers.

Don't expect to win the debate. If you go in determined to win, you will probably lose. Audiences root for the little guy, the underdog, the person who is polite and reasonable. Think of this as an opportunity to voice a point of view not as a war to be won.

Take the side of the consumer. Remember who your audience is: Mr. and Mrs. Average America. Not your colleagues. Not your boss. Not your peers. The journalist who is interviewing you acts as the advocate for the consumer and you should too. It should be your goal to show how your point of view affects the people in the audience.

Don't make enemies of other guests. You lose credibility when you are hostile towards other guests or when you become defensive responding to their statements. Take the high road. Acknowledge their point of view without agreeing to it. Use such phrases as, "I hear what you're saying," or "I understand your point." Be friendly. Be thoughtful. And also remember, once you are off the air, you may have to deal with these people.

In-studio Shows
Television and radio shows that feature five-minute to hour-long interview opportunities have proliferated in recent years. On television there are the morning talk shows, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today and dozens of local, regional and cable offerings; Oprah and Leeza and their many imitators; and a considerable range of daytime and weekend shows that include host/guest interviews.

Radio has similar counterparts and adds a conglomeration of talk shows devoted to being outrageous, outlandish, controversial or amusing enough to attract a participatory listening audience.

The caveat for spokespersons is: know the show. We can't emphasize often enough the importance of watching or listening to a show before you appear.

Telephone Call-in Shows
Audience participation on many radio shows and some television shows involves telephone call-in questions. As a medical librarian, you are likely to find that people want you to give medical advice, and you will need to remind them that, while you can direct them to good medical information, they still need to see a physician for a medical diagnosis.

Before you arrive at the station, you should think about the kind of issues you might be asked to address and actually practice what you might say if you are asked those questions you wish you could avoid. A few tips will help this kind of broadcast to run smoothly:

Do not be uneasy at the prospect of handling "crank" or "crack-pot" calls. There is usually a time lapse between the caller's comments and the broadcast of these comments to the listening audience. This allows the engineer to "edit" what is broadcast, and any obscene commentary is cut out.
Always be "on your toes." It is often difficult to determine whether callers have finished their questions or commentaries, or if they are simply pausing and intend to continue. You must not allow too much time to lapse before answering, but neither should you be hasty and possibly interrupt a question or thought.
Do not let the caller "bully" you. Nor should you allow yourself to be baited into inadvertently criticizing a person or concept. Given the anonymity in which people can express themselves on call-in shows, callers can become overly aggressive.
Always keep your emotions in check. Many callers thrive on upsetting the guest on call-in shows. If moderators are on their toes, they will not allow the situation to get too out of hand. They will allow a degree of controversy, however, since a spirited exchange keeps the audience tuning in. If you feel your composure beginning to slip, however, suggest to the moderators that they move on.
Handling personal attacks and caller complaints. It is not uncommon for a caller to express a personal complaint about you or your organization. Your goal should be to show the caller — and your host and audience — that you take all complaints seriously, and to move on to the next caller. Try this five-step process to achieve this goal:
1. Validate the caller's concern. People with a complaint want to be reassured that they are being taken seriously — that they have been heard. Hear out the caller and respond with a "validating statement" such as, "I hear you and I want you to know I take your concern very seriously."
2. Separate your profession from the complaint. Impress upon the caller and the audience that the complaint does not reflect the way a professional medical librarian "does business." Continue with a reassurance, such as, "This is certainly not the way we want medical librarians to be regarded — we really care about our clients."
3. Get the caller off the phone by moving the discussion to another time. You want to keep the call as short as possible. Make the offer to handle the complaint personally by suggesting the caller get in touch with you the next day.
4. Reinforce your sincerity with statements like, "I will tell my assistant to let me know immediately when you call so I can discuss this with you in detail and we can resolve this problem."
5. Reinforce your profession's good reputation. Close by stating your organization's philosophy: "The Medical Library Association is the oldest and largest organization representing the medical librarian profession. We are professionals who are committed to providing individuals with accurate and reliable health care information in the most understandable format available."

Controversial and unrelated subjects. Controversial subjects may come up during some interviews, and questions from the media regarding controversies cannot be ignored. The best means of dealing with them is to provide a brief, responsive answer and then lead the interviewer to a more appropriate area of discussion.

Because you are an expert, the media will expect you to have knowledge and opinions on all health care specialties and controversies. If an interviewer strays from your area of knowledge, it is important for you to define for the interviewer the boundaries of your expertise. Often, an inappropriate question can be turned around and used as a platform for a discussion that includes your communications objective.

For example, a medical librarian was appearing on a radio call-in show to discuss ethics. A listener called in and demanded to know his personal views on keeping medical records private. Rather than respond directly to the caller's question, the medical librarian bridged back to her original topic by saying, "My personal views on this sensitive issue would really contribute nothing to this discussion. However, professional standards and certified training programs for medical librarians are key issues that the Medical Library Association deals with on a daily basis. As members of MLA, my colleagues and I...."

She continued by giving examples of how MLA and local members had contributed to upgrading the image and standards for transmission of medical information and illustrated by giving examples of situations that actually occurred.

Bridging words and phrases such as "however," "and," "but," etc. will take you from one topic to the next.

NOTE: It is important that you not play "politician" and ignore the question entirely. Make it clear that you heard the question, address it briefly and bridge to where you want to go.

Tips and Tactics
Broadcast reporters look for a different angle than print reporters because they must be concerned with what their viewers see and/or hear for television and radio. They also are looking for ways to tell the story quickly and concisely. If they interview someone on the air, they are looking for "sound bites," short, memorable and interesting comments that bring a story to life, to put on the air.

For examples of television sound bites, watch your local news and notice how long a spokesperson is on camera and what is said on the air. Keeping sight and sound in mind, here are some tips to follow when you are being interviewed by the broadcast media:

Prepare in advance two or three points (specific communications objectives) you want to get across to your audience.
Whenever possible, spend a minute or two with the reporter or host before the broadcast to review the parameters of the interview. This is an appropriate time to mention the major points you would like to raise during the interview.
Anticipate key questions and be prepared to use those questions as launching pads for your communications objectives.
Anticipate potentially negative questions and prepare responses that focus on positive points.
Don't be defensive; be reasonable and understanding of others' points of view.
End every answer on a positive, upbeat note. Be sincere.
Always tell the truth. Don't try to deceive. There is no way to win with that approach.
Crystallize your ideas and thoughts into a few short, hard-hitting phrases or "sound bites." Unlike the print media, where a reporter can condense your conversation in his article, radio and television interviews must be condensed at inception.
Use examples whenever possible. Examples dramatize the message. However, they should be interesting, brief and develop your point.
Relax. Try to imagine yourself in a living room and speak naturally.
Whenever possible, preview a program before your appearance and learn the style of the host. Familiarity with the show will make you more comfortable and relaxed during your appearance.
Make full use of television's potential as a visual medium. Use real clients, or offer to conduct a quick search for the news reporter as a demonstration. You also can use slides, charts and other visual aids when appropriate.

What to Avoid
There are also certain things to avoid when dealing with the broadcast media:

Unless instructed otherwise, don't look into the television camera. Look directly at the host or person you are addressing; leave camera work to the crew.
Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know," if, in fact, you don't know. Be prepared to paraphrase opinions of other experts or explain frankly that your expertise does not lie in that area if that's the case.
Never be defensive about any aspect of your profession. You know your materials better than your interviewer.
When you encounter an opposing point of view, refrain from restating your critic's position. Instead, say, "I'll let my opponents speak for themselves, but my position is..."
Don't wear pure white or pure black clothing. Pastels and medium tones of gray, blue, or brown work well. Solid colors are most effective; patterns create an illusion of movement. Avoid jewelry that swings or flashes, even lapel pins. Men should wear over the calf socks and be sure to have a clean shave. Women should avoid very short skirts and low necklines. Even v-necks are exaggerated by the camera and make women look "long in the neck."