The Limits of Talk Radio
A week of doing radio interviews has left me vaguely disgusted with myself. Honestly, if all you knew about Margaret Thatcher was what you'd heard me say in one of these interviews, you wouldn't know much. It's not for want of trying on my part, but there's just no time to make a serious argument this way.
Even as the words are coming out of my mouth, I'm thinking, "That doesn't really make sense if I don't explain the context; there's an obvious counter-argument; that's too simplistic." But I don't have time to elaborate, and the medium itself militates against equivocation and hesitation--you can't say, "Well, the answer is quite complicated, let's look at unemployment rates in various regions of Britain from 1979 to the present, keeping in mind the different government definitions of 'unemployment' and some of the technological changes in various industries ... " because by the time you're done with that sentence, you're breaking for the commercial.
Most of these interviews run about six minutes long, absolute maximum half an hour. And what I end up saying--that unemployment came down under Thatcher--is really not enough to understand the story. It doesn't convey at least two essential points: first, that it skyrocketed before it came down, causing immense misery; second, that in some parts of Britain, it still hasn't come down. People who end up thinking, because of something I've said, "Thatcherism worked!" won't appreciate that it worked at a very high cost. They would not be sufficiently well-informed if they declared, based on what I've argued, that they wanted a good dose of Thatcherism in America, and they wouldn't understand what this will probably entail.
I know, I know--people won't form firm political opinions just because they hear me speak on the radio. I haven't dived off the deep end of the vanity pool here; I know I'm not that influential. But on aggregate, if they're just getting their news from the radio, I don't think they'd be getting a deeper perspective on any political issue, would they? Am I wrong about that?
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Comments :
Jun '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
I think you have to treat radio interviews like comedians treat the Tonight Show. Pick out three or four of your best one-liners, weave them together, and hope when you're done that they remember your name. You're just trying to drive them to Amazon, where they can get some more info, and hopefully put you in their checkout cart.
Jul '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Radio Host:
"OK, let's go to our callers...um...Earl in Rapid City, you're on the line with our guest, Claire Berlinski."
Caller:
"Hi. Can you hear me? Good. Um, Ms. Berlinski, wasn't Margaret Thatcher's husband a homosexual and didn't her son get rich on sweetheart deals?"
Claire:
"Um, um. I, uh, really don't know what to say to a question like that..."
Host:
"Well, let's go to...Ginny...in New Haven."
Caller:
"Hi, thanks for taking my call. I just want to say that Margaret Thatcher reminds me of Sarah Palin, except for the moose thing..."
Claire:
"Well, I can sort of see your point. And quite right, Lady Thatcher was not an avid hunter..."
Host:
"Ginny, thanks for your call. We're coming up on a hard break. I want to thank our guest, Clair Berluski...
Claire:
"Berlinski."
Host:
"Berlinski,whatever. Be sure to check out her book, "What Margaret Thatcher Says"..
Claire:
"Why Margaret Thatcher Matters" And it's available on Amaz..."
Commercial break
May '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Claire - If you've ever listened to Rush on the radio, you've probably heard him make his 6-week plea. He is aware of the limitations of his medium and always asks new listeners and critics alike to listen to at least 6 full weeks of programming before they reach any conclusions. Sans commercials, that's roughly 54 hours of radio. That's way longer than an audio book.
Your experience is all on the fringes. Don't make too much of it.
May '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Claire, it's off topic, I realize, but I wanted to thank you for your "Ban the Burqua" article. I read it yesterday, after Mark Steyn praised it on the podcast, and I admire it as much as he does.
We are up against the limits of Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Expression.
It's a scary place to be.
May '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Sure it's frustrating. But how much broadcast exposure would you have had 25 years ago before Limbaugh revolutionized AM radio?
Jun '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
I echo the P(ol)aris-ian Frenchie... Radio is a commercial or banner ad to entice people to your website/bookstore. Either that, or it is the beginnings of foreplay on the platform of a dunking tank at a State Fair - expect a kerplunk if it starts getting good.
Byte your tongue, and be as provocative as you can. You would make such a better Ann Coulter than she is...
Edited on Sep 6, 2010 at 10:05amRe: The Limits of Talk Radio
Claire, I've been on both sides of the microphone hundreds of times, and the frustration can be great on either side. There's not much to be done but to come to terms with it. That means, as the interviewer, not asking open-ended questions (and being prepared) and, as the interviewee, going in with the three or four "big points" you'd like to make. And, for better or worse, you have to keep in mind that, (a.) it's entertainment and (b.) it's a commercial. There are a few things you need to know about Bayer Aspirin to give you the impetus to purchase it, but you don't need to know precisely how the product interacts with your system. Listeners don't need to understand the detailed relationship between Thatcherism and unemployment, but they do need to know that they can learn about it in that terrific book written by the charming and funny Claire Berlinski. As to your larger point about people getting their news from the radio: if that's the limit of their knowledge, their perspective is, I'm afraid, likewise limited.
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
One more thought, if I may. One of the great disappointments of 24-hour news networks is the "bang! bang!" nature of their coverage. The promise of all-day news was in-depth reporting; the reality is that they're always running late for the next abs-strengthening commercial.
Jul '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Pat:
Did you mean to say, "Not asking closed-ended questions?"
And Claire's problem is that she doesn't have a face made for radio.
Jul '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
I've said it before: the only truly excellent journalism on radio is John Batchelor. Fresh, in-depth, intellectually challenging.
Which is why his ratings are probably about 1/1000th of the Bass Fishing Channel.
May '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
I hope you noticed that I took a bit of a different tactic on the podcast. I know that 26 minutes isn't nearly enough time to cover the ground that needs to be covered on Thatcher. The very best I could do as a host is to get you talking about a few interesting tidbits to let my listeners know how interesting she is and how gifted a writer you are, and drive them relentlessly toward the book. I hope it worked!
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Kenneth
Pat:
Did you mean to say, "Not asking closed-ended questions?"
And Claire's problem is that she doesn't have a face made for radio. · Sep 6 at 10:08am
On your first point, Kenneth, I did mean "open-ended" as in, "Tell us about Margaret Thatcher?" I think it can help the interview if you can guide it more specifically (presuming you're prepared to do so). As to your second, you are, of course, correct.
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Kenneth: Radio Host:
"OK, let's go to our callers...um...Earl in Rapid City, you're on the line with our guest, Claire Berlinski."
Caller:
"Hi. Can you hear me? Good. Um, Ms. Berlinski, wasn't Margaret Thatcher's husband a homosexual and didn't her son get rich on sweetheart deals?"
Claire:
"Um, um. I, uh, really don't know what to say to a question like that..."
Host:
"Well, let's go to...Ginny...in New Haven."
Caller:
"Hi, thanks for taking my call. I just want to say that Margaret Thatcher reminds me of Sarah Palin, except for the moose thing..."
Claire:
"Well, I can sort of see your point. And quite right, Lady Thatcher was not an avid hunter..."
Host:
"Ginny, thanks for your call. We're coming up on a hard break. I want to thank our guest, Clair Berluski...
You've hit on the biggest dilemma for a guest on talk radio: those pesky callers. You just have to cross your fingers and hope for a good call screener.
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Actually, I thought that was one of the much-better interviews, precisely because we didn't try to cover "All essential aspects of the Thatcher story" and instead focused on a few entertaining, lesser-known aspects of it. That's probably the way to go with all of them. And by the way, thank you again for all the kind things you said about the book.
May '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Does anybody listen to Rush for the callers?
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Pat Sajak
You've hit on the biggest dilemma for a guest on talk radio: those pesky callers. You just have to cross your fingers and hope for a good call screener. · Sep 6 at 10:18am
I like the callers best, even when they're weird. The call-ins are the most real and spontaneous part of this sort of thing.
Edited on Sep 6, 2010 at 10:26amRe: The Limits of Talk Radio
Mark Lewis: Byte your tongue, and be as provocative as you can. You would make such a better Ann Coulter than she is... · Sep 6 at 10:00am
Edited on Sep 06 at 10:05 am
I find myself doing this, but then regretting it afterwards--feeling that I put playing to the audience ahead of doing justice to a subject that requires a bit more seriousness. Oh, well. I'm not going to agonize over it. The book is out there, if people want to read it. Right?
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
Yes! I've been on his show a few times and I did not feel guilty afterwards. Actually, I feel good about most of the longer shows--Prager is excellent, too. It's the two-minute infomercial shows that just leave me uneasy, even if I understand that the mission brief is to sell the book.
Edited on Sep 6, 2010 at 10:33amRe: The Limits of Talk Radio
katievs: Claire, it's off topic, I realize, but I wanted to thank you for your "Ban the Burqua" article. I read it yesterday, after Mark Steyn praised it on the podcast, and I admire it as much as he does.
We are up against the limits of Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Expression.
It's a scary place to be. · Sep 6 at 9:52am
Oh, thank you! I'm glad you thought it was worthwhile.
Jul '10
Re: The Limits of Talk Radio
EJHill
Does anybody listen to Rush for the callers? · Sep 6 at 10:25am
Yes. They do. It's their only chance for a national audience.