TV & Radio

‘The Takeaway’ competes with ‘Morning Edition’ on NPR

Publicity Hounds, you have a new program on National Public Radio to add to your publicity toolbox. It’s called “The Takeaway,” a rival to “The Morning Edition.” It’s a chatty, less-formal, more interactive program that launched yesterday on PBS in New York, Boston, Baltimore and several smaller cities. Hosted by John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji, the… Read More

TV interview tip: Don’t use the anchor’s name

The next time you do a TV interview, follow this tip from TV producer Shawne Duperon’s newsletter. Only use the anchor’s or reporter’s name when you’re saying hello. Never repeat it when you’re answering a question. “Your goal, as an interviewee, is to have the audience feel like you’re talking to them. Repeating the anchor’s name can make… Read More

Reality TV shows: How to sell your idea to Hollywood

Everybody, it seems, wants their own reality TV show like American Idol, The Apprentice or Project Runway. But how do you break into the lucrative world of reality TV, whether you’ve got an idea for a multi-million-dollar series or a low-budget niche show on cable? Be in West Hollywood from 7 to 10 p.m. on Monday, March 3. That’s when Media Bistro… Read More

Top 10 ways authors can make radio interviews pay

Joe Sabah, author of the book “How to Get the Job You Really Want—and Get Employers to Call You” brags that he’s sold $357,000 worth of books by doing 682 radio interviews “and 680 of them by phone.” He’s one of the masters of radio interviewing and he shares these 10 tips on how to make… Read More

Embarrassing a reporter during an interview can backfire

When you’re doing a media interview and the reporter asks you a question you’d rather not answer, never say “no comment.” The only thing that’s worse than that response is trying to embarrass the reporter by asking an unrelated question so preposterous that it’s designed to throw him off guard. People who do that usually end up… Read More

Dirty hotel glasses story on D.C. radio show today

Thanks to Publicity Hound Natasha Henry, a writer for the Tower Federal Credit Union in Laurel, Maryland, for letting me know that the story on dirty hotel glasses, which I wrote about several weeks ago, was featured this morning on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” on 96.3 WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C. “It’s interesting to see how fast this story is getting… Read More

Newspaper, radio layoffs, buyouts can work to your advantage

It’s time to say buh-bye to some of your favorite reporters. Right now, all over the U.S., there’s an exodus of experienced, high-profile, high-priced journalists taking early retirement. To boost profits, newspapers are offering buy-outs to some of their veteran staff members who will be replaced with cheaper, less experienced reporters and editors. Here in… Read More

Overweight sugar addicts wanted for TV show

Connie Bennett, author of the book “Sugar Shock,” alerted her readers in this blog post that the casting company that producted “The Biggest Loser” is looking for overweight sugar addicts to be part of the show. You must be available for shooting on Saturdays in February. They must hear from you today.

Oprah crisis: Topic of my first blog for Huffington Post

“What CEOs Can Learn from Oprah’s Sex Abuse Scandal” is my first contribution as a blogger for the Huffington Post. They posted it it under both Business and Entertainment. I elaborated on an item I wrote here, giving Oprah high marks for managing the sex abuse scandal at her $40 million academy for girls in South Africa so thoroughly that she left… Read More