Talk show hosts by nature are just that. They talk! Sometimes less is more. Here are some interview tips to have impactful interviews on your show.
Less is Really More
20 years ago, on CNN, there was this man named Larry King. Larry was amazing at asking short questions. He could be brief and get really good answers.
I have worked with hosts that have asked 60-second questions for 2-word answers. Guests are better when they are allowed to speak.
I tell every guest before airtime, they will get a win, and I will be asking a tough question. I always make the tough questions fair. Eric Greitens was running for the U.S. Senate in Missouri in 2022. He was a former governor who resigned from his position over several controversies. Missouri voters had a lot of affection for the former Governor. I had one question that no one had the balls to ask, “Governor, when cornered in Jefferson City, you quit. How do I know that you won’t quit under pressure in DC?”
Greitens had no answer. You could literally hear his brain rattle. I tossed him some softballs. He got the win, and I asked the question that no one had asked him. I always try to pick the right moment for the easy question and for the difficult one. My job is to ask the questions that my audience would like to ask. That is your job as well.
I generally like to throw the guest off, just to get them to be honest. Every interaction is different. Nothing is the same in an interview. Try never to be predictable. If I think that the newsmaker or candidate is nervous, I make them comfortable first. If they give you a crap answer, call them on it. Use lines like, “Oh, Come On…”, or “Really? I find that had to believe”. Get them to be honest.
Have Your Personal Goal From an Interview
Don’t interview just to kill time. I generally want to get a certain result. Not for me, but for my audience. Ask yourself the following questions: Why is this guest on my show? What does my typical audience member want to know? These are your typical goals.
If you cannot name a reason why you are interviewing the guest, cancel it. Not worth it. My target listener is a man in his mid-40s. What is important to him?
The Gotcha Question
This is appealing to many talk show hosts, and it better be good. If you are only asking questions set to embarrass the guest or promote yourself, guests will be quite wary.
I have hosted talk shows for a quarter century. There are only a few guests that won’t come on with me. These people are either too sensitive or just hate my point of view. I have never set out to humiliate a guest. It is the Kobayashi maru (the no-win scenario).
When you book a guest, you want them to be excited about appearing on the show
Early in my career, I produced The Barbara Carlson Show on the fabled AM 1500 KSTP in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Barbara had built a reputation as a strong interviewer. People wanted to be on the show because of the ratings and the buzz around the show.
Barbara was interviewing a state official. She asked him if he knew a woman named Alice. He said that he did not. After the interview, I asked Barbara about the question. Barbara told me that the guest had been having an affair with Alice for a decade and she wanted him to know who was boss in the discussion. It was a baller move. Made the guest honest for the remaining time of the interview.
Have a Conversation With Your Guest
This can be quite difficult. Many people come on your show with an agenda to promote. This is not their broadcast. You are the host and it’s about your audience. If the guest just promotes their stuff, you are wasting your audience’s time.
My mantra is to provide my audience with a listener-focused experience. It’s not about me, it’s not about the guest, it is always about your audience. You are giving the guest free promotion of their idea, product, or candidacy.
I want to bring up publicists. These people make their living by booking guests on radio and tv shows.
I have a couple of rules. No local guests from a publicist. These people can purchase advertising. Don’t let the publicist steal money from your mouth. I am sure that, like me, you get dozens of guest pitches a month. The only guests that I book through a publicist are people that I would actually want on my show. Always remember that this is your show.
The publicist may want you to speak with the guest on a particular topic. If there is a huge news story that is better, go that way. It’s your show, audience, and station.
Candidates want to be interviewed. I have people that I like more than others. I don’t endorse in primaries, and I don’t treat anyone differently. 2024 will be here soon. Your state may have races for governor, senate, etc. that will be competitive. Your audience is smart. Don’t insult their intelligence. They will figure it out.
I hope that these tips were helpful and at least gave you a few ideas on how to approach interviews.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He recently served as program director for WHO/KXNO in Des Moines, IA. Prior to that role he held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
