More and more in recent years, many news/talk radio hosts have decided that they’d rather keep their albeit limited time during their shows for themselves and not devote precious time to interview subjects. 1210 WPHT host Dom Giordano isn’t in that group.
Giordano is a staple in the Philadelphia radio scene. This means an invitation to appear on his show brings instant credibility to both the subject and the audience. And he uses it to his advantage, truly focusing his show on local issues.
Rarely will a day go by where Giordano doesn’t have a local newsmaker — whether it be an elected official, business leader, or another media member — on his program.
Last Friday, Dom Giordano welcomed Philadelphia Councilman Mark Squilla to his show to discuss the fight for a new arena for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
To begin the interview, Dom Giordano bluntly stated that he was against any effort to build a new arena for the franchise in the Chinatown neighborhood. He added that he understands council members don’t usually get an avenue at meetings to express their full opinions on topics, which was why he was welcoming the councilman to the show.
Frankly, Dom Giordano is a hound dog. He sniffs out poppycock and calls it out if he believes he’s being lied to. He’s keenly aware of what his job is as an interviewer: get answers for my listeners. And if he thinks he’s not getting an honest opinion, he’ll pepper the newsmaker until a satisfactory answer is given, which is a giant plus as a news/talk radio listener.
He also isn’t afraid to cut off an interview subject if they’re rambling or not answering the question. He’s got a great sense of knowing when tune-out could be coming from his audience. For instance, at one point near the mid-point of this particular interview when discussion turned to public transit at the potential new arena, he chimed in by saying “Why would I think that SEPTA (the public transit authority in Philadelphia) could accomplish anything? To me, SEPTA is ill-run and unsafe.”
Additionally, Giordano doesn’t ask superfluous questions to eat up time until the next segment. He asks pertinent questions, gets what he needs/can from an interview subject, and wraps it up. He then does a good job of recapping what was just said before sharing his opinions on the topic, inviting listeners into a deeper level of the conversation.
Now, despite the good, there are some negatives.
As a host on a conservative station, Giordano has an obvious slant to question at times. For instance, when the councilman shared that they had heard from residents of the Chinatown neighborhood who said they would view the potential arena as a detriment, Giordano questioned if they would get more preferential treatment from the city because of their minority status and the optics of not listening to those constituents.
Depending on your viewpoint, it can be viewed as an interviewer trying to play all sides of an issues. But that particular question — in my opinion — felt more like a “They would tell White people in Philadelphia to suck it up and put the arena in a particular neighborhood even if 100% of the people disagreed, but they won’t do that in Chinatown because…well we know why,” tone.
Despite the conservative nature of the show and station, Giordano doesn’t play in the hyperbolic sandbox, which is a welcomed listen. In an insanely local topic like this, it would be incredibly easy to call the situation “the worst I’ve ever seen,” or something similar. But Giordano is known for being a logical and rational radio host, and that comes through in his interview style.
The other thing that Giordano can be knocked for during his interviews is make statements to the guest rather than ask questions. During this particular conversation, there were seven questions in just under 12 minutes.
But of the seven “questions”, three were of the “no query” variety. Where he made a statement, and waited for the councilman to respond. It’s the first of the seven deadly sins of interviewing. When you’re asking someone questions, you have to questions. Is there something to be said for a conversation rather than an interview? Yes. But in this instance the guest wasn’t a co-host, contributor, or regular on the program. He’s an elected official. To get responses for your listeners, you need to ask questions and not make statements with the expectation that the guest is going to agree or disagree with you.
Overall, Giordano — a former teacher who has been at the news/talk radio game for quite awhile — is a strong interviewer. And while he might not be the poster child for interview formatics, he gets answers for his listeners. When that’s the name of the game, Dom Giordano is dominating the interview.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
