James T. Harris has built a large following on social media, and has helped 550 KFYI to be one of the top-rated in a crowded marketplace in the Phoenix area.
The iHeartMedia Phoenix host helms mornings from 6-10 AM with his Conservative Circus program while also seeing fill-in work for programs like The Jesse Kelly Show.
While perusing through the news/talk genre looking for an interview segment to dissect, I came across a recent conversation Harris had with Arizona State Rep. Matt Gress (R).
The topic of conversation was the failing financial status of many Arizona public schools. To someone living 1,822 miles away from the situation, it wasn’t exactly a topic that was at the forefront of my interest. Which is exactly why I chose this conversation.
To open up the interview, Harris noted that one school district had recently given another a loan of $25 million after the State Department of Education gave it an additional $6 million to continue operations.
He then asked the Arizona representative — who is on the state’s education committee — what he called an obvious question to begin the conversation. But that’s the first thing James T. Harris got wrong. It wasn’t an obvious question. It was a fantastic question, and a great way to open up an interview.
“If our public schools are struggling financially so much, how did one district have $25 million laying around to loan to another district?” was the first query of the lawmaker.
It isn’t an obvious question. Roughly 98% of the time, I will lambast someone who asks a question not in an effort to seek answers, but rather to attempt to make a point. There is nothing I hate more than the “I’m just asking questions” mindset that prevails so frequently in the news/talk genre. And while Harris is likely attempting to make a greater point by asking this question, it’s a fair one. And while the greater point is simply inferred, he allowed the lawmaker to answer from his perspective, which is a good one to have.
The follow up question to Gress’ answer was another one from the 550 KFYI host. “How did (the school in need of nearly $30 million) get so deep in debt? How come we didn’t know about this earlier?”
The only issue with that follow-up is the double-barrelled question. The first question is a fantastic follow-up to a lawmaker. In a situation where you can deduce that taxpayer funds have been misused, Harris tries to get answers for his listeners. But he coupled it with a question that’s much more likely to be answered first and focused on, by his subject.
That’s exactly what happened. Gress answered the second question first before finally coming around to answering the first. While both are worthy questions, the more important one — in my opinion — got the somewhat shorter end of the stick.
The good interview from James T. Harris continued with a one-sentence question.
“Do we need a DOGE here for Arizona school districts?”
Music to my ears! A one-sentence question is a great tool for the rhythm and flow of an interview, but also shows a keen awareness that, in this situation, the listener is much more interested in what the state lawmaker has to say than Harris. If you’re going to give up some of your airtime to someone else, you better make them the focal point of the stardom for how long they’re on, and Harris did that here.
After re-setting the interview, Harris continued by asking “Are there other school districts that are in the same situation and short on funds?”
Another fantastic question. Information seeking, not attention seeking. He’s not trying to make the stereotypical “Democrats bad!” talking point that you’d be likely to hear on most conservative radio shows. But, instead, James T. Harris is asking logical, well-thought-out, and important questions of someone tasked with providing the answers.
The conversation with the state representative lasted just over eight minutes. But it was a masterclass. Quick questions, questions that attempted to get answers for listeners, without any anger, prejudice, or any overt attempts at politicizing an issue that isn’t overtly political.
This was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best interview I’ve heard since we began this series late last year. James T. Harris provided answers for 550 KFYI listeners like virtually nothing else I’ve listened to since we began dissecting the art of interviewing. He didn’t attempt to ask any “gotcha” questions, he didn’t spend time opining about his thoughts on the topic. Harris asked pertinent questions, got ’em on, got ’em in, and got ’em out. A fantastic display, and one I think should be used as a teaching tool for up-and-coming talents.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
