Second Story (and free advice for interviewees)

LATEST: Grumpy blogger eats words

Here’s a free piece of media advice for you: if you or your company are in the gun and you’re invited to appear on a live TV current affairs show like Fair Go or Seven Sharp orStory, either politely decline the invitation, preferably without giving reasons for your decision – that’s giving an interview! – or, if you’re pretty confident you can handle it, agree to be interviewed “live” in the Auckland studio or not at all. The airfare will be worth it.

Don’t agree to be interviewed “down the line”, which can involve standing in the middle of a paddock or sitting behind your office desk with a hearing-aid thingee occasionally falling out of your ear as you try to talk to some extremely hostile person you can’t see. TV interviewers are most courageous when you aren’t sitting directly opposite them. And least courageous when you are. Well, it’s so much easier to cut someone off or talk over them when you’re the people controlling the switch. 

I was reminded of this watching the CEO of Ray White, Kerry Smith,  being interviewed by Heather Du Plessis-Allan on Story last night. Heather’s  in Auckland with cohort Duncan Garner and the Ray White man is in a studio in Hamilton. He’s plonked in front of some sort of patterned screen, gives every appearance of being paralysed with fear and submits to a couple of minutes of fairly aggressive and interruptive interviewing by Ms Du Plessis-Allan.

You might think the matter should end there. But Duncan feels the man’s performance requires a review from him. So he says to Heather (and us), “Not exactly brimming with confidence, was he?” Heather agrees.

If I were the CEO of TV3, I’d have had both of them in my office the second the programme ended. Garner’s comment was gratuitous and out of order. It reminded me of an occasion when the people at Fair Go set up a “wall of shame” on which they put up the names of people who’d declined their kind invitation to appear on the programme. Arrogance is the most common characteristic of television presenters and it increases exponentially with the amount of power their programme gives them. I should know. I was one of the worst.

The Ray White item was followed by an interview with a security guard for First Security  who was an expert on monitored ankle bracelets for remand prisoners. We only saw him in silhouette with his voice altered which added to the suspense. I thought he was really good. The item was both interesting and informative. Especially informative to the criminal fraternity, I thought, since it demonstrated just how easy it is to cut the band on your ankle bracelet with an everyday pair of kitchen scissors..

Tonight on Story: Heather grills the Head of Save The Children and Duncan demonstrates how to crack the door of your office safe, if it won’t open. Apparently works with almost any safe.

Media trainer and commentator Dr Brian Edwards posts at Brian Edwards Media.