CHAPTER 15 RADIO AND TELEVISION INTERVIEWING

One of the most difficult tasks you will encounter as a Navy journalist is serving as a radio and television interviewer. In the space of a few minutes, an interviewer must draw out answers and reveal the attitudes of an interviewee that would normally take hours or even days of ordinary conversation. He must do it with various types of people, in front of cameras, under hot lights and in front of microphones.

As a broadcaster serving at an NBS detachment or aboard a SITE-equipped ship, you will conduct a wide variety of radio and television interviews. Your interview subjects maybe from within the command - for example, PN1(AW) Ellaverc, the command Sailor of the Year; Lt. Cmdr. Bilge, the newly reported chief engineer and former Miami Dolphins special teams player; or SA Maru, the mess cook who rescued a drowning youngster from a public swimming pool. Conversely, you may be asked to interview music and motion picture stars, politicians, community leaders and coaches of youth sports teams.

Regardless of the importance or prominence of the subject, you must not forget to take the following three actions to make every radio and television interview a success: . Extract the facts . Emphasize the important details l Keep the audience informed

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the most common types of radio and television interviews.

With few exceptions, interviews for radio and television are generally in one of the following three categories which are covered in the succeeding text:

l Opinion

l Information

l Personality

OPINION INTERVIEWS

While personal opinions may surface in other forms of interviewing, the thoughts or opinions (whether right or wrong) of the interviewee are in the spotlight in this type of interview.

The opinion interview is usually applied in broadcasting to support expanded news formats. A common form of this type of interview is the "man on the street" interview. The broadcaster stations himself in a busy public area and stops individuals to ask a question on a specific issue. Your station manager might send you out to ask for opinions or comments on a radical new fashion or fad, the completion of a commissary or base exchange, the outcome of a sporting event or countless other situations.

Commercial stations usually ask a question dealing with a highly controversial issue. However, policy dictates that NBS detachments and other military broadcast outlets refrain from posing questions that would adversely affect the morale of U.S. personnel or serve to undermine the commander's authority. Check with your supervisor or the PAO if you plan to do this type of interview.

When you use the opinion interview, avoid the "stacked deck" method of gathering data - that is, do not seek comments from one particular group of people. Gather your responses from young and old, male and female and people of various ethnic backgrounds. This will give your completed program credibility.

In addition, do not ask a "loaded" question during an opinion interview. Note the following example:

Example: "Excuse me sir, don't you think the new commissary is being constructed in an inaccessible location?"

Such a question leads the interviewee toward a particular response. In the preceding example, chances are very good the interviewee will respond with a yes answer. (Formulating interview questions will be covered later in this chapter.)

Before you conduct an opinion interview, prepare your questions in advance and make sure you research the topic thoroughly. The audience does not expect the man on the street to be an expert, but it expects the interviewer to be thoroughly knowledgeable of the subject being discussed.

INFORMATION INTERVIEWS

The information interview is the most common form of interview used at NBS detachments. The civilian broadcast equivalent is the public service interview. Your subject maybe the chief master-at-arms discussing local activities during Crime Prevention Week or the MWR director talking about what activities are planned at the recreation center. You might do an interview with a physician for a health series or the CO for your weekly captain's call.

Whatever the topic may be, your goal during the information interview is to inform the audience. You should research the topic and prepare your questions well in advance. You do not have to show your questions to the interviewee before the program, but it helps if you give your subject an idea of what you will ask This helps you keep your topic on track during the interview.

As a Navy broadcaster, you may be assigned to cover a wide range of adverse news situations. When you conduct an interview in conjunction with an accident or disaster, be sensitive to the feelings of others. Be careful how you phrase your questions and watch your tone of delivery. Use tact in finding out the five Ws and H and double-check your facts. If you need assistance in gathering the facts, consult your colleagues in the public affairs office.

PERSONALITY INTERVIEWS

Another form of interview often assigned to Navy broadcasters is the personality interview. In this case, the person is important because of what happened to him, what he has done or the position he holds. It may be a timely feature story interview, a regular series or a celebrity interview.

During the personality interview, you must be versatile enough to make your delivery match the event. You must be sensitive to the situation and not antagonize the interviewee by making light of something he takes seriously.

Often, Navy broadcasters will be assigned to interview famous recording artists, motion picture stars or sports celebrities. Be aware that celebrities are accustomed to being interviewed and are well-seasoned at this art. If you are not careful, the celebrity you are interviewing may try to run the show.

Again, the key to producing a good personality interview is research. Read every available newspaper or magazine article on your subject. Know about his past, his rise to success, what he is doing now and his plans for the future. Write intelligent and stimulating questions. Personality subjects appreciate new material and grow weary of answering the same questions time and time again.