Dave B Does Media. A lot of Media.
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I made the mistake of posting about my recent media appearances on facebook two days ago, which caught the attention of management here at LGM. It was sternly demanded subtly hinted that I link the past few days of media work here, and since I’m a suck up to management, I’m obliging. 2016 has been my busiest media year so far, even compared to previous presidential election years; yesterday morning I made my 100th appearance of the year, and the election hasn’t even happened yet (though to be fair, I’d guess that about half of 2016’s appearances have been about British politics).
One that doesn’t have a link available was this past Saturday where I appeared live on the BBC News TV channel at 2pm; given they couldn’t arrange to have me let in the remote studio at BBC Southwest here in Plymouth, I did it via skype. From my bedroom. Talking about Anthony Weiner’s junk. Which was surreal.
The 15 most recent live interviews are linked below.
October 31:
BBC Radio 2 (Jeremy Vine): from 1:45. It was a comedy of errors on the technical side of this (and too many “umms” in the damned interview itself). They tried to book the remote studio at Radio Devon, but it was booked. The University tried to offer its ISDN line, but it wouldn’t connect with the BBC. We eventually did it over my cell phone, which is why the sound is dodgy. But, the producer rang me back when I returned to my office, apparently it went well, so I’m booked to appear again on Wednesday after the election. We’ll be using the studio at Radio Devon, so the sound will be dramatically better. This was also the first time I was on Radio 2, which means my ultimate media goal of appearing on BBC Radio 6 Music is upgraded to 95% fantasy, from completely delusional.
The next 13 appearances are part of the BBC General News Service, which provides content for the regional radio stations. In a two hour block, there are 16 slots, spaced eight minutes apart, which the 46 regionals “bid” on (I have no idea how those transactions work). I’m sat in the remote studio for those two hours, appearing on a different regional station in the UK every eight minutes. It’s pretty cool, though bathroom breaks can be elusive. I’ve done GNS four times in 2016 alone, always about US politics.
November 1:
BBC Radio Devon. From 35 minutes in. Given it’s the home team, I’m in the proper studio, and I like working with Simon Bates. Talking Weiner, the FBI, and the Hatch Act, as you do on local radio in England.
BBC Radio Ulster. From 49 minutes in. This is a good one.
BBC Radio Lancashire. From about 1:26 in. There are laughs.
BBC Radio Leicester. From about . . . I can’t find it. I’m in there somewhere around 0730 GMT. I’m sure it was good.
BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester. From about 1:40 in. Yes, I do repeat my jokes when given the opportunity.
BBC Radio Shropshire. From 1:48 in.
BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire. From about 1:54:45 in (skipping over those same two ads that most of the stations played as a lead-in to my slot). This one was my favourite after Radio Devon, and the one where I promised to be unavailable for a couple of weeks should Trump win, locked in a pub.
BBC Radio Cumbria. From 1:37. Unlike most of these spots, which preceded my slot with the same two commercials from the Trump and Clinton campaign, Radio Cumbria went out into the community and gathered the impressions on the US election from a bunch of local residents, which is as depressing as it sounds (one local: “I’m glad I’m not American”).
BBC Radio Surrey. From 2:19.
BBC Radio Oxford. From 1:27. This one suffered from a technical glitch, started late, so was brief. And the least interesting given its brevity, which was unfortunate as a couple of friends of mine from Seattle were in Oxford and dared to tune in.
BBC Radio Jersey. From 2:35, with those ads.
BBC Radio Nottingham. From 2:41. This one focuses solely on Email “Scandal” Mk II.
BBC Radio Berkshire. From 1:48:30. Before my slot, the presenter had spoken to a journalist in Reading, PA, who claimed that Trump would win both PA and the White House. I’m confronted with this question right at the opening. I’d been doing these interviews for nearly two hours by this point, so my response was “I’m really curious as to what that particular journalist was smoking”. This interview then progressed into a discussion of polling failures and social desirability in responses to surveys.
November 2:
BBC Radio Ulster. From 1:54. I’ve somehow been in Radio Ulster’s rotation for the past six months or so, and one thing I like about their spots is that I’m always opposite some high profile (within the UK) Republican. Past spots have included Charlie Wolf (who was not pro-Trump) and Dr. Jan Halper-Hayes, Chair of Republicans Overseas. Yesterday morning’s Republican, Kate Andrews, is the Spokesperson for Republicans Overseas UK, and pretty much scrambled my game plan when she said “I’m not voting for Donald Trump”. After a quick google, the same Kate Andrews is with the Adam Smith Institute, and believes that the gender pay gap is “a myth“. File that under things I wished I had known before the interview yesterday morning. Over all, these “debates” have been reasonable and rational, and more stimulating than a set-piece interview.
