How to Get on Talk of the Nation

So, here's the thing, people. We LOVE you. We really, really do. Every show/segment/guest we book we always ask "What will our callers do?" (WWCD?) We care what you think -- we love when you flip out over a guest or a topic, and when you say really revealing and brave things on the air. We even love when you curse us over the phone, correct our grammar, say things that seem a little morally repugnant and threaten to pull every bit of funding you've ever given to public broadcasting.* Partly, we love you because of all that, because you are so passionate -- and so are we. We are here because of you and we love that about this job.

That said, we are always trying to get you involved in this little thing we call Talk of the Nation. That's why Sarah (my FG -- Food Guru -- she knows how to get pomegranate seeds out really easily) put up that little thing at the top of the page called Talk of YOUR Nation. Because we want you involved. Except that, even though we desperately want to involve you in this, you aren't cooperating in exactly the way we'd hoped. While we do want your ideas, what we really want is your buzz. Don't think like a producer, think like a citizen -- a local citizen, too. "Here in Boston, we are worried that we're becoming the new New York, because our sports teams are KICKING SO MUCH $%#." "I live in Michigan, and I'm talking about trying to sell my house." Even, "I live in Florida, and all we could talk about at my kids' soccer game was how the women on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice are reduced to eating cake and chasing men even though they've got medical degrees for goodness' sakes."

Help us... we can't do this without your input. While we're glad that your grammar is so good, we really need what's going on at your dinner table -- and we don't care if you dangle your participles. What's the Talk of YOUR Nation?

*Also, I want to reveal right here and now that before I worked in public radio, I was a frequent caller to my local talk show, before I ended up producing it. I have been on both ends of the screening telephone, and I have cursed a little at the person on the other end, myself. I AM YOU.

Barrie Hardymon

Tags: Talk of Your Nation | buzz