MADNESS RADIO INFO FOR GUESTS
Thanks for agreeing to be a guest!
Here are Frequently Asked Questions for guests.
*** Quality phone connection makes a huge difference for a good audio interview. People stop listening if the audio quality isn’t good.***
Use Zoom with a USB mic.
Bulit-in laptop mics are not good. Landline is second best, or a cell connection you are confident about. Cordless phones usually aren’t good. Also please give me your phone number. ***
General show information can be found on our About page; all shows are archived and can be heard online.
Madness Radio is a volunteer, shoestring budget community effort. I appreciate your patience with any bumps in the process.
*** How can we contact each other? ***
* My cell is +1 413 210 2803,
zoom: www.willhall.net/zoom
email will@madnessradio.net.
* Give me a phone # to reach you in case of last minute changes.
* Please test Zoom and your microphone beforehand.
*** What technology will we use for the interview? ***
* We use Zoom – we don’t post the video.
* In some sitations I can call your phone numberIf I call your phone, it will be just like a normal phone call.
* We’ll do audio testing at the beginning to get the best quality.
* We can put on video at the start to greet each other, but for quality purposes might be best to go off video and the interview is audio-only.
*** How do we get the best sound quality? ***
* Use a USB microphone. If you don’t have one it is worth buying or borrowing one. Test it first.
* Close all background programs. I recommend restarting your computer then logging in only to Zoom for best reliability. Also, deactivate any beeps and notifications
* Talk from a quiet place without interruptions or background noise. Alert anyone in the area to the need for quiet, put up a sign, etc.
* Turn off call waiting or anything else that might interfere.
Note: Poor audio quality sometimes reveals itself only after the interview is recorded. Being hard to listen to hinders the appeal of your show. So please try to use the best connection possible.
*** Before the interview – what should guests know? ***
* The whole process takes about 90 minutes, with about an hour of recording.
* We’ll have a few minutes at the beginning to prepare, and also at the end I usually take a moment to wind up.
* Provide or have ready a brief two sentence bio of yourself.
* Send me a review copy of your book in electronic form and links to any background articles, reviews, or writing; and I’ll try to look at it before the interview. Don’t send me a print copy of your book please.
* Point out any especially important topic questions or conversation areas that I might not be aware of.
* Have contact information ready, such as a good website address, so that listeners can reach you.
*** How about during the interview? ***
* At the beginning I will record a show ID: “if you’re just tuning in, this is Madness Radio, and we’re talking to____”. Then we’ll start.
* The total time for the interview and meeting is a bit more than an hour thirty minutes; I’ll keep track of time. We record about an hour and ten minutes or so to account for editing.
* We treat it much like a live interview, to keep the flow going and to reduce post-production editing.
* Feel free to pause to catch your breath or collect your thoughts; I will edit out pauses. You can also restate something if you need to. You can also take a break, or to ask me how to proceed. We may talk briefly “backstage” to plan how to proceed, such as “would it be good for me to ask___”
* After the show, notify me of any essential edits (such as confidentiality, for example, or an incorrect citation).
* Remember there is an audience listening: the interview is directed to them, not to me. Imagine you are on a panel in front of an audience.
* The audience is general interest, and not necessarily familiar with any policy or science terms, so explain any new ideas or language. Avoid jargon.
* Speak naturally, but consider speaking a little more clearly and even-toned.
* Imagine you are speaking consistently in front of a group. Be careful about changing the distance or angle between your mouth and microphone. Be careful about swinging between loud and soft levels of voice, or punctuating with loudness.
* Guests make the show: as an interviewer I support guests so they are presented in the strongest and most favorable light. I usually ask personal story questions first, then get into broader issues. My job is to represent the listeners, and I will ask clarifying and deepening questions — and also present contrasting viewpoints, “devil’s advocate” questions, to elicit greater understanding. I also am interested in social change implications. I give guests a lot of room and time to speak. I will step in for clarification, to keep things on track, ask for more about something said, and in general represent the listeners. I will often restate in brief summary what has been said to support clarity for listeners.
* Generally I follow interesting threads in the conversation and do not proceed from a set list of questions. At outset of meeting we can discuss any areas, topics, or questions you want me to make sure to cover.
* Feel free to encourage people to buy your book or cd with full title and publication info. Refer people to their independent, locally owned retailer (i.e. Please do not say Amazon.com or mention the price (our non-commercial broadcaster status prohibits this). At the end I ask for contact info and leads to buying books etc.
* FCC regulations (not show policy) prohibit ‘profanity,’ which I will edit out. If prohibited speech is important to your work (such as artists, anthropologists, musicians, sexuality, etc), or if it is too uncomfortable for you to speak within these limits, we can bleep out words, create an online-only version or make some other arrangement; just let me know.
* if your interview includes music or a clip, please provide it several days in advance. Ensure you are the copyright holder of that music or clip if it is longer than 20sec in length, that it has no profanity, and it is good broadcast quality, i.e. 128kbps or better. Mp3 is ok but I prefer .wav files. I can’t always use clips however
*** What about after the interview? ***
* I need a good quality head shot photo of you for our website; you can check other shows for a guide.
* Your show will usually be broadcast in about 3 months or less; I will send an email announcement.
* After your show is broadcast it will be available at www.madnessradio.net. People can also subscribe via the iTunes store or Google Play, or find the show on the Pacifica archives at www.audioport.org (audioport takes a while to update).
* Please publicize the show to your colleagues and contacts, on Facebook, and everywhere.
* You have advance permission to host the show file on your site, link directly to it on our server, copy the file, burn it as an audio cd, or put it to any use you want. Shows are creative commons copyright http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/. Without special permission, show content should be not altered, attribution links and source info should be preserved, and there should be no commercial gain involved.
* Other uses are possible and encouraged (such as if your nonprofit wanted to burn cds and sell them as fundraisers, or if you wanted to create a shorter version), but we’ll need to make an arrangement for permission in advance. Feel free to contact us and we’ll work something out.
* I also produce a 28 minute version for some broadcasters to use such as KBOO in Oregon.
* Feel free to Comment yourself on your show on the site and encourage others to as well.
* Please feel free to leave a Customer Review on the iTunes store and google play for Madness Radio.
*** MORE ABOUT MADNESS RADIO ***
* Madness Radio: Voices and Visions From Outside Mental Health is an hour-long or half hour interview format, the show focuses on personal experiences of ‘madness’ and extreme states from beyond conventional perspectives and mainstream treatments. We also feature writers, advocates, and researchers on madness-related topics, including madness in society and culture. The show is co-sponsored by peer run mental health communities Freedom Center (www.freedom-center.org), The Icarus Project (www.theicarusproject.net), and Portland Hearing Voices (www.portlandhearingvoices.net), and hosted by schizophrenia survivor Will Hall. We are a Mad In America affiliate. For more information check out www.madnessradio.net and www.willhall.net.
* Also check out the archive of past shows at www.madnessradio.net and all the work that sponsors are doing at www.freedom-center.org, www.theicarusproject.net, and www.portlandhearingvoices.net.
* We’re proud of the amazing offerings on Valley Free Radio, a radio station Will co-founded and where Madness Radio began, including many shows syndicated and heard around the country. Take a moment to check out our schedule, and remember that you can listen via the internet to our streaming signal: www.valleyfreeradio.org. You can also read about the history of Valley Free Radio at: http://www.freedom-center.org/pdf/ValleyAdvocateLPFM05-01.pdf
*** Just out of curiosity, how is your audio studio set up? ***
* When Madness Radio began we did shows live out of the air studio at WXOJ-LPFM, Valley Free Radio (VFR). After a lot of trial and error experimentation, most shows are now produced from a home studio. It’s had many configurations over the years, but the studio equipment is currently comprised of: an industry-standard Shure SM-58 host mic, MacBook Air, Zoom, a Shure USB mic preamp, and Audacity. For rare field recording I use a smartphone and RecForge. Our website runs off WordPress, and our webhost is Mayfirst People Link, a union shop.
Creative Commons 2.5 copyright
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