Talk Radio

When I checked my email Sunday morning, Stanley Campbell from Rockford Peace and Justice asked if I was busy Monday and if I wanted to join him on the radio. His group and the group I am organizer for, Democracy for America group (Rockford Progressive Meetup) have been working together on peace projects from rallies to documentary showings.

Now you have to meet Stanley. He wears several hats in the community from his day job of director of the Rockford Urban Ministries to running the local fair trade store. Stanley is a vet of the Viet Nam war and he has traveled recently to Iran on peace visits. Stanley's grey beard and casual dress might cause you to think "grizzly" but his wide smile and gentle manner overshadows all else. He often wears his veterans for peace hat perched on his head. All the media in Rockford know Stanley and he is the first one they contact if they want a story.

Enter me, Holly, who considers media a necessary evil. A TV camera causes my eyes to bug and limits my vocabulary to ahhhs, So, the suggestion by Stanley to join him in talking on the radio sent terror through me. He kept saying, "Now this is going to be fun." I kept thinking, OK I know it is good to grow my comfort zone. What I do for the progressive movement.

I spent the rest of Sunday worrying while my husband dug into research. How much do we spend on the Iraq war? $8 billion a month. Saddam was Sunni. Iran is Shite. What are the main points of the Iraq study group? I spent the evening sending out one hundred fifty emails to friends and fellow progressives telling them to call in to ask softball questions. My daughter sends me the advice to not answer the question just say what you want them to hear,

Stan and I made a date to eat at the local Thai restaurant to bone up on talking points and for him to give me advice like, have fun, that’s what the radio people want anyway. Have fun with the Iraq war?? Hmmm. I ordered my food, not spicy. I doubted digestion was going to take place anyway.

WNTA radio is on the south side of town hidden behind an apartment complex and next to a golf course. You could miss it but the big antenna betrays its function. I bring a water bottle and a stack of notes on a clipboard. Stan brings in an empty sheet of paper and a pen. Radio host, Mark Meyhew, rises from behind the microphone to shake my hand as Stanley introduces me. Mark is casually dressed in a black t-shirt. Ya gotta love radio, I didn't even need to bother with the makeup. Mark is a big guy, with a limber mouth. Stanley told me Mark is a moderate but asks great questions and knows how to work with phone calls.

They explained that you talk into the side of the propped up microphone and to put on the head phones to hear the callers. I was looking for the big red light saying "on air" but unfortunately you just need to know when to not talk. I only blew it once by talking too soon when I asked Stanley to take my picture in front of the microphone so I could post it on the blog.

First we talk about ourselves, which of course I love to do. I talked briefly how our group meets monthly and we are issue oriented but know the best way to make true change is to become involved in politics. Stanley talked about the organizational meeting tonight to plan for the DC peace rally and our up coming meeting with our US rep.

The phone lines lit up. There were 8 lines and they were all blinking. The producer told Mark he would hold off the "regular" critical caller until right before break and the drunk would be just kept on hold so he couldn't keep calling back. OK, I knew I could handle this.

Roy starts out critical of Bush. The second caller gets lost in cell land and Ned goes off about the budget. Yes!!! I could use Bob's research and quote $8 billion a month. Ed. from our progressive group, talks about the Iraq Study Group. I know the stuff, I am energized and thank goodness most of the callers were of like mind.

When CJ called he used the Limbaugh statistic that more Americans have been killed by illegal aliens than in the Iraq War (jeeshhh). My eyes rolled but I responded, we need secure boarders and this unjustified war has taken our eye off the ball and deterred money that could be more appropriately be spent for real security. Stanley smiled and gave me a big "thumbs up" in support.

It is almost time for break so they balance the callers with "Mr. Critical" he rants on about all the people Saddam has murdered and how they moved the WMD over to Somalia. No time to respond, off to commercials.

Mark runs through a commercial speaking fast and furious. Now here is a profession I could get paid for my fast talk. He ends with the weather report, "Cloudy and cool". I look out the window and stifle a laugh; there is bright sunlight.

Mark closes the conversation with asking what can be done in Iraq? I answer that it is a mess and there is no good solution but Bush's current escalation is not the answer. Stanley ends with information about the meeting tonight and I tell interested people to check out our web site at www.rpmforamerica.com.

I leave exhilarated but exhausted and feel like a truck just ran over me. I guess that's what growing your comfort zone feels like.

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