Smart Parents Question Vaccines

The vaccine debate is escalating. With 18 states currently considering laws to mandate the new HPV (cervical cancer) vaccine for school entry, the number of persons questioning the necessity of vaccination is at an all-time high. Those promoting vaccination seem to be pulling out all the stops to defend their positions.

On February 4, 2007, New York Times Online published a review of a new book, "VACCINE: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver, by Arthur Allen. Here is a portion of David Oshinsky's review:

"Allen is sympathetic to parental fears regarding the dangers of various vaccines, though he remains skeptical that scientific studies of these dangers, no matter how rigorous, will open many minds. At this point, he writes, much of the 'antivaccinist' leadership is composed of countercultural types who view life through the prism of conspiracy theory: the government lies, the drug companies are evil, the medical profession is corrupt; trust the Internet instead...To a large extent, says Allen, this antivaccination impulse is fueled by an ignorance of the past. Vaccines have done their job so well that most parents today are blissfully unaware of the diseases their children are being inoculated against.

"The end result is a culture that has become increasingly risk-averse regarding vaccination because people have greater trouble grasping the reward. The problem appears to be growing. As more children go unvaccinated in the United States, there has been a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases. Meanwhile, fewer pharmaceutical companies are now producing vaccines, citing the high cost of testing, diminishing markets and a fear of litigation. For Allen, a reversal of these trends will require something long overdue: a frank national discussion about the risks and benefits of vaccination. His splendid book is a smart place to begin."(1)

Allen's book appears to be one in a recent series of books that give tribute to the "wonder of vaccines." Based on Oshinsky's commentary, the author seems to promote his views by disparaging intelligent adults and dedicated physicians who have researched the problems associated with vaccines and consider mass vaccination to be the casualty-causing loss-leader of the pharmaceutical industry. The drug companies count vaccine injuries as few, at least in part, because safety is concluded through the use of large epidemiological studies. The larger one makes the denominator, the easier it is to discount the size of the numerator. For example, 231 injured in a study that involved 679,900 persons makes the percentage of those injured appear unarguably small.(2)

But vaccine injuries are real despite claims that occurrences are rare. Fears of developing autism as a result of vaccination have been dismissed by mainstream medicine which prefers to attribute the increase incidence of autism, currently at 1 in 166 children, to the unfounded mechanism called a "better diagnosis." (3)

Thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines has received much attention in the association with autism. Undoubtedly, many children have been damaged by mercury in vaccines as the numbers of successful recoveries using chelation therapy attest. However, the rate of autism in California has continued to escalate despite the removal of mercury from most of the childhood vaccines.(4) The rest of the ingredients in the vaccines need to be investigated with the same intensity as mercury. The answers regarding the toxicity of these substances are still forthcoming.

Another avenue being heavily investigated is the search for genetic causes of autism spectrum disorders.(5) The identification of a corrupted gene will allow doctors to point an incriminating finger at defective parents as the "cause" of their child's autism. A better use of scare research funds would be to investigate which bio-medical treatments are most effective for these ill children.

Chronic illnesses among children, such as allergies/asthma, diabetes, ADD-ADHD and cancer, have exploded over the last 10 years. Instead of suspecting the large number of vaccine antigens and aliquots of chemicals being injected into chubby little thighs in the name of "health" for problems as children get older, drugs such as Prozac and Concerta, designed for adults, have been given expanded approval for use in children. It is notable that since vaccines for rotavirus, hepatitis A and an annual flu shot have been added, children inoculated with all recommended vaccines receive more than 110 vaccine antigens by the time they enter kindergarten. Measurable amounts of formaldehyde, MSG, and aluminum are also present in the chemical soup. The image of four to five syringes being jabbed into infants every other month during the first year of life should be startling enough to make even the most trusting parent pause and question.

Healthcare providers continue to view vaccination in the same way as described by Mr. Allan's catchy book title: "Medicine's greatest lifesaver." This accolade is attributed to the reduction of childhood infectious diseases such as chickenpox, mumps and three-day measles. But can a negative truly be proven? Conventional medicine assumes that all children will be exposed and when exposed, all unvaccinated children will get sick. This is a faulty premise. If a vaccinated child does not contract chickenpox, is it due to the protection of the vaccine? Or was it because the child was never exposed to the virus?

What if an unvaccinated child is exposed but does not become sick? Isn't that a testament to the health of the child's immune system? Not every child in a classroom exposed to influenza comes down with the flu. Long term studies comparing the health of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations of children as they enter adulthood are very much needed to clearly define the benefits of vaccination.

A patient population from which this data could be evaluated is the nearly 35,000 unvaccinated children cared for by Homefirst Health Services in metropolitan Chicago. The good health of these children can be assumed; for example, there have been no reported cases of autism among this group.(6) Examining the health histories of these children could be a telling exercise. Discovering that large numbers of unvaccinated children have not contracted "vaccine-preventable diseases" --or if they did, they recovered uneventfully--would deliver a serious blow to the concept that vaccination is necessary to keep children healthy. An even more provocative study would be to examine the health of the unvaccinated, older children (those approaching 18 years of age) including a questionnaire investigating how many are on prescription drugs.

If vaccines were safe, manufacturers would not need to have federal legislation to protect them from liability. If vaccines were effective, no one would question the value of their use. If vaccines were good for us, state mandates would not be necessary to force them upon children. A growing number of adults are investigating vaccines, discovering the truth about their contents and refusing injections for their children.

Vaccines are grown on monkey kidneys, in chicken embryos and contain bovine (cow) serum. Vaccines contain particles of viruses, bits of bacteria and measurable amounts of aluminum, formaldehyde, gelatin, polysorbate 80, MSG and other chemicals. A responsible adult who concludes that this combination of pathogens and chemicals can be harmful is not a "countercultural type who views life through a prism of conspiracy theory" as Mr. Allen apparently contends in his book. Understanding that autoimmune reactions can be the consequence of injecting animal cells and foreign chemicals into the body does not require a medical degree or PhD. Instead of calling them names, parents and physicians who challenge the current dogma that has been spoon-fed to us for nearly two centuries should be commended.

According to Oshinsky, Mr. Allen calls for "a frank national discussion about the risks and benefits of vaccination." I wholeheartedly agree. The real health risks of vaccination are well documented but rarely discussed. Beyond the impact of vaccines on health, the economic ramifications of vaccine injuries need to be exposed. Vaccine manufacturers and government officials attempt to justify the cost of vaccine programs by showing a correlation between dollars spent on immunization and healthcare dollars saved. For example, in 2005 it was reported that vaccinations saved more than $52 billion in total health care costs and 33,000 childrens' lives.(7) Because injuries are reported as rare, dollars spent to care for those who are injured are never published to balance the other side of the accounting ledger.

Medical expenses of a vaccine-injured person can be substantial and need to be included in the economic profile. A distinct example comes from a study of Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reports between 1990 and 1995. A total of 697 patients were identified who experienced syncope (a fainting spell) within 12 hours following vaccinations. Six patients had falls that resulted in a serious head injury, including skull fracture, cerebral bleeding and cerebral contusion. All six patients experienced the episode within 15 minutes of vaccination and were injured either in, or just outside, the doctor's office or clinic where the vaccination was given. Three of these patients required surgery, and two were left with substantial residual deficit at six months to two years after follow-up.(8)

Even though the number of patients in this report is small, these costs of their life-time care could be in the millions of dollars. Keep in mind this report encompasses only one injury example. Similar analyses for all other injuries should be undertaken. The expenditure of healthcare dollars to care for injured individuals could negate any meaningful "savings" touted by vaccine pundits.

Since the federal government is the largest purchaser of vaccines, the cost to the American taxpayer for mandated state vaccination programs needs to be discussed. The Vaccines For Children Program (VFC) allows children and teens to get vaccines through Federally Qualified Health Centers or Rural Health Centers, purchased by government dollars, if their private health insurance does not cover the vaccine. In addition, mandated vaccines increase the cost of insurance for everyone, even those who do not have children or do not want to receive the vaccines. These costs, in addition to the requirement to vaccinate children in exchange for a public education, must be part of that "frank national discussion."

Yes, Mr. Allen, a nationwide open discussion is long overdue.

____________________________________________________

(1) Oshinsky, David. "Preventive Medicine." A book review of "VACCINE: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesave" published on New York Times Online. February 4, 2007.

(2) Barlow, WE. et al. "The risk of seizures after receipt of whole-cell pertussis or measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2001 Aug 30;345(9):656-61. PMID: 11547719

(3) "A better Diagnosis: What Newsweek Missed," by Dan Olmsted. January 20, 2006.

(4) M.I.N.D. Institute Study Confirms Autism Increase.

(5) "Genetic cause of autism." January 18, 2006.

(6)"The Age of Autism: A pretty big secret," by Dan Olmsted. Dec. 7, 2005. UPI.

(7) Ensuring a Stable Vaccine Supply. May 18, 2005.

(8) Braun MM, et al. Syncope after immunization. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1997;151:255-9.

Dr. Sherri J. Tenpenny is respected as one of the country?s most knowledgeable and outspoken medical physicians regarding the negative impacts of vaccines on health. Through her education company, NMA Media Press, she spreads her vision of retaining freedom of choice in healthcare, including the freedom to refuse vaccination.

Her three hour DVD, Vaccines: The Risk, The Benefits and The Choices,, her new book FOWL! Bird flu: It?s Not What You Think, and many other books, tapes and materials are available at http://www.nmaseminars.com/

Her clinic, OsteoMed II in Cleveland, Ohio provides bio-medical treatment for vaccine-injured children. For more information see http://www.osteomed2.com

Smart Meters Have a Vital Role in Smart Power Grids

Gas and electricity providers are gradually replacing the standard energy meters with smart meters, which are more accurately able to a customer's energy usage. They feature a wireless electronic display which gives full details of all energy consumption, along with the associated cost - both in financial and carbon terms - and makes this available to consumer and provider alike.

Smart meters have the potential to transform the way in which UK households and businesses administer their energy needs. They have received a recent boost from the announcement by energy regulator Ofgem that it plans to invest £500 million in creating up to four 'smart grid cities' across Britain.

Ofgem has asked energy providers to come up with possible locations for new municipal smart grids and the regulator will then pay for smart meters to be installed in all the households in that area. The pilot scheme will see these locations being used as a proving ground for the smart technology ahead of a national roll-out.

The regulator is convinced that Britain's ageing power grid is in need of an overhaul and wishes the smart grid cities to signal the start of this process. It has said that alongside the increasing use of digital technology to revolutionise how energy is distributed and consumed, an ever-increasing share of the UK's power requirements must be met through renewable energy sources.

However, if renewable power sources are to achieve their full potential, Ofgem argues that the UK energy network needs to transform itself from a centralised grid to one with a widely distributed range of sources. The current national grid is configured for large power stations burning fossil fuels, rather than the more intermittent supply generated from renewable sources.

With the new smart grid cities, power for these areas will be produced locally and the smart grid technology will assess and distribute the irregular levels of power generated by renewable sources, such as wind farms. At the points of use - in homes and businesses - smart meters will monitor power usage and calculate the cost for consumers.

There is even an opportunity for environmentally-minded householders to take a more active role in their electricity generation and consumption. By installing solar panels or wind turbines on their properties, these home or business owners can contribute to their own energy needs and even supply excess energy back to the local grid to make a saving on their bills. Again, smart meters have an important role to play in this, by monitoring the levels of home-produced energy and keeping the electricity provider informed.

Kim has done alot of research into price comparisons for customers and how to get the best deal on many household products including Gas and Electricity. She enjoys writing articles to share this knowledge.

Health Insurance - Making Smart Decisions

It is an unfortunate fact that a great many of us lack the necessary Texas health insurance in order to ensure their overall well-being. Nowhere is this truer than in the great state of Texas. In fact, we lead the nation in the number of uninsured citizens per capita within its borders. By some estimates as many as one in three Texans lack the necessary protection. While this is in no doubt due at least in part to the recent economic downturn, it is also likely that many individuals lacked health insurance because they do not understand or have a difficult time making sense of the variety of coverage options available to them.

Health insurance is important not only for personal well-being, but also for their financial health as well. It only takes one emergency situation or unforeseen health problem to ruin a family or individuals financial stability. While many people may be uncomfortable paying a monthly premium for service that they hope not to have to use, it only takes one major medical incident to make years of health insurance premiums worthwhile. Understanding the options available is an important first step towards choosing a policy that best fits the needs of an individual or family.

Purchasing health insurance with broader coverage than what is necessary will produce no benefits but will add extra stress to a monthly budget. For this reason, it is important for each person to carefully consider exactly what their health care needs are likely to be before purchasing a policy. Too much coverage is a waste of money, but too little coverage with enormous medical bills should an unfortunate situation arise. It can be difficult to navigate the myriad of choices available which is why it is important to find a reliable source of information when it comes to comparing different providers, policies, and premiums.

Once a person has decided on exactly what kind of Texas health insurance policy they require, it is necessary at several quotes from different insurance providers in order to compare them fairly and effectively against one another. This will make choosing the policy that best fits their needs a much easier process. Most providers offer plans that are similar to those offered by other providers, but the cost can vary significantly among providers which is why comparing quotes is so necessary. Coverage is important because it provides a safeguard against financial problems should health problems arise.

Charles Peeler has been providing Affordable Texas Health Insurance since 1993. Visit his website for more information or to acquire an instant Texas Health Insurance quote today!

Knowledge Economy Rule Number One - Only Smart Companies Win

There have been three economic paradigms in recent history. They started when there was a break from things made on a small scale. They started when the things made and sold by artists, craftsmen, masters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, family farmers, merchants of handmade goods, etc. were replaced by things that were mass produced and mass consumed.

The key point is that mass production is the cornerstone of all modern economic paradigms.

First it was food that was mass produced. So the first economic paradigm was the Agricultural Revolution.

For the first time in history, many people had enough to eat. They stopped worrying about food, did not farm their own crops nor raise and slaughter their own livestock. The mass production of food marks a turning point in history. It gave people something they never had as hunter-gatherers: free time. The ability to move about and travel, even live in new places. Leave the farms and come to what were becoming the first cities.

Owning land became the key to wealth, since land used to grow food was the key to the Agricultural Economy. Land Barons were born. The landed gentry was created. Kings gave land as the highest boon for services rendered. Kings were kings because they owned all the land which is why they could give some of it away. Private property was born. My land was fenced off from your land. New nations opened up huge tracts of land because they knew that making that land productive was the key to prosperity. We managed muscles because farming was a hard, back-breaking job, even for the oxen and horses.

Next came the Industrial Economy. I believe it started with the printing press in the mid-15th century. I also believe it created a period of transition that has occurred with each new economic paradigm.

The Incunabula

The incunabula was a period in which the church still controlled the written word and, until the printing press was invented, 'books' were in limited supply. The idea of providing the masses with ideas was heretical. So the church decided that it would use the printing press for God's work and take the illuminated manuscripts from the Scriptoriums in the monasteries, where all bibles were created and print out the words and send these first 'forms' back to the Scriptoriums for illumination. So the monks took the forms and added colorful pictures of devils and angels, ivy and floral scroll work, visual 'job aids' for learning about right and wrong and what happened to you if your strayed from the path of righteousness.

The pictures were important because most people alive then could not read. These first printing press books are called incunabula. They represent a paradigm shift that ultimately effected everything - your work, your play, your family, your thoughts, your life.

Once the Industrial Economy really started to steam ahead, again it was all about mass production, only this time it was the mass production of things. We managed hands.

The first things to become 'industrialized' were farming tools - cotton gin, land tillers, tractors, and more. Other things began to become mass produced as well. Cars. Trains. Ships. Stuff people needed and bought out of the Sears catalog. Typewriters, a personal printing press when you added carbon copies (the origin of cc). And so much more stuff that we not only became consumers of food but consumers in general.

The capitalist world was all about moving capital around to further the production of things (including the industrialized production of food) in order to create wealth. The wealth of nations, as recorded by

Adam Smith, was built upon a culture and political system that supported mass production and mass consumption of things.

Owning the means of production was the key to wealth. The great wealthy dynasties of the industrialized world were created at this point in time. If you look at America, you see people with names like Ford, Dupont, Getty, Rockefeller, Kennedy ad infinitum owning the means of production and becoming the industrialist kings of this era.

It also meant we needed to make sure the culture of mass consumers was healthy and working. According to John Taylor Gatto, public schools were created for this very purpose. We did not want a critically thinking, independent population focused on anything other than acquiring things. Work to spend. Spend more and work harder. Make the rich richer while you enrich your life with things. Towards the end of this economic paradigm, we invented the credit card, one of the greatest boons to mass consumption imaginable.

Since we had, in the countries that had embraced and were in the lead in these economic paradigms, all the food we could want (can you spell obesity?) and all the things we ever hoped for, we were ready to move on into the next economic paradigm.

And the Knowledge Economy was born. Peter Drucker in the late 20th century, was prescient enough to see what was coming next and named the people who labored in this new economic paradigm Knowledge Workers. What they mass produced was Knowledge. New ideas. Innovations. Know-how. They spent their days thinking, writing, communicating, meeting, disseminating, rethinking, researching, creating, innovating, designing, reading, listening to the ideas of others, sharing, collaborating. We are managing minds.

The Knowledge Economy is so new that I think we are in that incunabula period of changeover, when we know that there has been a sea change, and most of us are just not sure what it is.

I say most of us. Not, for example, Bill Gates. The mass production of software is knowledgework. The people who make it are not producing food or cars or toasters (unless they are flying across your PC and I assume you are reading this on your PC). They write code. The meet and talk about features and functions. They compile code. They debug code (or let you play with it and debug it for them). Bill Gates is the richest man (so far) in the new Knowledge Economy because he either smart enough or knew in his gut that they key to wealth in this economic paradigm was the mass production of knowledge and the tools that enabled as many people as possible to produce knowledge for a living.

Several years ago I gave a presentation to the annual gathering of CIO's at Boeing in Southern California. As the top CIO was leading me into the conference room she told me that the building itself has an interesting history. Originally an orchard grove for oranges, the building was first used as a giant manufacturing facility for the production of airplanes. When the demand for planes was reduced, the building was divided into floors, offices and cubicles and people spent their workdays in front of computers producing, refining, defining, revising, discussing, an communicating ideas. Ideas for new planes. Ideas for improving production of planes. Ideas about related projects that had something to do with planes. One piece of land, three economic paradigms.

The point is all they did all day was produce ideas, work with ideas, think about ideas, write and talk about ideas. There were still a small group of people who ultimately made those ideas into things - planes. But they were followed by the people who had more ideas about how to market it, sell it, teach people to fly it and so on and so on. So the Knowledge Economy is all about the mass production of ideas. Success in the Knowledge Economy is the ability to sift through all those ideas to come up with the ones that can be produced and sold. Turning ideas into money.

Now I wonder myself why is this any different that the previous Industrial Economy? Someone had the idea for the Ford. Someone had the idea for the mass production line. Someone even had the idea of the color choices of the Model T - black. Why were things and the mass production of things the underpinning of the Industrial Economy? Because it only took a few ideas to make a lot of things. And once we all had, in the advanced and advancing industrialized countries, all the things we needed, ideas became the currency of choice. Ideas for new ways of doing things. Ideas about ways to employ new technologies which were new ideas in their own right. Ideas about how to 'converge' the things that were created as a result of the new ideas. Ideas about how to change the old analog world into a digital world.

Here's another example of ideas becoming wealth in the Knowledge Economy. Steve Jobs and iTunes. Technology changes everything and digital technology changes everything faster. So someone(s) had the idea for the iPod and someone(s) else has the idea that music consumers really wanted to have the choice to only buy the music they wanted. This was a whole new idea from the old model. The old model, from the Industrial Economy, forced music consumers to buy the thing, the CD, with lots of tunes they did not want and only a few they really wanted.

The new digital model was one tune at a time. No CD. Download it directly. Pay as you go. Music on demand. A 1:1 relationship between the consumer and the producer. Only on a scale that was mass. So an entire industry was reshaped by an idea. It's happening to television, photography, medicine, and other industries that are artifacts of the Industrial Economy.

So if you want to be wealthy in the Knowledge Economy you need to be able to produce great ideas, or have people working for you who can produce great ideas. Then be able to make them real products or services, or have people who can help you make them into products or deliver them as services. Then market and sell them. And, according to Thomas L. Friedman, since the world is now flat and becoming flatter, and ideas know no boundaries, need no passport, travel in the air without wings, and can just pop into anyones brain anytime and anywhere, being able to compete in this new Knowledge Economy is not easy. The brains of creative people are the key in this new paradigm. And the brains that take what they imagine and turn it into some thing or some service (or some experience as the Disney Imagineers do with Disneyland and Disneyworld) are the wealthy. They own the mass production of ideas.

David Grebow

KnowledgeStar ([http://thefourthwave.typepad.com/knowledgestar])

Smart Media Communications; Part 4 - How To Do A National Radio Tour From Home

How to Do A National Radio Talk Show Tour from Home

Of all the media, radio talk is the most dynamic, interactive and exciting way to reach your audience. If your project or topic is informative, controversial or sensational (or all three combined) setting up talk radio interviews is probably the easiest form of publicity to get. There are many good media directories on the market but the big daddy of them all is Bacon's media directory which lists all newspapers, radio and TV stations in the U.S. by state, city, call letters and provides a wide range of useful data like producers names, show formats, etc. While expensive (over $250.00) this directory is an indispensable tool to media professionals. You may want to check your public library and see if they have one or can order one in. This way, you could photocopy the markets you are interested in targeting your media communications.

Getting a talk radio interview (called a gig) is simple and all you need is a way to get your press release to a particular show producer (mail, fax, email), a phone for follow-up, a quiet environment to make and receive calls and perform talk show interviews from your home. I have a lot of experience doing radio talk and I assure you, there is no easier way to promote your project to the public. And like everything else, the more you spend time setting up gigs and doing talk shows, the easier they are to set up and do, it builds upon itself. The nice part is that 90% of the time the radio station will call you at your home or office, all you have to do is be punctual, available for the call and professional.

The following tips are from our ebook "How To Get Free Publicity" and will give you a lot of information to improve your talk show experience and help you be successful on the radio.

Cool Tips & Tricks

It is possible to do a national radio talk show tour from your home in fact, easier then you think! All you have to do is contact the radio stations with a talk format, speak with the appropriate producer (s) of the show (s) that would handle your topic, send (or fax) them a press release and set an appointment to conduct a phone interview. This is a great way to get thousands of dollars worth of airtime with minimal cost from the comforts of your home! Often, the radio station will call you when it's ShowTime!

Know your market...call ahead to radio stations and see what kinds of materials the producer/host wants to see from you beyond your press release, if any.
Send your press release in a plain envelope with the producers name hand written with an ink pen. This personalizes the press release and helps ensure that it will get read.
Press releases are sent in an envelope right? Use the outside of the envelope to write a key sentence or thought. This will help catch the eye. We write "Smart people read Smart Books" on the outside of our press envelopes.
Provide a way for producers and talk show hosts to respond to your press release by providing a toll free number they can contact you at for show scheduling.
Add something visual that catches their attention. Even a business card or a Rolodex card with your name, phone number, address and indicating your area of specialty.
Follow up your press release by calling them to confirm they received it and to set a talk show interview appointment.
Use an 8 ½ by 11" monthly calendar to log your talk show appointments. When logging the appointment, write the producer/host name and station call letters in the time slot. This way you won't forget their names when they call.
Always send a brief thank you letter to the producer/host for allowing you to talk with their audience. Use your monthly calendar and check off the media when you send the thank you letter. This has many benefits including a media review and control system showing you where you talked and whom you need to thank at a glance.
Try to schedule 1-2 talk shows per day. At least one, two is best.

Here's some tips and tricks to help you when talking on the radio:

1. Make sure you have a good phone line. If possible, have a mute button on your phone to mute out your coughing. (Called a cough button).

2. Make sure you have a quiet environment to conduct the talk show from.

3. Do not be distracted or disturbed when doing a talk show. Put a "Do Not Disturb Radio Talk Show In Progress" sign on your home or office door.

4. Have a glass of water nearby during the talk show for obvious reasons.

5. Write your talking points down in advance of the talk show. Design these talking points so that you can use them again and again. The more you conduct radio talk shows the easier they get and the better you get. Expand your talking points to answer the common questions you get on the radio.

6. Try to limit your talking points to three (3) main points in an outline fashion. If you are talking about a book, paperclip the book for easy access while performing.

7. Have a special "information" toll free phone number for people (and media) to contact you to learn more about what you do or with questions which you can answer. If you are an author, specialist or consultant, the announcement of this information line can get publicity.

8. Get listeners involved, have a contest or quiz. If you are handing out important information, tell them to get something to write with, you'll be giving out money saving tips (or something). This way, when you mention your toll free phone number, they have paper and pen in hand ready to write your number down.

9. If you are asked a question you don't have the answer to, don't panic. Tell the audience you don't have the answer in a professional manner BUT you will dig into it and call the station back when you have the answer. This may give you another chance to get on the air.

10. Another technique is to tell the caller on the radio to call your toll free number and leave their telephone number with your staff so you can get back to them with an answer then, state your number. This allows you to get your toll free number on the air twice. Once during the show and once before you leave.

11. Never make up an answer to a question. You either know or you don't know. If you make up an answer on an interactive talk show, you can bet your last dollar a listener will catch you and call the radio station. Nothing is more embarrassing or ruins your credibility faster than giving out hogwash answers.

12. If you goof up on a talk show, make note of it but don't let it ruin your enthusiasm. Practice makes perfect.

Nothing replaces you having knowledge about your topic and the issues surrounding your topic. When you are on the radio, it is very comparable to sitting on the 50-yard line of the super bowl with 50,000 people in the grandstand, each able to ask you any question they want about your topic and the associated issues. The good news is that people in the audience don't have as much time invested contemplating the issues surrounding your topic as you do. This allows you to think deeply into your topic in advance of the questions.
The best way to cover your bases is to ask your self the 5WH formula:Who, What, Where, When, Why & How.
Having the answers to the 5WH formula will go a LONG way to preparing you for as all media interviews whether newspaper editors or radio & TV talk show interviews.
Remember that behind every voice you talk to in the media is a human being. Whether they are editors, producers or show hosts. It is possible to become friendly with some of these folks over time and if you play your cards correctly, you can turn yourself into a self-publicist. When you have the ability and credibility with the media to pick up the phone, make a few calls and schedule a week's worth of talk shows in a couple hours, you know that you have done your job well.

To your success!

Copyright © 2006 James W. Hart, IV All Rights Reserved

Quick View All Hart's Articles

Top 10 Business Tips

Be Smart, Visit SBS. click this link http://smart67.com

SBS, Where Smart People Get Smarter Faster...

SBS is an online information resource for people. Our focus is real estate and business solutions through books, kits and ebooks. We also have free access to dedicated research center with some of the best government and business links you will find to help you get key information fast. Check us out now and learn how SBS can help you.

Don't forget to rate this article below! By rating this article you can help Jim Hart better serve your needs for quality article content. Thank you!