Plugged to Death

The Importance of Media Training
by Sean O'Grady



Watch the Video

Product and sponsor promotions occur nearly every day on television and radio station across the globe. It's an inescapable part of the news business; a facet anchors and reports reluctantly accept.....except when an interviewee goes "Plug-Wild," as Mets pitcher Matt Harvey did on The Dan Patrick show last Wednesday.

The video of the Over-Plugged interview, shown here, is not only hard to watch, but also tough to stomach.

About a minute into the sports interview Harvey abruptly tells Dan Patrick he's called into the program to talk about his sponsor, not his throwing arm.

What ensues is a baffling exchange. One that casts a negative shadow upon Harvey and his sponsor. What's sad is all of this could have been easily avoided with a minor dose of media training - a topic we at Firstline know a thing or two about.

To avoid a Harvey-like interview meltdown our team of former television and radio news anchors recommends the following:

1. Be Positive and Smile during interviews. It comes across...even on the phone or radio.
2. Answer each question in an accurate, brief and clear fashion.
3. Subtly insert your sponsor or product plug into the response of one of your questions.
4. Website shout outs, phone numbers and thank you's always work well as closers on final questions.

Overall, our team recommends that anyone who is about to participate in a television or radio interview spend a few moments media training with their staff or PR professionals. Even the most experienced public speakers are sure to benefit from the practice.

You can learn more about the interview by watching the video above or by reading Mike Oz's report on Yahoo! Sports.