How My Interview Ended up on the Editing Room Floor

Last Monday I was contacted Monday by a producer for a public radio show who had stumbled on my site because of my entry on Poetry and Potatoes. She wondered if I would be interviewed for their Wednesday show, as they periodically close with a three- to five-minute spot for a Blog Story segment. And the theme for the show? "We Say Potato." Since the only conflicting events were doing laundry, packing up boxes, and going to the pool, I agreed. Tuesday over the phone the producer had me discuss my spud background and read "Mashed Potato Love Poem."

Even though the producer claimed I was a "natural radio talker," she did say that there was no guarantee they would have room for it in the show; sometimes the host and guests just can't get enough of their subject and use up all the time. The producer just does all she can to ensure they aren't stuck with an excess of time, so she makes sure they're overprepared. Such was the case last Wednesday. So the interview was all for naught, and the public lost an opportunity for being enlightened to a glorious poem. That's okay. I'm not sure how I would feel learning my first radio exposure stemmed from my love of all things potato.

The show's name? Open Source with Christopher Lydon. I had heard of it before, but it's primarily aired on the coasts. They have a philosophy of using the show as an outlet of their website, taking many suggestions for topics and guests from the online discussions. I listened to a couple excerpts of shows after I was contacted, and there's a spectrum of interest. Some I found amusing and entertaining where others were so specific in their topic that I was hard-pressed to remain engaged.