The First Amendment Teach-In is an electronic newsletter
published by Chris Roth
(
).
Subscription information is included below. In addition to Action Kits
like the one below, the newsletter features dossiers and FAQ's on free
speech, artist's rights, and separation of church and state. Posted
with Chris Roth's permission, the following Action Kit includes some
excellent tips on how activists can use talk radio and public affairs
television to get their message out to the public. Chris encourages
activists to create similar telephone lists of call-in radio and
television shows within their own community.
Tom Snyder's CBS talk program 1-800-952-2788
National Empowerment Television 1-800-5000-NET
National Public Radio 1-800-989-TALK (8255)
MSNBC 1-888-MSNBC-USA
(be prepared to record a concise message)
Cable
MATA channel 14 on Warner Cable in Milwaukee (414) 799-LIVE (5483)
MATA channel 47 on Warner Cable in Milwaukee (414) 225-3565
Please send additions or corrections to:
(c) 1997 by Chris Roth. All rights reserved.
If you have Call Waiting, then cancel that function.
Touch *70 before entering the number for the station. (Many
auto-dialers allow you to program those three digits
into individual entries. Each time you call a particular
number, such as a specific station, Call Waiting will automatically
be suspended.)
Do not use a cordless or cellular phone. All untethered phones--
including digital models--have lower fidelity as compared to hard-
wired units.
Buy a telephone with a capacious auto-dialer feature.
Then program most of the call-in numbers. Clearly label each
number with a typed, gummed label.
Turn off all noisy appliances, including your air conditioner,
computer, TV and radio receiver, fan, etc. Sometimes a
kitchen refrigerator can make a lot of noise. You way want
to go into a room where there are no other people and no pets.
Shut the door.
Print out the list of call-in numbers (see above).
You may want to laminate it. Mount it on a wall near your telephone.
Insert it in your telephone book or personal directory. Photocopy it.
Incorporate a recent event, trend, famous person, or catch
phrase into your comments--even if that topic or phrase isn't
First Amendment-related.
If an attack on the First Amendment erupts in your city or
state, then get on the air immediately.
The broadcast audience is constantly tuning in and out.
Therefore, you should make your presentation free-standing
insofar as the listener's ability to understand it. For example,
you should not begin your call with anything that sounds like
this: "I just want to say that I disagree with the previous caller.
He is entirely wrong. There haven't been any people on your show
today who are correct on this except maybe for you. I must say that I
definitely disagree with the previous caller. (That's approximately
what one WTMJ-AM listener actually said after one of my calls was over.
He threw away too much air time with his substance-free content.)
Refrain from using these nonwords:
uh, ah, er
Use one or two of these words to describe procensorship agitators
and the effects of their proposals:
Use one or two of these words when sharing information about
the First Amendment:
freedom, free, guarantees, liberties, Bill of Rights,
First Amendment, Founding Fathers, choice, choose, decide, research
findings, separation of church and state, free society, sex-is-
healthy-and-fun, safe sex, erotica, fact, facts, objective
Do not interrupt the host nor the guest.
Do not try to introduce too many topics. Just one is fine.
You don't want to sound pushy. You don't want to sound like a nut.
(Talking about more than one topic is the sonic equivalent of adhering
more than one bumper stick to the back of your automobile.) If you make
one point, fine. In most cases, that is your goal.
Don't waste time "beating around the bush." People
who are not professional communicators might say "Am I on the air? Oh."
Also, do not throw away precious seconds thanking everyone at the station
for the opportunity to speak. Instead, get to the substance.
At the same time, you should know that TV viewers and radio listeners
need a few seconds to get used to your voice. In the opening seconds
of your speech, listeners will be thinking about your voice, not the substance
of what you're saying. The bottom line is simple: Don't present the most vital
information during the opening seconds. Nobody will be able to comprehend
it. (This phenomenon is true for radio and TV. It is not valid for
print media nor Internet content.)
Never say these words:
I, me, my, in my opinion, I feel, it's my opinion that, I guess
This is an age of everything-is-personal-and-intrapersonal
psychobabble. Sometimes a radio host will try to frame your contribution
as if it's your personal opinion. If you fall into that trap, then your
credibility will shrink.
If you live outside of Wisconsin, then consider creating your
own list. Distribute that list only to people who oppose attacks on
cherished First Amendment liberties (artists' rights, separation of
church and state, reproductive autonomy, the right to die, official
prayer in public school, evolution, etc.). You can distribute your list
via electronic mail, US Mail, or during presentations to pro-First
Amendment community groups.
The list of live call-in numbers presented above is largely confined
to SE Wisconsin. Numbers for some stations in the Madison, Janesville,
Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wausau, and Fox Cities (Appleton, Green Bay,
etc.) population centers are missing. If you live in or near one of
those cities, then you may want to find out what the local numbers are
and send them to to me at
. (Here's how to obtain
those numbers. Open up your telephone directory. Call TV and radio
stations in your area and ask for the telephone numbers used during live
call-in segments. Or you could just listen or view during live call-in
programming and record the number on a sheet of paper.) I will add your
submissions to future versions of this Action Kit.
Trend: Viewer Comments
Many Wisconsin-based TV stations now air viewer feedback. An onscreen
number is used to gather brief voice mail comments. Those brief comments
are bundled together and aired. If you record a message, know that you
do not need to explain what the topic is. Viewers will already know what
the issue is because an anchorperson will announce that before your
recording is broadcast.
First Amendment Update
Chris Roth, Publisher
PO Box 170121
Milwaukee WI 53217-8011 USA
e-mail:
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(c) 1997 by Chris Roth. All rights reserved.
Chris Roth, an expert on the First Amendment rights of artists, is
also a writer, close-up magician, and magazine cartoonist. He is currently
writing two nonfiction books. Roth has taught at University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee (UWM) and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD). He is a
member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and People for the Amer-
ican Way (PFAW). Roth's articles have appeared in the Journal of Com-
munication, Privacy Journal, Writer's Digest, The Artist's Magazine, The
Humanist, and Shepherd Express. His e-mail address is:
).
Subscription information is included below. In addition to Action Kits
like the one below, the newsletter features dossiers and FAQ's on free
speech, artist's rights, and separation of church and state. Posted
with Chris Roth's permission, the following Action Kit includes some
excellent tips on how activists can use talk radio and public affairs
television to get their message out to the public. Chris encourages
activists to create similar telephone lists of call-in radio and
television shows within their own community.