Last year, HJMT had a booth at the small business expo at the Javitz Center in NYC. While working the booth, I met a woman who told me she hosted an Internet radio show and wanted to know if I would be interested in being a guest.
Almost a year went by and I forgot about the conversation. Then one day, I got a call from her. She wanted to interview me for her community program on AllBlackRadio.com. As a publicist of nearly 30 years, I figured that it would be a good opportunity to get the word out about my book, so I agreed to go on the show.
The show was taped in downtown Brooklyn. I left Long Beach at 8:30 and arrived in Brooklyn close to 10:30 am. I couldn’t believe it took me two hours to get there. I called the show to tell them I was running late. They told me not to worry. Then I started to look for a spot. I kept going around and around and around looking for a spot, any spot. I called the production office again.
“Do you know where I can park?” I asked.
“No,” the woman told me and hung up. I should have realized what type of an operation it was after she hung up on me. I found a parking garage very soon after that and walked to the station.
The station was located in a law firm office. Apparently, the law firm (an immigration law firm) had purchased all the equipment and had the show right on their premises. Marilyn, the show producer, met me in the lobby. She brought me to the studio and we started the interview. The interview lasted about 10 minutes and after that she asked if she could talk with me.
I sat down at her desk and she started to pitch me advertising opportunities. Then she pitched me my own show…. Then she pitched me speaking opportunities…. Then she pitched me…. (That’s when I started to tune her out…. All I kept thinking – How am I going to get out of here!)
My head was spinning. I asked her if I could have a copy of the recording. She asked me for $5. I gave her cash and you know what, even though the interview actually ran twice, I never heard from her again and never did get my mp3 recording of the interview… It just goes to show you that anyone could have a radio show…
