Jump to content

Advice wanted - Geocaching on the radio


OldNickCov

Recommended Posts

I know that various people on here have appeared on local radio talking about geocaching, so I'm posting for any advice they can give.

 

I've been approached by a local radio station to do a short piece on a morning show. The person concerned sounds very enthusiastic on the hobby, and has signed up to geocaching.com (so may be reading this!)

 

So - any hints or tips anyone can provide? Anything to try to get across, or to try to avoid?

 

(and no - I'm not saying when it'll be on air - I'm nervous about this without knowing that I'd be preaching to he converted)

Link to comment

I hope you'll get someone to record it for you, and upload an MP3 of it somewhere. I've been The Voice of Geocaching a couple of times, and I'd say the key things to get across are, in order:

i) It's a high tech treasure hunt game for GPS owners.

ii) You need to visit www.geocaching.com (spell it out, so people don't go cashing) to get the co-ords. It's also where you leave a message about your visit.

iii) If you take something, you have to leave something as good or better(!) as well signing the logbook to prove you were there.

iv) Car SatNav *might* work, but you're better off with a cheap hand-held GPS, that's also great for camping, walking, sailing, etc.

v) It's great for families and retired folks as well as geeks :D

vi) It started in American in 2000, and now there's over 10,000 in the UK alone. There's hardly a country without at least a few.

vii) There's a strong social aspect with Events up and down the country, from pubs to islands in the North Atlantic :lol:

viii) They come in all sizes from micros the size of your finger tip to big boxes.

Link to comment

ix) You might want to mention the postcode box on the home page, top right, where visitors can see a list of their local caches.

x) Answer any questions with a smile. You can hear it on the radio :D

xi) They can't be buried, left in sensitive places, and should have permission of the land owner or other authority.

Link to comment

xii) Have a drink of water beforehand. It's amazing how quick your mouth can dry out when asked to talk for a few minutes.

xiii) If it's a face-to-face interview, focus on the interviewer and give them your answer, as if you were talking to them and the listeners just happen to be earwigging. If it's over the phone, visualise them smiling and nodding.

xiv) Keep answers to two or three sentences, and leave space for the interviewer to come back to you with their thoughts.

Link to comment
vi) It started in American in 2000, and now there's over 10,000 in the UK alone. There's hardly a country without at least a few.
Needs editing to read
now there's over 24,000 in the UK alone.
:lol::D
Not active, surely? - I'd not say 'active caches' in the interview, as this'll only confuse the casual listener. They don't need to know about the natural turnover of caches unless the question of muggles and muggling comes up.
Link to comment

I would say just try to enjoy the experience, speak to the interviewer as if it's just the two of you and try not to think about the fact that the public are listening. Radio is easier because you can take notes with you to help you along.

 

I have done quite a few radio interviews and a lot of live TV for another hobby and go through a list before hand with bullet points written down. I have to say that it has never gone as rehearsed. I have had lists of questions given to me but I was never asked when it came to the interview, low ballers thrown in on TV when I had to bite my tongue to stop my sarcastic wit coming through while trying to remember not to say umm, err, basically and actually in every sentence. It's fun to do most of the time and a good experience but I always hate something I said or the way I said it said when I hear it afterwards.

 

It's a great leveller when you go to turn the TV on to watch yourself and your kids want to watch Playhouse Disney instead :D

Link to comment
Paul have a look at the newest caches in the UK link in your profile, and you'll see it's actually 24, 494 [the figure will be a little bit higher in a few hours :D ] that's out of close to 30,000 caches which have been published in the UK :lol:
You turn your back for a second...

Thanks Deceangi. Mark well those words Nick; Over live 25,000 caches in the UK!

(Interesting to see some of the oldest are on the Isles of Scilly, where I hear there'll be an event in the summer...)

Link to comment
And make sure it's not Anne Diamond that's doing the interview. :D
Best bit of advice on this thread, lol! She's long gone from Radio Oxford... Who knows were she'll pop up next?
Coming to a gravity well near you... :smile:
Perhaps that explains why no one has seen her for a while. Light cannot escape!

 

Back on topic, a few notes of facts and figures are handy as moral support, but you'll know pretty much everything the interviewer can throw at you anyway Nick. Be ready for accusations of geekery by practising saying, "It takes you to new places you never knew existed, getting exercise and fresh air." - It *isn't* like train spotting at all! (Sorry train spotters) - It's not like golf either. It's a nice walk enhanced, not spoilt. :D

Link to comment

It's not like golf either. It's a nice walk enhanced, not spoilt. :)

Unless it takes you through a golf course :anibad::huh: [ME][DUCKS] :)

 

No golf course, but instead a couple of sessions live on air from a park in Coventry, as we tried to find a reentl (and recently found successfully by others) cache.

 

The reporter 'got' geocaching quite nicely, I burbled on, with only one bad wobble that I wasaware of, ad at the end I have to log a DNF. Mind you - that made itmore fun, as, while theprogram ended for the ten o'clock news, we were still searching.

 

Thanks to The Allotment Gardener for his PAF help, and for setting a cache that was ideal for this - a pleasant convenient location, and a suitable puzzle.

 

Thanks too for everyone's advice and help on here. I could't use it all, but it all came in useful, and helped my confidence knowing the sort of things to get across.

Link to comment

We were interviewed by a national radio in Portugal about geocaching. It's a daily show. It took 30 minutes. At first, I thought it was going to be impossible to talk about geocaching on the radio for that long. In the end, I was surprised how it went (nicely, I think!).

 

The pointers that Simply Paul gave are pretty good. Stick to them and you're done.

 

Good luck and have fun!

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...