Kelly's Corner: Persistence Pays Off

By Kelly Jordan, WCCO Radio Producer

This week has been VERY busy. That is a slight understatement because of Super Tuesday. This political "season" has not been typical at all. Everything started ramping up in the summer of 2015. Candidates started declaring their run for the White House, blah blah blah. It has really has been the gift that keeps on giving from a producer perspective. Lots of great topics that our listeners are interested in. Besides keeping Chad in line, the number one aspect of my job is getting the guest.

I don't have a way of getting guests, I am just ... well persistent. I email, I call, I email again, I tweet, I call again, then the cycle starts over again. I am always polite, say "please" and "thank you" and will always lighten the mood by just being … me. Naturally, I am a nice person and my goal is to make a guest feel comfortable enough to talk to Chad. Sometimes it is working with a handler, an executive assistant, a team of PR people, and sometimes I just reach out to my guest directly. Its a tossup to say if I am successful on the first try or if I get what Chad calls the "Heisman," which -- SURPRISE -- happens quite a bit. To be honest some are very kind and respond quickly, on the other side of that are people that just ignore my request. Its a bit like writing something down on a piece of paper, crumbling it up, and throwing it into a black abyss of nothingness & hoping that the crumbled paper will somehow reappear, with a reply.

Since late last year, I have been on the trail of presidential candidates. Reaching out to each campaign with a plea to come on to Chad's show. Sometimes there is a reason (they're visiting Minnesota) and sometimes I just reach out because its a Wednesday and I want them to be on the show. I have been relentless with a few campaigns and have also been turned down by a lot of folks. (Ahem, I am talking to you Rand Paul.) It paid off on Tuesday — yes, Super Tuesday when I got a text message from someone from Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign. I had been reaching out to them on a pretty consistent basis, and each and every time if they did reply it was a "no." Listen, I get it, you are running for president of the United States of America, you are busy. I completely understand. Back to my story, I get a text from a number I do not recognize.

Random Number: "Would you be interested in having the Senator on your show?"
Kelly: "Senator Sanders?"
Random Number: "Yes. Senator Sanders."
Kelly: "Of Course, YES!!!!!!!"

A flurry of texts to coordinate the details happened next. There are different teams that handle different aspects of the campaign, both locally and nationally. I was handed off a few times and this was all coming together during Chad's show on Tuesday. Let's just say I was sweating bullets, very stressed out, and just overall a basket case until the senator was on the line. We had a small time zone issue that made things a little hit or miss but it went off without a hitch. Sanders was on the show and went on to win the Minnesota caucus. I think his appearance on the Chad Hartman show had a little bit to do with it. (Wishful thinking!)

Our show would not be the same without our guests. From local folks to foreign nationals, semi-celebrities to Wolves players. They have expertise, intellect, and take time out of their busy schedules to stop and talk to us. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to help to coordinate them on to the show. I hope you enjoy the guests we have on & look forward to our show, like I do each day. Have a guest idea? Drop me an email & let me know who you would like to hear on our show!