Home Hosts-Guests Host Guide

Host Guide

Host Guide

the_host-title-logo

Hosts with the Most

We run seven and sometime eight streaming video shows Mondays through Thursdays, and for each show we need a host. Our hosts are unpaid and dedicated volunteers. Our hosts follow the news and events in the community, local, national and global. Our hosts are not shy, they read the newspaper and are not reluctant to contact newsmakers and subject matter experts to come on their show. If you are a host, we value every moment with you. If you know of anyone else you think might qualify as a host, please let us know at shows@thinktechhawaii.com.

Committing guests

They understand that the show must go on, so they work hard to get the best guests and commit those guests to coming to our studio or joining them by phone on the appointed days. They remind the guests as the show date gets closer. They make it clear that no-shows are the worst thing that can happen and that if a guest has to cancel, he or she should let us know as possible so we can fill his place. If a host cannot find a replacement, he or she should let us know as soon as possible so we can make other arrangements for that broadcast hour.

Selection of guests

We know every show is defined by the quality of the guests, so our hosts are on the lookout for the best guests they can find, guests who are newsmakers and/or subject matter experts, well informed, thoughtful, articulate and able to engage in a provocative and interesting conversation on the air.  Try to minimize or avoid repetition of guests or subjects in the series. We should always collectively be moving on to fresh faces and content. To the extent possible, hosts should select guests that are congenial and cooperative. We prefer not to have guests who are unwilling to cooperate with our studio conventions and production requirements. For helpful advice, you can refer your guests to our advice for guests page.

Possibilities with Zoom

We have the ability to include guests in remote locations by Zoom or sometimes by phone, and we encourage our hosts to do that.  Don’t be reluctant to call colleagues, officials, experts and newsmakers from around the world and include them in your show. We suggest you Google the news on the topic you have selected for your show and get names and email addresses and cellphone numbers so we can contact and include them. This is the way ThinkTech can be global media and raise consciousness beyond the borders of our state.

The tone and tenor of the shows

The guests and conversations should be reasonable and good-natured rather than contentious or shrill. On controversial issues, we do hope to achieve some level of balance. Each guest and subject should be selected in light of who the previous guests and subjects have been, and it is best not to repeat a guest or a subject in close proximity. The show has to keep moving to new and unexplored areas of news and discussion, raising public awareness. This makes our shows and guests more popular and thus more sustainable.

At the core, these are news programs

What keeps viewers coming back is the notion that we can teach them something about what’s going on in Hawaii and in the world around them. This means that the essence of all our shows is news. We therefore suggest the first part of every show be dedicated to what’s new, the news in the subject about to be discussed. Hosts can always research the news in that subject, or discuss the news with their guests, so they can do that.

Show Information Questionnaire

Please respond to the show information questionnaire our staff will send you a day or two before the show.  That way our staff will be able to put it into the ThinkTech Daily that goes out on the morning of the show. We want to build brand and followers.  They also need this information to prepare lower thirds titles for the show, and promote the show, the guest and the subject to enhance viewership.

If you don’t get the show information to us, we may have to cancel that show and plan another show or replay for that time. If you know beforehand that you won’t be able to do a given show, please let us know as soon as possible so we will have a reasonable opportunity to arrange a replacement show or replay in your time block.  We want to avoid a situation where the staff is waiting for a show that isn’t going to happen.

Click on the link 15 minutes before showtime

Take the time, in person or by phone, to talk with your guests beforehand, so everyone knows the track of the discussion contemplated. Please click and encourage your guests to click on the Zoom link we will have sent you 15 minutes before showtime. We like to start and end all our shows on time so our viewers are not disappointed.

Connecting with remote guests

The guest should be in a well-lit room, the wall behind the guest should be presentable, and there should be a light on the guest’s face. If you or the guest have questions about this, please contact us in advance at shows@thinktechhawaii.com or (808) 784-3426. If  Zoom is not available we can connect by phone and put a headshot photo of the guest on the screen.  See our Appearance Guidelines for more detail.

A formula for discussion

In general, we suggest that our hosts consider dividing the discussion into four evolutions: make the guest relevant by connecting the guest with current news, events and areas of interest to the public; drill down on that subject to have the guest explain the areas of expertise to the audience; discuss the barriers and challenges in the area, and what has to be done to overcome those barriers and challenges; and project how this area will develop in the future and how that development will affect Hawaii. This is useful, but only a starting point.

Openings, closings and breaks

Click here for our standard script suggestions for openings, closing and transitions. These suggestions are by no means binding. They are suggestions a host might consider in dealing with the opening and closing of the show and the transition into and back from a break. We hope this gouge is helpful for you and that after a while you won’t need it. If you have any suggestions on how the language might be improved, please let us know.

The Sausage Theory

We also suggest that our hosts learn to listen carefully to the thoughts expressed by the guest in the notion that the best conversation follows the “sausage theory,” where the question begets the answer and the answer begets the next question. The guest is the primary focus of every show, but we also want the host to represent the listener, bring his views into the conversation and otherwise contribute to the discussion. It’s a two-way street.

Retaining control of the show

We hope our guests will always retain control of the conversation by interrupting a long winded answer, either by voice or gesture, and that they will always insist on candor over rhetoric. We also hope that they will always have the next question ready when the guest is done with the last one, as to avoid awkward silences. Running out of gas is not an option.

Staying with the program

Our hosts can pick their own topics, within the general concepts of their shows, and should try to stay within that concept, both in guests and areas of discussion. This is better broadcasting and helps to brand and promote that show and that host. Everybody wins if the show consistently covers a defined area of discussion, and listeners who are interested in that subject will plan to come back.

Multiple re-introductions

The host should briefly identify himself/herself, the name and affiliation of the guest, the name of the show and the title of the episode at the beginning and end of the show, and before and after every break.  Long introductions are usually not a good idea.  Sometimes, you might want to ask the guest to enhance your introduction.

Credit where credit is due

The host should always identify the show and episode as “a part of the ThinkTech live stream series” and give credit to the members of the studio and control room staff. Likewise, the host should always welcome the guest at the beginning of the show and thank the guest with an aloha exchange at the end of the show. At the same time, the host should not openly promote or permit the open promotion of commercial ventures or the sale of goods or products during the show, since that is likely to disqualify the show for broadcast on Community Television.

Photographs and video clips

You can give us up to 10 photos and video clips that you want to use in the show.  The images should be of medium resolution. You and your guest should have broadcast rights in any graphics you give us. You can email them to us at shows@thinktechhawaii.com.

Viewer questions 

To encourage viewer questions during the show you can tell your audience to send their questions to questions@thinktechhawaii.com.  We will put it on the Chat Box for you to see, and you can use it, modify it, ignore it or delay dealing with it until a more appropriate time in the discussion.  Always thank the viewer for having submitted the question.

We will also put that address on the screen for viewers to see. When a tweet comes in, you can make it a point of discussion or not. If it’s not in the track of the show, you may want to ignore it. It’s entirely up to you. The possibility will in any event be available to you and offer another way for you to engage viewers and enrich the discussion.

Ownership of content

All rights in the video and audio produced are and remain the property of ThinkTech Hawaii. Hosts will not have any rights in the video or audio or other aspect or element of the content created. ThinkTech will be free to treat, disseminate, distribute, publicize and promote this content in any way it sees fit, including as in the public domain.

Want to try your hand at hosting?

Want to be a host for ThinkTech Hawaii? Write to shows@thinktechhawaii.com and let us know who you are, what you’ve done in the broadcast area, and the concept and name of the show you have in mind. Also tell us the name of the first episode you’d like to do and the first guest you’d like to have. We want to have the best show hosts we can find, and if you think you can help, we urge you to contact us.

Monologues

Don’t do monologues for more than a minute. If you’re going to have guests, then ask them lots of questions and focus on their comments over yours. On the other hand, the conversation should not be completely unstructured. You should plan to cover specific points in the show. You want to move down that track and not repeat things. Tell them what you’re going to cover.

Episode Names

Every show should be different in terms of subject matter. Please settle on an episode name and tagline which describes the specific topic you’ll be talking about in each separate show. “Update” on some general subject is not nearly specific enough. If you’re going to talk about a subject over the course of multiple shows, fine, but please find a distinct aspect of the subject for each show.

Closing Opportunities for Guests

Try to give the guests an opportunity for a closing statement of no more than a minute at the very end. You can also ask them to look at a camera and talk to the governor or some other public official, or to the public itself.

 

Like what we do?Get our Email Advisories!

Like what we do?
Get our Email Advisories!

You have successfully subscribed!