ANOTHER invitation to host a radio show!

I have to admit this is starting to feel a bit weird. I just got ANOTHER invitation to host a radio show, within just a week of receiving the first one.

But this one is my own fault. Last week I did the “Barry Gordon From Left Field” show (download here). Initially I was going to do maybe half an hour interview, but they apparently liked the talk so much that we spent a full hour together. At some point in the show they asked me about the future, and I happened to mention that I was in the market looking to do my own thing on radio.

To my surprise, after the show, the producer from "Barry Gordon From Left Field" wrote to me and said the station network may be looking for additional talent, and gave me all the info I needed to introduce myself to the right people. Which I did, not really believing anyone would respond. I mean, after all, I know how hard it is to get a VP job in pharmaceuticals and I didn’t think it would be any easier—quite the opposite—to get a radio gig.

So, of course, my jaw dropped when this week a gentleman called from KCAA 1050 AM RADIO and said he had two openings, one for an hour on Saturdays and another one on Sundays. He also told me that contrary to the other station I had talked to they did have to follow FCC guidelines, like any terrestrial radio station (which really doesn't worry me, because, I wasn't planning on undressing anyone, or anything like that). He also literally sold me on the station, telling me all kinds of technical data and the fact that they had six call-in lines for discussions with listeners.

Of course, this is all fantastic.

But, I’m a bit of a skeptical individual. First, I imagine that to really make it in radio, or television, isn’t very easy. Like probably one in ten thousand. There has to be a hook here, somewhere. Of course, I think I could be an incredibly entertaining host, talking to all kinds of fun people; but two invitations, for two shows, in one week? C’mon. There is something here that isn’t quite right. So I’m going to continue to dig and find out what the real deal is here. And when I do I’ll tell you all about it.

And just so that I could really check things out (after all if, these two stations are both interested, maybe I have more to offer than I thought . . . ) I sent a note to one of the biggest talk-show networks in New York, one where I’ve been a past guest.

I didn’t expect to hear back, because, after all I do have an accent, if nothing else. I mean, it wasn’t long ago since they were dubbing Schwarzenegger’s movies. Then again, they stopped doing that and now we have a California governor with a German-Austrian accent. So perhaps there is hope for the first radio show host with a Swedish accent. Hey, maybe I could do that and then run for governor? Sorry, I forgot, first I would have to become a wealthy actor or Wall Street Mogul, like the current NJ governor. I guess that’s one job where it takes a lot of money to make a little money.

But back to this big time talk radio network. To my surprise, and in spite of my Swedish accent, they responded, right away. They said the timing wasn’t right, just now, but asked me to contact them again end of January. Clearly that wasn’t a complete blow-off. It wasn’t even a blow off! In fact, they’ve asked me to get back to them.

No one is more surprised than me. But of course, I shouldn’t just jump on the first opportunity in this area. Anyway, I have to spend beginning of next year promoting “The Whistleblower” overseas. In about a month we’re releasing the Swedish translation called “Sjuka Pengar” and the press and television is apparently already lining up. My Swedish publisher tried to get the local Swedish Pfizer general manager to participate in a television debate, but he refused.

I’m a little bit surprised about that. I mean, with a big company that has such vast resources; and all the best brains in the world, and all the right facts, why don’t they just want to crush me in a public debate and prove to the world that I’m wrong?

It would be so easy!

The only problem they may have is of course if THEY’RE wrong. And maybe scared?

Could that be the reason?

After all, here we have a new market, a new debate, and they could’ve learned from all the mistakes they’ve done in the debate over here, and set the record straight from the beginning. But quite frankly, who knows what the people at Pfizer or in the pharmaceutical industry are thinking?

One thing is clear, though. If I ever do get a radio show I’m very unlikely to get any drug advertising. Which is too bad, since they’ve got tons of advertising money, and I’ve been pretty good at selling pharmaceuticals, in fact I’ve done a great jobs beating any sales forecast I ever had.

So if these people were smart, they’d line up right now and offer sponsoring money. The problem is they’re not smart enough to do that. Instead they continue to shoot themselves in the foot in all kinds of subtle ways.

Here's one example: Just who came up with the brilliant idea to fire thousands of Pfizer sales people the same day former Pfizer CEO Dr. McKinnell signs an agreement that gives him $198 million to walk away from that same company? Who on earth decided that timing was good?

I’m just asking . . .

And of course, people with that bad sense of timing can’t be expected to be smart enough to understand that cooperation might go a long way. I could bash bad drugs, bad decisions and bad drug company CEO's, on that imaginary radio show, and then I could say nice things about drugs I believe in, and about CEOs that know what they're doing. That, would be powerful advertising, I think. No sell-out, just the truth. I know that would shock some of my current readers, but I would clearly try to shock people a lot on that radio show, that's what makes things entertaining.

But I don't expect any of that to happen. Pharma is simply too stalinist-dogmatic-in-a-capitalistic-kind-of-way and that is one reason they are in the complete mess they’ve created all by themselves.

No one could have said it better than PhRMA’s new president, our friend Billy Tauzin, and I’m quoting PharmaGossip, quoting Billy:

"The worst thing that happened to our industry was that we got pushed into one political camp."

So says Billy Tauzin, former Republican congressman who is now president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Remind me again Billy....... who was doing the pushing?

Source.