Debbie, Debbie, Debbie

The emails, texts and comments flowed in an unstoppable flurry all last night and today. The reaction to having Debbie Schlussel (from blog debbiedoespolitics.com) on WHYS has been quite astounding. Complaints, yes, from all over the world for giving her airtime (even a few threatening never to listen to the Beeb again) but many showing their support for the lady or congratulating us for representing different sides of a topic that riles people greatly.

I was thrilled to see she had blogged the experience and appreciated her extended airtime compared to the minutes callers usually receive due to the fast and furious nature of the show. The comments were very fierce and anti-Beeb, as one might expect, but I was interested to read from her description and the comments left by her fans that there was no distinction between those who listen to the BBC (the 'Beeb-ers' so called) and the BBC corporation itself.

I've only reletively recently come across the notion held by US right-wingers that the BBC is leftist and anti-American. This seems quite strange to one who's grown up with the BBC and as a teenager regarded it as rather old school, stuffy and conservative.

I was also pleased to see Debbie had quoted my last blog post, so the google spiders are finding me somehow. She even linked back to the paedentry blog, which is very good etiquette. However, I did see a naughty misquote where the start of a paragraph beginning ("I regret that...") was cut off so as to look as I regretted her treatment on air. Actually I was regretting that we spent so much time on the topic meaning that the Lebanon strike wasn't given the time it perhaps should have been.

Also, I must point out that I'm not an 'idiot producer' (one of her commentators, not the lady herself) at the BBC - at least not a producer yet (my idiot status I learned all by myself). I'm working at the BBC on a placement. And before everyone starts huffing about the BBC taking liberties with a work experience girl, I'm very well qualified with a pretty good C.V and lots of producing/researching experience, so there.

We had a Debbie montage and email roundup ready to go today, but unfortunately we had so many guests on Bush's State of the Union address and gay adoption that it was passed over. Although, we don't invite her on the show quite the once a week that was quoted in her blog, I am tempted to bring her in on a pro-Israeli as we always get a glut of people criticising the state.

It's interesting how people make assumptions. Americans complain about the rest of the world assuming they're arrogant or pugnacious. Right-wingers complain about the BBC being leftist. I wouldn't automatically describe myself one way or the other. I think the average right-winger would be surprised about some opinions I hold as I'm sure I might be wrong about many of the easy assumptions one might make about the so-called right.

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Update - after further research I learn that using Ms. Schlussel picture without her permission is not advised, so I've knocked up a photoshop interpretation.

Jostling for position

Well done James, a disco is a discussion between the presenter and more than one person (usually with opposing views) - you can also have a 'trisco'.

More BBC jargon for the handbook...

Stringer - a blokey in a bureau that runs around taking sat phones to guests, meeting and greeting, getting vox pops etc.

Piggy back - to take advantage of a guest that's been on another programme before yours.

Sat in the studio for the first time during the programme and so missed my chance to be plugged on air for the blog as we had Dickey reading the comments today, the bloggers friends.

I booked our main guest today, Debbie Schlussel. The question was 'Does America's image matter?' - as in do Americans care what the world thinks of them? I knew Debbie would cause some controversy but I wasn't prepared for the angry, angry people down the phone, on the text, emails, comments on the blog. When you're fully interactive it does open multitudinous channels of abuse...

I felt a little guilty that Debbie didn't really have an ally and the callers were so vehemently against her (and cross with the BBC for giving her airtime). Occasionally it did feel like a public hanging. However, there was a late show of support from her in email form. I suppose your average right-winger doesn't really listen to the BBC. Also one caller called Des justified it best when he said that, although he completely disagreed with her, America's global image is often that of right-wingers like Debbie so it was relevant and even necessary to have her on.

I did regret that, because of the large response, we had to squeeze our other stories - the strike in Lebanon (with callers right in the midst of it) and the South African government's proposals to forcibly treat and confine TB sufferers. In fact, I liked these stories better and I consider them more worthy and more interesting. The U.S was a bit of a cheap shot and, of course, it descended into Bush bashing and Iraq rows briefly before Mad's swift presenting skills brought it back to the question in hand. That's the problem with user generated content, you have to strike a balance between what the listeners are pushing and what can take the show further.

Some excellent vox pops from Cairo and Nairobi opened the U.S question out - the BBC trumps everyone else time after time in being able to go to pretty much any country in the world at short notice. My favourite: (woman from Nairobi) "Americans, they good and bad...but most...bad".