How to Appear On a Public Broadcasting Station

Would you like to appear on television? Do you like to do interesting volunteer work? Well you can, simply by contacting your Public Broadcasting Station. They always need volunteers to take telephone donations to keep PBS up and running.

You must be 18 years of age in order to appear. Answering telephones will be your job for the three hour sprint you are usually required to do. This is a good way to promote a charity organization, a work place, church group, or just about any other volunteer organization willing to donate time. In return you are given a fun afternoon, refreshments, tours of the television station and who knows, you might meet some interesting television personalities.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check in your telephone book or Internet for the closest Public Broadcasting Station near you. Generally they are located inside a local university in order to allow for broadcasting students to learn by way of hands on experience.

2. Contact them and explain that you would like to appear. You can appear as an individual or as an organization. If you are an organization they will explain that intermittently they will announce who you are and where your group is from. They will also tell you how many persons it will take to fill the telephone chairs. That is how many persons you should bring with you, otherwise they will locate individual "fillers" so there won't be any empty chairs.

3. On your appointed day, show up about a half hour early. You will be given a guided tour of the television station. You will be shown how to fill out a donation form, including credit card donations.
   
   You will then be directed to the refreshment room where you can help yourself to snacks, fruit or non-alcoholic drinks donated by local sponsors.

4. During the time that you are required to be on air, you will sit in the seating area behind the announcer and answer telephones as they ring. Telephones ring on an in-line system, meaning as the calls come in they are directed to phones in numerical order. You will then fill out a donation form according to your instructions. The forms are very easy to follow.

5. During the time you are not on the air, you can roam around the studio, sit in the viewing booth and watch whatever is featured on the PBS at that time, and even shop! They have many of the items they offer as premiums for sale to the volunteers. This includes cook books, videos and tapes.

Tips & Warnings

• Persons may call in just to make you laugh for whatever reason that they have nothing else to do. Be professional, smile, thank the caller and hang up. While on the air, do not make any noise or faces, or you won't be invited back!
• You can do public broadcasting volunteer work any time and as often as you would like simply by contacting the station and making an appointment date. They are always looking for "fillers" or persons to help fill every chair when on the air.