from staff
Melissa Ross is the producer and host of “First Coast Connect,” which won a first-place award in the “Call-In Program” category from Public Radio News Directors Inc. “First Coast Connect” airs weekdays at 9 a.m. on 89.9 WJCT-FM. Ross has 20 years’ experience in broadcasting, starting in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio. She made her way to First Coast News on WTLV TV-12 and WJXX TV-25 in Jacksonville. She spent three years with the Dalton Agency before joining WJCT in 2009. The show began that August.
You produce and host the show five days a week, pretty much 52 weeks of the year, with several guests each day. How do you keep the show relevant on a daily basis?
It’s challenging but exciting, like putting together a giant, complex puzzle every week. There’s a big whiteboard calendar on my wall that is critical to keeping all the balls in the air. I keep track of all the guests and moving parts by putting them on the big board once they’re confirmed. My colleagues can stay in the loop this way, too. I try to make each show as topical as possible by booking guests who are either making news and/or can comment on the stories and trends that are in the news.
Any topic you wish you would have covered – or any you wish you hadn’t?
I put a psychic on the air shortly after we launched the program in 2009. That was a mistake. On the flip side, there are so many topics I still want to do that it’s hard to pick just one. Luckily, we’re on five days a week so there is plenty to book.
How do you keep your guests and callers on the topic?
I just came back from a trip to Washington, D.C., and had the opportunity to meet with the producers of the NPR program “Talk of the Nation,” hosted by Neal Conan. They gave me a great tip on how to do this — it’s simple but brilliant. Simply ask callers a question about the topic at hand when you open the phones. It works! You tend to generate more calls and you get very specific, on-point anecdotes and stories. Guests, meanwhile, are generally very focused about the message they want to get out, but will occasionally ramble a bit. The key here is to be diplomatic but guide them by the questions you ask.
Name three guests you’d like to book but haven’t been able to reach.
Sen. Bill Nelson, Sen. Marco Rubio, and Peter Lynch, the CEO of Winn-Dixie.
Any chance you’ll take the show national?
Wouldn’t that be nice! For that to happen, however, I’ll eventually need a producer. In the meantime, our July pledge drive is coming up, and we need every pledge from the community. If you value the programming WJCT puts on the air, show your support. It’s more critical now than ever.