“No Sound Effect Added” – WBT-AM/FM’s Mark Garrison
A day after being accused by the White House of doctoring a radio interview with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, WBT morning host and news director Mark Garrison tells TALKERS magazine that it’s not true and explains the station’s approach to the interview segment. “Regarding our interview with Karine Jean-Pierre. There was no sound effect added. She hung up the phone and there was immediately the sound of a dial tone. As for time, we had been told the day before that we would chat with her for anywhere from 5-10 minutes. She hung up just after six minutes. Our goal was to discuss several issues including the president’s mental sharpness because polls indicate that voters of both parties in our state are concerned about that. And we explained that point to Jean-Pierre.” Not surprisingly, the interview caught the attention of the talk media industry and Garrison appeared on FOX News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle” with Laura Ingraham last night (3/27) to talk about the interview.
director Mark Garrison after he asked if President Joe Biden suffers from dementia. Garrison did ask Jean-Pierre that question and she responded, “Mark, I can’t even believe you’re asking me this question. That is an incredibly offensive question to ask.” Then, after presenting the president’s accomplishments, Jean-Pierre thanked Garrison and ended the call. The White House says WBT was given seven minutes as part of Jean-Pierre’s media schedule and that she ended the interview at that time. The White House also suggested that the station employed a bit of theater by adding a dial-tone sound effect to the end of the interview that its phones don’t make after a call ends. 