Parties Extra!---20-40-60 Etiquette
Do you have an etiquette question for 20-40-60? Email us…hwallace@opubco.com
YOU ASK! WE ANSWER! YOU DECIDE!
By Callie Gordon, Lillie-Beth Brinkman, Helen Ford Wallace
QUESTION: I work for a local television station and sometimes appear on camera. At times, people elsewhere recognize me and always have a comment, such as “I saw you on TV” or “you are that person who talked about the fire last night.”
It is now a problem and takes all my time to stop and talk to strangers. What is my response to random people who stop me? Should I ignore them or say, “Thanks for watching; I don’t have time to talk about it now?”
CALLIE’S ANSWER: Price of being on TV, I’m afraid. I would say something along the lines of, “Yes, that’s me! Thanks for watching.” or “Keep watching.”
LILLIE-BETH’S ANSWER: Like it or not, you are now in the public eye and that’s going to happen. And keep in mind that any reaction you have to a person who recognizes you will reflect on your employer, good or bad. If you ignore the comments, people will associate their negative feelings with the TV station; if you are positive, good feelings are linked to your employer.
Yes, people impose on “celebrities,” even lesser ones (by their own admission) who only occasionally appear on TV. If fans are rude or pushy, I don’t think you can fight their imposition on your time with rudeness in return. From your question, it sounds like the people have good intentions and just want to acknowledge they saw you on TV.
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