Challenge: to build full-length story segments upon what contributors submit

One clean-cut example of how The Brian Lehrer Show dug into their database of Uncommon Economic Indicator submissions (coming in as stories, photos and phone calls) and decided to create an on-air segment began with reports of the abandoned family pet.

The first report came in February as a phone call to our 800-number, where calls are converted to mp3 files for use on-air. The caller was a woman who maintains a horse stable in upstate New York. In the call, she sounds as if her heart is breaking for the horses owned by people in financial trouble, who call her to find out how to get rid of their animals. Horses cost thousands of dollars annually to maintain. She expresses frustration at the irresponsible owners who “got a horse cheap and can’t keep it.” In a follow-up call, she told the producer that she was euthanizing several horses each week because she can’t keep them all and so many were abandoned.

Method: Report the story, use the original material and expand the topic
To the producer, this sounded like a true uncommon indicator that challenged the notion of a pet care crisis being a minor issue of abandoned puppies or feral cats. In this case, we had a call about abandoned HORSES in the New York City metro region! The potential to jolt listeners into a better understanding of the scope–or the weight–of the financial crisis from the view of a stable owner, who was coping with the fallout of an expensive hobby of the formerly rich, sounded like something to take on air.

To expand the story and make it relate to more kinds of pet owners, including the average dog or cat owner, we decided to use a source who could address the topic broadly. We invited Stephen L. Zawistowski, Executive Vice President of ASPCA programs and an advisor for the protection of animals.

To begin the segment, the host, Brian Lehrer, reminded listeners of our humming, online project, Your Uncommon Economic Indicators. He said it had received 250 posts/calls in the first 3 weeks, which naturally generated curiosity and more visits to the page. Brian always does this with genuine enthusiasm and reminds his listeners of the worthiness of the project.

After playing the stable owner’s call on air, Brian commented on the negative effect the recession is having on pet care, and he asked the guest “Is pet abandonment on the rise?” The answer? Yes, it’s going along with foreclosure rate. Zawistowski urged listeners to plan ahead–think about finding a way to relocate your pet or look for housing that takes pets as soon as you know moving might be a possibility. He says, “Foreclosure isn’t something you find out about on Wedesday and you have to move on Thursday.”

In addition to the segment on-air and the Uncommon Indicator story archive, we hoped to help people share advice such as pet care or shelters offering help on a separate wiki-style Bulletin Board. During this segment, Brian says, “We are setting up a pet-exchange of advice. Maybe we can help save a pet” and invites people to add their advice on that distinct page.

Listen to the whole conversation below or visit WNYC’s website:

The Results: Many reactions to the segment, no reaction to the Bulletin Board.
Listening to the segment, it is easy to hear Brian’s keen enthusiasm for collaborating with his listeners and his interest in getting helpful information to those who may be experiencing a similar issue. Listeners responded to the story with helpful calls and comments, though no ideas for the woman caring for horses. Rather, people responded with what they knew or with questions of their own and expanded the story for us.

Myra, a dog rescue consultant, called in to tell Brian that local food pantries were giving away pet food as a way to keep pets in homes. She said shelters were, “being inundated with pets.”

Yolanda Rivera wrote, “Where or who can I donate food for animals in need,(pantry etc.) or donate food to a family who would like to keep their pet but cannot afford too?”

Jeannie wrote, “Please let your listeners know about a local program called Safety Net. They can help with food, training, vet, landlord and other issues or expenses, and can provide short or longer term foster care for people who can’t keep their pets temporarily. It’s a great program — People can volunteer to foster a pet too. Call (917) 468-2938”

Rather than take the added step of posting to a bulletin board, especially when it required leaving the WNYC site and editing the wiki entry themselves, listeners responded instead in the place with the highest ease of use: in the comments right below the online story segment. One listener did follow the link to the Uncommon Economic Indicators site to add her own post recommending the Humane Society’s help during the recession.

Finally, this segment also illustrates the corrective nature of collaboration on a project where people feel some ownership over the information. The group of participants can help fix inaccuracies. During the show, Brian brings up a comment from a previous YUEI segment he had done on Stress, where the guest suggested getting a pet as a cheerful distraction. He reads an admonishment posted to Your Uncommon Economic Indicators by another listener. It suggests that getting a pet to cheer yourself up is irresponsible. He poses this to Zawistowski, who agrees, but he says having a pet in the home does help bring comfort. Zawistowski then points listeners to an online resource operated by the ASPCA that can help people figure out “how much that pet will cost you”. The segment was enriched by Brian’s ability to bring material from collaborators into the conversation that the guest addressed with more resources and advice.