By Doug Brunk, San Diego Bureau
After Dr. Thomas C. Shives underwent cervical disk surgery 18 years ago, he could not work for 3 months and was going stir crazy.
So he stopped by KROC-AM 1340, a news and talk radio station in Rochester, Minn., to ask if he could deliver the afternoon news.
"I did a lot of speech and debate when I was in high school, but I'd never done any radio stuff," said Dr. Shives, professor of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Medical School, Rochester.
Despite his lack of experience, Dr. Shives did so well in the audition that the station managers allowed him to give the afternoon news under an assumed name for 2 months during his recovery.
A few years later, the Zumbro Valley Medical Society asked Dr. Shives what it would take to launch a call-in radio show to serve listeners in the Olmstead County, Minn., area. Dr. Shives approached KROC-AM with the idea of a call-in show that would address a different medical topic each week, and on June 1, 1991, the first segment of "Healthline" hit the airwaves.
Hosted by Dr. Shives, "Healthline" airs every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. During the first few minutes of the show, a medical news report is given, followed by a 10- to 15-minute interview with a physician who is an expert on the chosen topic for that broadcast. For the last 30 minutes, the invited guest fields questions from listeners.
Topics run the gamut from stress management to incontinence to Alzheimer's disease.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it formal, but it's not necessarily entertainment," Dr. Shives said of the format. "The best thing about radio is that it's free. People can listen to it no matter what they're doing. A lot of people listen to it in their cars, because we have quite a few people who call in on their cell phones, which wasn't true when I started [hosting this show]."
KROC-AM's program director Brent Ackerman said that "Healthline" is the No. 1-rated Saturday morning program in Rochester, with an estimated 3,000 people tuning in each week.
"With the Mayo Clinic literally in our backyard, we are fortunate to have access to some of the top physicians and specialists in the world," Mr. Ackerman said. "Tom is able to invite these guests into our studios and have them talk about their specialties plus answer questions from our listeners. He's also excellent at keeping things in layman's terms, so that it doesn't get too technical for our audience."
Dr. Shives estimates that it takes him 34 hours a week to prepare for each show. "I prepare an outline for the guests, so they'll know what topics we're going to discuss," he said. "Then I prepare the news, which I get off the Internet and edit for radio."
Since the program's inception, Dr. Shives has never been paid for his work on "Healthline"; it's a volunteer post. "The reason that I do it is because a lot of people listen, and I think it's good public relations for the medical profession," he said. "One of the chief complaints is, 'my doctor doesn't talk to me.' This gives them a chance to listen to a doctor and to call in and ask questions. The most satisfying thing is that when we announce at the bottom of the hour that we're going to be taking phone calls, all the lines light up right away."
Another highlight for him is the interest most guests take when they are invited on the show. "Almost whoever I ask to be on the program always says yes," he said. "There are very few who are unable or unwilling to take the time to spend an hour on the radio Saturday morning."
Despite the live call-in format, Dr. Shives and his guests have received few prank calls over the years. Some calls can be colorful, though. He remembers one call he and a heart specialist fielded from a female listener. "She said she just wanted us to know that when she had a problem, she saw Dr. So-and-So. The next woman called in and said that she wouldn't take her dog to see Dr. So-and-So."
For the one or two times per month Dr. Shives is unable to host "Healthline," Dr. H. Clark Hoagland assumes the duty. An internist who retired from the Mayo Clinic 3 years ago, Dr. Hoagland also had no formal broadcast training.
"I've had people come up to me, some who know me, some who do not, and say, 'Boy, you have a good radio voice,'" Dr. Hoagland said. "I have no clue what they mean by that."