Actually, 30 minutes can feel like the blink of an eye or an eternity, depending on what subject you're talking about and if it's a monologue or you've got a talkative guest or second banana who can expound and fill in the dead air.
I think the idea of interviewing locals that are either famous alumnae of your school or just people who are very familiar with history or certain aspects of the Daytona Beach area would be an excellent way to start. Call ins with the general population are really difficult to do, mainly because you need a screener. Plus, you can easily lose control of the situation if you get a string of crank callers or obnoxious ones who don't want to stay on topic. Or worse, nobody calls because it's Saturday morning.
So ... if you haven't done much radio, there are a couple of things to consider. One, get used to hearing your voice in headphones because it sounds a lot different than "normal." That can be really off-putting when you're trying to talk and listen to your voice at the same time. I had one young hiree who actually got "stage fright" upon hearing her own voice in the vacuum of "radio noise" and quit the business because of it. Two, practice with a recorder first to eliminate any bad vocal habits you may not be aware of, like "ahs," "ums" or "you knows" or even inflections, the speed at which you talk or even your pronounciation. Those things can slip into your speech undetected but will be immediately noticable when your train of thought gets interrupted.
(I actually still slip into bad habits when doing interviews. I cringe when I'm playing back the audio because I don't realize I'm using the same phrase or dominating the conversation instead of asking the next damn question.)
One huge tip I got starting out: If you raise your eyebrows or smile while speaking, it usually gives your voice a bit brighter, happier sound. Don't exaggerate it, but if you realize your voice sounds a bit monotone or gruff, it forces the muscles in your cheeks to bring your voice up just a bit.
Now for preparation. Just like a regular one-on-one interview for a story, have a list of questions ready (and until you get comfortable, write down way more than you think you might need for 30 minutes). At the same time, you're the one who has to keep the conversation lively and on topic. You'll find yourself having to work to really listen to the guest, either to follow up on a good point or to politely interrupt if the answer gets too long or boring. Think Larry King or James Lipton.
One of the things that is actually difficult starting out is keeping track of the time without making it seem like you're clock watching. The more shows you do, the better you'll be at having a feel for how much discussion you can pack into 30 minutes. Use that last 60 seconds to recap, wrap up and don't forget to thank the guest and audience and plug your next show.
Most of all, have fun! Radio is theater of the mind and I still miss parts of it. It's humorous when people talk to me on the phone and say, "You have such a pleasant voice! You should have been in radio!"
Why, thank you! I never thought of that! (I worked really hard to make it sound natural.)
