|
Contact: 210-567-3080 |
Allergist appears on the Oprah Winfrey Show (6/13/95)You've seen it, you've definitely heard about it and now, one of our very own has been on it. Twenty million people in more than 100 countries watch the Oprah Winfrey Show and on June 22 viewers will see Ted Kniker, MD, professor of allergy/immunology and pediatrics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, talking with Oprah about child nutrition and food allergies. Just three days before the show's taping, the associate producer contacted Dr. Kniker, who serves as chairman of the Adverse Reaction to Foods Committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Bob Lanier, MD, of the nationally syndicated *60 Second Housecall* submitted Dr. Kniker's name to Oprah's team as an expert in the field. "I agreed to do the show because Oprah has a quality talk show; she is of the highest caliber," said Dr. Kniker. "I also wanted the public to receive good information and straight answers on this topic." Before an actual invitation to appear on the show could be extended, Dr. Kniker had to pass a test. For 20 minutes on the telephone Terry Goulder, associate producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, threw out questions to Dr. Kniker to see how he would handle them. He passed. The next day Dr. Kniker was called out of clinic and told "you're on the show." The show's travel coordinator arranged for a ticket to Chicago to be waiting for Dr. Kniker at the airport. Once in Chicago, a limousine took him to the Omni Hotel and picked him up the next morning at 7:15 a.m. to take him to the studio. At the studio all guests go through a security check. No weapons, cameras or recording devices are allowed. Dr. Kniker, along with other guests, was escorted to one of the waiting rooms. There guests could mingle, watch the monitor, enjoy some light refreshments or receive a cosmetic touch-up before going on the show. "I was impressed that all guests, no matter how large or small their part in the show, were treated exactly the same," said Dr. Kniker. While waiting, he visited with a vice president of Taco Bell, the chief dietitian from McDonald's and Michael Jacobson, PhD, the nutritionist who has achieved recent fame in his attacks on movie theater popcorn, fast food products and baby food manufacturers. No one saw Oprah until taping began at 9 a.m. Was Dr. Kniker nervous about being on national television? "I wasn't nervous about being on TV or answering any of the questions, but I was concerned that my name would be mispronounced," he said. Before taping began, Oprah came out and spoke with the audience. She told them that one of the guests' names was difficult to pronounce. She made the audience practice Dr. Kniker's name by repeating it several times. Although he knows the topic well, Dr. Kniker took no chances. In the days before the show he reviewed the American Academy of Pediatrics' Nutrition Handbook. He was instructed to be lively, concise and energetic. Dr. Kniker was on during the second half of the show. The taping lasted for an hour and a half and he hardly noticed the cameras. "We were just talking with Oprah and a large audience," said Dr. Kniker. "I found Oprah to be fair, intelligent, entertaining and educational." Dr. Kniker quickly learned that it was necessary to be assertive if he wanted time at the microphone. "Dr. Jacobson and I established a good rhythm," said Dr. Kniker. "I was able to say what I wanted without being interrupted." Most of the questions Dr. Kniker received were about picky eaters, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, baby formulas, obesity and allergic reactions to foods. "Dr. Kniker did a great job answering questions," said Goulder. "He eased parents' concerns and gave advice on how to add nutritious foods to children's diets." "The show is extremely well organized," said Dr. Kniker. "The staff is efficient, experienced and professional." The effortless precision seen on-camera is the result of dozens of professionals working behind the scenes, he said. Guests of the Oprah Winfrey Show are not paid, but they do receive a parting memento -- an Oprah Winfrey Show coffee mug that says, "Thanks, Oprah." Contact: Andrea Corbett (210) 567-2570
|